Dear schoolchildren and applicants!
This page describes what is taught at the Department of Medical Biophysics of the Faculty of Medical Biology at the Russian National Research Medical University named after N.I. Pirogov.

We will be glad if you are interested in biophysics and come to study with us.

Professor Anatoly Nikolaevich Osipov, Head of the Department of Medical Biophysics.

What is medical biophysics?

The simplest definition is the science of physical processes and phenomena that take place in biological systems, and primarily in humans, in normal condition and in diseases. For example: one of the most popular objects of study among biophysicists are the membranes of cells and intracellular organelles, and in diseases, the permeability of membranes changes (usually increases), their viscosity changes, and the work of proteins built into the membranes slows down. If the membrane permeability is made the same as it was in a healthy person, then the cell will function normally and the person will recover. The main tasks of medical biophysicists are to study the mechanisms of development of human diseases, develop new methods of diagnosis and treatment, create new drugs, and warn about the dangers of certain diseases or injuries.

Where do medical biophysicists work?

1. Of course, the main focus of the education of medical biophysicists is the training of highly qualified research specialists for scientific laboratories. Today, many graduates of the Department of Medical Biophysics work in the best laboratories in Russia, the USA and Europe. The most outstanding graduates became members of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences. They head research institutes, laboratories and university departments.
2. The second most popular area of ​​work for graduates are clinical laboratories for functional diagnostics (they analyze electroencephalograms, conduct ultrasound examinations and work on modern tomographs) and clinical laboratory diagnostics laboratories (in these laboratories an automated analysis of the components of blood and cells is carried out and a preliminary diagnosis is made to the patient) .
3. Third in mention, but not in importance, is the work of graduates of the Department of Medical Biophysics as university teachers. Our graduates work not only in the department of medical biophysics, from which they graduated, but in almost any department of medical-biological profile and natural science in many universities in Russia and abroad. To work as a university teacher, say in the USA, a graduate of the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences (unlike graduates of medical schools) does not need to pass exams or obtain additional certificates.

What subjects do students in the Department of Medical Biophysics study?

The horizons of students at the Department of Medical Biophysics are very broad. During the 6 years of study at the university, they undergo a complex of natural science and humanities disciplines. In the first years, students receive knowledge in mathematical sciences (mathematical analysis, probability theory and mathematical statistics), physics (all branches of physics: from mechanics to nuclear physics), chemistry (6 disciplines: from inorganic chemistry to biochemistry, including physical chemistry) and in biological sciences (biology itself, which includes zoology, cytology (the science of cell structure), histology (the science of tissue structure) and anatomy).

In addition to natural sciences, philosophy, history, English, and Latin are taught in elementary courses.

In the third year, students of the medical biophysics department begin professional disciplines: molecular and cellular biophysics, biophysics of organs and tissues, and biophysics of pathological processes. Lecture courses run in parallel with practical classes, where students are taught the basic laws of biophysics and the rules of research work in the laboratory.

From the 4th year, students of the Department of Medical Biophysics gradually become familiar with clinical disciplines, such as the diagnosis and treatment of internal diseases, experimental and clinical surgery, and a whole range of courses on nervous diseases (neurology, neurosurgery, diagnostics). In addition, students take courses in special clinical disciplines - diseases of the ear, nose and throat (or otorhinolaryngology), eye diseases, pediatrics, psychiatry and some others.

In the 6th year, all students of the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences defend their thesis on research or clinical work and receive a diploma.

Organizer of the Department of Medical Biophysics

The organizer and first head of the Department of Medical Biophysics is Academician of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Professor Yuri Andreevich Vladimirov. The Department of Medical Biophysics (when created it was simply called the Department of Biophysics) was created in 1964 and initially existed as a biophysics course. The work of the department as an educational unit was inextricably linked with research work. The main direction of the department's scientific activity was the study of molecular mechanisms of damage to biological membranes in normal conditions and in pathological processes. It has been discovered that the main process that causes membranes to fail is lipid peroxidation (which is much the same as fats going rancid due to oxidation). For research in the field of lipid peroxidation reactions as the main process of membrane damage, Professor Yuri Andreevich Vladimirov and Department Professor Dmitry Ivanovich Roshchupkin received the USSR State Prize in 1983.

Who heads the Department of Medical Biophysics today?

