Grant-funded research conducted to combat senescence ailments

First year PhD student Sirina Kurbangaleeva has succeeded in the Student Startup competition.

Her project ‘Therapy of age-related change, mitochondrial and neurodegenerative diseases through delivery of active mitochondria to human cells’ is to receive 1 million rubles.

“My work is aimed at producing a safe and biocompatible medication to delay aging processes and therapize mitochondrial ailments. The result should be a technology of transport of healthy mitochondria to human cells in order to replenish and increase mitochondrial function. As of now, there are no marketed medications for mitochondrial dysfunctions,” explains Kurbangaleeva.

She is consulted and inspired by Associate Professor Marina Gomzikova and Head of Gene and Cell Technology Lab Albert Rizvanov.

“I started this topic in my senior year and then continued with defending a master’s thesis,” says the interviewee. “But it was just part of the project.”

The funding will be disbursed to reagents, staff remuneration, website maintenance, and patenting.