Senior Researcher in Interdepartmental Laboratory of Nano-Bio-Engineering of MEPhI Galina Nifontova is engaged in the development of polymer microcapsules for diagnostics and targeted drug delivery to the site of the disease. Galina won a grant from the President of the Russian Federation for state support of young scientists for 2021-2022 in the field of Medical Sciences. The project of the young scientist will improve the interaction of highly functional systems for the delivery of anticancer drugs with cancer cells.

— Galina, tell us what research you are involved in, what do you do in the university laboratory?

— I develop polymer micro containers — microcapsules for biomedical applications, theranostics, and imaging. Our microcapsules help to visualize and monitor biological processes in dynamics - for example, we can follow up the capture of the very polymer micro containers by cells. Moreover, they can both diagnose and treat diseases at the same time. In the recent research on the development and functionalization of polyelectrolyte microcapsules, we include fluorescent and magnetic nanoparticles in their structure. Magnetic nanoparticles make it possible to transport micro containers by a magnetic field in the right direction, accumulate them in the site of disease, and then release their contents. The inclusion of fluorescent nanoparticles in microcapsules makes it possible to observe and control the delivery of microcapsules directly to the tumor.

— Scientist around the world is actively engaged in the development of targeted drug delivery systems. What is the feature of your developments?

 — First of all, the feature is new approaches to the functionalization of microcapsules: delivery to the tumor and the most effective interaction with tumor markers. In addition to the inclusion of magnetic nanoparticles in microcapsules, we additionally functionalize their surface with the help of special molecules — antibodies that specifically recognize tumor cells. We have already shown that such microcapsules can bind specifically to tumor cells.

 — Please tell us about the project supported by the presidential grant.

 — As part of this project, we plan to identify molecular and cellular factors affecting the targeted drug delivery to tumor cells. In particular, micro containers can interact nonspecifically with cellular and molecular components of the blood when intravenous injection. Microcapsules can also be absorbed by macrophages — immune cells that capture particles that are foreign or toxic to the body. All combined, this can significantly reduce the efficiency of targeted capsules delivery to tumor cells. Therefore, we will propose such a design of microcapsules that will greatly increase the efficiency of their delivery — we will target them to tumor cells without harming healthy cells.

— Why do you interested in this topic?

— I am interested in this topic since my studying at the First Moscow State Medical University named after I.M. Sechenov. I did an internship at the Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology and Biotechnology of Philipps-Universität Marburg (Germany). There was the first time when I do my research related to the obtaining and biopharmaceutical characterization of drug delivery systems.

At the University of Marburg, I worked with nanoscale delivery systems, and after getting my diploma, I was engaged in the creation of tableted delivery systems with a matrix structure in the drug design laboratory at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. I also received a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences and continued to develop new approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer at the MEPhI Nanobioengineering Laboratory. I can say that at the moment I have extensive experience in the development of delivery systems of drugs with various dimensions. At the same time, obtaining nano- and micro-sized drug delivery systems is the most interesting for me: in this area, there are a huge number of breakthrough biomedical problems that require urgent solutions.

— You have a medical education, now you work with physicists and chemists. Is there a feeling of complete understanding, or does everyone specializes in their field?

— Most scientific research today is interdisciplinary. Our laboratory of nano-bioengineering employs scientists from different fields - chemists, physicists, biochemists, immunologists, as well as researchers with medical and pharmaceutical education. Research on the design and functionalization of polyelectrolyte micro containers is also interdisciplinary; they affect such areas of science as polymer chemistry, physical and colloidal chemistry, nanotechnology, biochemistry, immunology. When we study the researched object in a complex way, we can get a better understanding of it.

 — Why did you choose to be a scientist? Do you want to make discoveries and go down in history, or just help people by creating new medicines, or something else? 

— Of course, I believe that our research will be useful for future generations. For me, scientific work is an interesting, exciting, and multifaceted task that requires the search for new research solutions. This is what determines my choice.

— What difficulties do you face while searching for these new solutions? Are there any specific professional problems?

 — To successfully solve scientific problems, we must have advanced research materials — high-quality reagents, modern equipment, no bureaucracy. This is quite difficult from a technical point of view. Within the framework of public procurement, from the submission of a tender application to the purchase and receipt of materials, passes a long period, at least several months. Such delays can slow down the experimental work.

— You are constantly in touch with colleagues from other countries. What is more in modern science — competition or cooperation?

— Today the scientific world is designed in such a way that it is very important to cooperate and conduct joint research. It is almost impossible to concentrate many competencies, materials, and equipment in one place. In general, it is good, because joint work expands knowledge, allows for comprehensive and detailed research, which is extremely important for modern science. It is equally important to discuss the obtained results with colleagues and other scientists. If you work separately, then you will face the problem of getting an objectively high-quality result. Even during a pandemic, scientists did not stop joint research and did not stop communicating. For example, many conferences, round tables, and seminars hold online. 

— Where do you go when you leave the laboratory?

— I try to keep active, do sports. I also like traveling. The latest sports hobbies are stand-up surfing and yoga. The main hobby is the cinematography. I love both the classic films and the works of more modern directors; recently I have been watching documentaries a lot.