Since 2005, the Department of Medical Biophysics has been headed by Professor Anatoly Nikolaevich Osipov, a graduate of the Department of Medical Biophysics. Today, the department employs 6 professors and 6 associate professors who give lectures and conduct practical classes for students from all departments of the Faculty of Medicine and Biology. A research department has been organized at the Department of Medical Biophysics. One of the main areas of research work is the study of the role of free radical processes in the development of human diseases and the protection of cells and tissues with the help of antioxidants.

– What does the Center for Theoretical Problems of Physico-Chemical Pharmacology do?
– The Center has many laboratories. The one in which I work specializes in the problems of cell division, in particular mitosis (the main method of division of eukaryotic cells, in which the hereditary material is first duplicated and then evenly distributed between daughter cells - website note). We are trying to understand exactly how cells of various organisms, including ours, divide.
Yes, not so long ago scientists managed to decipher the human genome, but this does not mean that we have learned how everything works. We found out the structure of DNA, as well as what nucleotide sequences our genes are made of, and what proteins a cell can build. But, for example, we do not fully understand how exactly these proteins regulate cell division.
One of the problems we study closely is errors that occur during cell reproduction. After all, all the cells of our body are renewed, for which billions of divisions occur every day.
At the beginning of division, a copy of the chromosome already present there is formed inside the cell. Subsequently, these two chromosomes must move to different poles, so that after the final separation, each daughter cell has a copy. It is extremely important that the cells do not change and that they retain their original genome (a set of instructions that encode proteins). However, sometimes this mechanism fails, and, for example, both chromosomes can go in one direction. As a result, one cell will receive two chromosomes, and the second will receive zero. Of course, the cell has its own protective processes that are designed to correct the mistake. However, it happens that they also fail. The occurrence of such errors can lead to the development of various diseases, for example, malignant tumors.

– How can you apply the information you receive in practice?
– The more we understand about the structure of the cell, the wider we expand the current boundaries of human knowledge in this area.
Once we manage to establish a certain fact or explain a process, a huge number of other researchers - biologists, doctors - will be able to use this information in their work, for example, to develop new methods for diagnosing or treating cancer. After all, many drugs used in oncology affect not only cancer cells (although they are most powerful), but also healthy ones. Let's say a drug can block the production of a certain protein, causing tumor cells to die. However, nature is very economical, so this same protein in normal cells can perform other necessary functions, many of which are not fully understood. Perhaps such treatment will do more harm than good.
Studying the structure of a cell at a fundamental level is not a luxury. We have not yet described all the mechanisms that can turn a healthy cell into a cancerous one, nor the rescue mechanisms that can prevent this from happening.

– How do we study the processes occurring in cells?
– Mainly during experiments. They are of two types: in vivo - that is, experiments with living cells, and in vitro - experiments for which certain components of the cell are isolated and studied separately. For example, we can grow proteins of interest to us in bacteria, and then simulate cellular conditions and use a microscope to monitor the processes in which these molecules participate. This makes it possible to test different hypotheses about how proteins interact with each other within the specific steps and tasks of cell division.
In addition, there are theoretical modeling methods. A special program is created on the computer that reproduces key parts of the division process and shows what is happening.

– What exactly do you do?
– My work consists of two parts. I conduct in vitro experiments, mainly reconstructing individual cellular systems. We use the most modern microscopes, which allow us to analyze the behavior of even individual molecules. To do this, we supply the protein molecules of interest to us with fluorescent tags, after which the proteins under study, when we shine on them, send us a response light signal. Thanks to this, we can understand and numerically describe how a molecule moves, with whom and how it interacts, and what specific function it performs.
To give a clear analogy, you can imagine that we are sitting on another planet with a huge telescope and trying to study earthlings. But no matter how closely we look, we cannot isolate individual people from the crowd in order to understand what they are doing. But if we give flashlights to the people we are interested in and ask them to shine when we look at them, we will see them, we will be able to understand where they are going.
But I study cells not only experimentally. I also do numerical and theoretical modeling of individual systems involved in cell division, using our own special programs and mechanical models that describe the mechanisms of what happens in the cell.

– What higher education is better to get to become a biophysicist?
– I graduated from the Department of Biophysics at the Faculty of Physics and highly recommend my alma mater. However, you can also go to study at the Department of Biophysics of the Faculty of Biology. There are strong faculties and departments where biophysics is taught in. In addition to biophysics, you can choose bioinformatics, bioengineering or chemistry.
In my opinion, the main thing is to get good basic training. And some specific things can then be completed on your own or with the help of senior colleagues. Therefore, I would recommend that students start working in the laboratory as early as possible. In the USA, for example, even schoolchildren who are seriously interested in science often come for summer internships in real laboratories at universities, and this is really useful for understanding how scientists work. In Russia, a large number of laboratories operate in special institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

– How to choose a good laboratory? What should you pay attention to?
– If possible, it is better to visit different laboratories, see what they are doing there, and then choose an active scientific group that has modern publications in foreign journals. To assess the level of publications where the works were published, you should study the ratings of various journals related to a specific topic. In addition, articles published in such well-known publications as Science, Nature, PNAS are always appreciated; new electronic journals appear periodically, whose ratings are also growing, such as eLife or bioRxiv. You can also study the websites of laboratories that publish work there, try to understand the pictures, follow the links to the literature used, and finally download their programs, manuals for them and experiment. If you are interested in what you find, age and lack of education will never prevent you from starting to understand and dive deeper into an unfamiliar subject.

– What subjects should a student who wants to become a biophysicist pay attention to?
– To become a biophysicist, emphasis must be placed on mathematics and physics, also paying significant attention to biology, chemistry, English, and if you are so inclined, then programming. My experience also shows that it is very useful to have some kind of engineering hobby, be it aircraft modeling or robotics.

– What competencies does a biophysicist need?
– From the most strict teachers, after whose exams many students were expelled, I heard the phrase: if the school didn’t teach you how to work, then we won’t be able to teach you either. Indeed, at school you need to learn to be disciplined and acquire the ability to concentrate on work. These skills will help you master the university program and subsequently become a good specialist. It is also important to find an approach to yourself and understand how you can interest yourself and maintain the interest that arises in order to use it productively.

– What kind of career growth can a biophysicist engaged in scientific activities have?
– This person can go to graduate school - this is not a formality, but the easiest way to learn from real problems and get to open problems from the very forefront of science - those that are not written about in books or taught at educational lectures. Next, the young biophysicist will go through the path of a laboratory employee, where he can make scientific discoveries himself, then, if he has enough achievements and courage, he will become the head of his own laboratory. True, to do this, he will need to clearly define what exactly his team will do, so that it will be interesting to him, his employees, and those who will finance his team.
The dominant factor influencing a career is the choice of a supervisor. At a certain point, this factor will influence opportunities and results more than what particular university a person graduated from. I was very lucky to get into the laboratory of Fazli Ataullakhanov; it was very difficult to achieve such an opportunity.
An important and non-obvious idea that is not written about in books is that science is a characteristic type of traditional craft. The ability to do science is passed on from hand to hand when, in the course of daily work, a supervisor and colleagues instill in a person the correct techniques and skills. It is this feedback that shapes a professional.

– What difficulties does a biophysicist face?
– Sometimes an experiment may not work out, and it will have to be redone. And not just once, not twice, not three times - perhaps all twenty. Of course, this causes dissatisfaction; we have to change the approach, equipment, do the experiment in a different way, involve colleagues. In general, the range of problems that a scientist needs to solve is colossal, and, unlike other specialties, no one can ever guarantee you that in the end you will achieve something specific. But there is great excitement and special interest in this, for the sake of which people go into science.
In addition, despite the fact that the task of a scientist is to obtain new and reliable data, the information still needs to be correctly presented, carefully analyzed and interpreted. Therefore, you have to prepare numerous tables, graphs, presentations, and tinker with their design. This takes a lot of time, but even here you can try to be creative, come up with ways to optimize your actions, look for new ways to present information. Many of the most common forms of presenting information today, even on popular resources, once came out of scientific laboratories, where they were used to illustrate some new and unusual data.

– Where can a researcher specializing in biophysics who decides to try himself in something new work?
– To try yourself in something new, you don’t have to leave science; on the contrary, there is more choice in science. You can change theory to experiments or experiments to theory, change the project and the subject of research. In addition, you can try to commercialize your developments, find customers, and contact funds that support such projects. True, if a person later changes his mind, returning to science will not be easy. Still, business involves fairly monotonous tasks, and the intellectual challenges that you get used to in science become catastrophically few.
If a person does not want to develop his business, but earnings are especially important to him, then he can get a job as an employee in a knowledge-intensive business, for example, in the field of analytics, IT, biotechnology, go to work in small companies serving medicine and pharmacology, or directly in pharmaceutical company.

– Will biophysicists be in demand in the near future?
– Good biophysicists are always in demand. True, unlike, for example, bad programmers, bad biophysicists are in little demand, since our market is much smaller than the IT market. Progress is happening so quickly now that yesterday’s purely fundamental research problems are acquiring the most practical significance, and there is a huge need for relevant specialists.
We see today how all of biology is drifting towards mathematics and physics. The biophysicists needed tomorrow will probably be different from those of today - they will need an even deeper knowledge of mathematics. Not mechanical knowledge of mathematical apparatus, software and test tubes, but trained mathematical intuition and a clear understanding of how to get to the essence of the phenomenon being studied. At the same time, one thing will remain ironclad - if a novice specialist tries hard, then he has every chance of becoming a fulfilled and well-paid professional.

– Are there clubs where schoolchildren can acquire practical skills in biophysics?
– The School of Molecular and Theoretical Biology is very good. There are several laboratories there related to biophysics, they are run by my colleagues, very successful scientists.

– What would you recommend reading to schoolchildren who want to learn more about biophysics?
– From books, I would recommend reading Richard Feynman: “Of course you’re joking, Mr. Feynman!”, “Feynman Lectures on Physics”; “Chemistry” by Nobel laureate Linus Pauling, co-written with his son; Vladimir Arnold: “Mathematical understanding of nature”, “What is mathematics?”; Werner Heisenberg: “Part and Whole”; György Pólya: “Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning”; Vladimir Uspensky: “Preface to Mathematics”; as well as a series of books “De Agostini” - “Science. The greatest theories." I especially recommend an interactive guide to modeling simple systems through programming.
Among the magazines, Kvant is still the most outstanding for a serious student with an eye on physics.

The purpose of the catalog of professions on our website is to help high school students navigate the diverse world of modern professions.

Descriptions of professions include: codes of higher professional education specialties, a list of universities where training in this profession is carried out, entrance exams to universities (list of Unified State Examination subjects), requirements for applicants.

The section is regularly updated. If you have not found descriptions of the professions you are interested in, come back later, they will definitely appear on our website.

Specialty codes:

• 06.05.01 Bioengineering and bioinformatics (Specialty)
• 05/30/02 Medical biophysics (Specialty)
• 05/30/03 Medical cybernetics (Specialty)
• 03/19/01 Biotechnology (Academic Bachelor)
• 03.03.02 Physics (Academic Bachelor)
• 06.03.01 Biology (Academic Bachelor)
• 03.03.03 Radiophysics (Academic Bachelor)
• 03/12/04 Biotechnical systems and technologies (Academic Bachelor of Applied Bachelor)
• 03.04.01 Applied mathematics and physics (Master)
• 03.04.02 Physics (Master)
• 03.04.03 Radiophysics (Master)
• 04/19/01 Biotechnology (Master)
• 06.04.01 Biology (Master)

Scope of activity: nature, sign systems, technology.

Types of activities: research, analysis, work with natural objects, design.

Brief description:

• Study of physical natural phenomena;
• Research in the field of particle physics, optics, high energy physics, physics of materials, etc.;
• Conducting experiments in the field of quantum physics, mechanics, radiophysics, etc.;
• Research of nuclear processes and technologies;
• Study of the relationship in the physical and biological patterns of functioning of a living organism;
• Design of artificial body systems and organs;
• Conducting research in the field of organ transplantation and the creation of artificial organs;
• Research in the field of creation and application of artificial intelligence systems.

Physics- the most fundamental branch of natural science. The achievements of modern physics are so significant that they cannot but arouse admiration. Microelectronics and personal computers, lasers, controlled thermonuclear fusion, holography, high-temperature superconductivity are not a complete list of the applications of physics achievements of recent decades. A physicist studies the nature around us, namely physical bodies and physical phenomena. The essence of the work is testing logical conclusions by experiment. Ideas are tested by experiment, and experimental results suggest new ideas.

Within the profession of “physicist” there are many specializations, for example, the objects of research include space physics, physics of the microworld, mechanics and thermodynamics, optics and electronics, etc.

The profession of biophysicist combines two of the most complex sciences - physics and biology, studying the passage of physical processes in various living organisms.

Computer science is a branch of science that studies the structure and general properties of information, as well as issues related to its collection, storage, search, processing, transformation, distribution and use in various fields of activity. Bioinformatics is the name given to computer science as applied to molecular biology.

Everyone knows that the human genome has been read.

Requirements:

• Love for nature;
• Attentiveness;
• Willingness for monotonous work;

Where to work:

Laboratories, research institutes, medical companies, educational institutions.

Average salary of a certified specialist 28,000 – 42,000 rub..

Where to study:

• Moscow State Academy of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology named after. K.I. Scriabin - Faculty of Veterinary Biology http://www.mgavm.ru/
• Moscow State Technical University named after. N.E. Bauman - Faculty of Basic Sciences http://bmstu.ru/
• Moscow State University named after. M.V. Lomonosov (MSU) Faculty of Biology, Faculty of Physics http://www.bio.msu.ru/404.php
• Moscow Pedagogical State University (MPGU) Faculty of Physics and Information Technologies

Good specialists in the field of biophysics are people who have successfully mastered two professions at once - biology and physics. They study various physical processes occurring inside organisms. This is a very difficult profession, for effective work in which you need:

• serious training;
• high level of intelligence;
• natural human abilities to research this topic;
• willingness to constantly improve the level of one’s qualifications.

Every biophysicist needs to study all the natural sciences. In addition, he must have developed laboratory skills and high-quality mathematical training. The profession of biophysics does not accept assumptions that are based only on good theoretical training or intuition. It requires the results of experiments confirming any assumption.

What does a biophysicist do?

The main task of a specialist in this category is to study every physical and chemical process that can cause a biological problem. The knowledge gained from their research is widely used in agriculture, ecology, medicine and biotechnology.

The field of biophysics often requires the use of complex electronics and experimental equipment, which is being improved every day, becoming more accurate and multifunctional. Therefore, every biophysicist must be familiar with all kinds of technical means that may be useful in his work. The ability to use various special instruments is very important for a true professional, since experiments and research are not only a complex process, but also a significant part of a scientist’s work.

During their implementation, different techniques are used, and the more of them a scientist is familiar with, the closer he is to legendary discoveries.

The accuracy of instrument readings during an experiment is very important, because the ability to correctly read research results, as well as the uninterrupted operation of equipment, are extremely important factors in the work of a biophysicist.

What does biophysics study?

This is a relatively young science, since its development began only in the last century. The most famous researchers in this field are: Luigi Galvani, Bernard Katz and Erwin Schrödinger. Their achievements lie at the origins of the development of biophysics, which today already has different directions. So people who are interested in biophysics can study:

• mathematical modeling;
• nanobiology;
• physics of membrane and protein structures;
• interesting photobiological processes.

Having mastered this profession, you can choose one of the following life paths:

• become a teacher at a university while continuing your scientific experiments;
• work at an enterprise developing new technologies.

Don't miss:

If a specialist who has a diploma as a qualified biophysicist has a mathematical mindset, it will not be difficult for him to find a job. And if his character contains such traits as responsibility, calmness, the ability to concentrate, attentiveness and creative thinking, he is guaranteed career growth.

If, at the start of his working career, a newly minted biophysicist already wants to achieve considerable success and fame in this field, he should get a job on the staff of a prestigious enterprise, the management of which does not spare funds for research.

Description

The specialty “Medical Biophysics” is at the intersection of three sciences: discipline, biology and physics. Taking this into account, the curriculum includes natural science and mathematical disciplines: higher mathematics, medical informatics, general pathology, evolutionary pathology, etc.; as well as a block of biophysical and medical subjects: pediatrics, physiological cybernetics, biophysics of cells and organs, internal medicine, medical biotechnology, quantum biophysics and others. In addition to lectures, students are expected to undertake workshops and research work within the specialty. In medicine today, as in other industries, modern technologies are actively used, therefore future specialists in the “Medical Biophysics” profile are prepared to be competent in issues of innovative developments and be able to effectively use complex technology. Biophysicists study biological problems that are associated with the physicochemical and physical mechanisms of life processes; observe complex biological systems; explore how energy is transformed in biological systems.

Who to work with

A graduate of a specialty in the specialty “Medical Biophysics” is awarded the qualification of a “doctor-biophysicist”, and additionally - the qualification of a doctor. This specialist with a biomedical education can carry out teaching or research activities, introduce new developments in biomedical sciences into medical practice and work with the most modern medical equipment. The first jobs for young specialists in this profile can be: biophysical laboratories, research institutes, pharmaceutical companies, agricultural enterprises, medical equipment manufacturing plants, clinical diagnostic and treatment and preventive medical institutions, universities and secondary educational institutions. Graduates of the specialist will be able to apply for the position of biophysicist, teacher, researcher, senior laboratory assistant, clinical laboratory diagnostics doctor, laboratory assistant, researcher.