JINR and FMBA signed cooperation agreement

On 18 August 2022, Veronika Skvortsova, Head of the Russian Federal Medical and Biological Agency, visited the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research. The main outcome of the meeting was the signing of a cooperation agreement between JINR and FMBA.

The agreement provides for the development and implementation of joint programmes for the development of promising technologies and techniques in radiation medicine, radiobiology, space medicine, high-tech medicine, beam, detector and related technologies based on the NICA megascience project, as well as on the research infrastructure of JINR and FMBA. In particular, the medical proton synchrotron MSC-230 for treatment of oncological diseases, which is being created at the Laboratory of Nuclear Problems.

Another important area of cooperation will be the development of programmes to improve health care for JINR employees and their families at Dubna Medical Unit No.9, which is currently undergoing major reorganization under the jurisdiction of the FMBA. The new industrial medicine centre at Medical Unit No.9 has already demonstrated a high degree of efficiency. Compared to 2020, the number of illnesses detected at an early stage for the first time during check-ups has increased, which has also reduced the number of complications. There are also plans to set up a vascular centre on the basis of the Medical Unit.

When signing the agreement, JINR Director Grigory Trubnikov expressed his gratitude to the head of FMBA. He noted that it had been only one year since Veronika Skvortsova's first visit as Head of FMBA to Dubna, when the partnership roadmap was signed, the first results of this cooperation are already visible.

Head of FMBA of Russia Veronika Skvortsova visited JINR. Video: JINR Scientific Information Department

"Thank you for being so quickly and deeply involved in all the processes of the development of Medical Unit No.9. Not only on behalf of the Institute, but also on behalf of Dubna residents since the Medical Unit serves about 25,000 citizens. Thank you for your support both in equipment and the organization of units. I think that in a year we will sum up the interim results in order to sign the next roadmap. Thank you for the fact that this project, which concerns all the JINR employees and members of our families without exception, is being implemented so rapidly," the Institute's Director said.

Veronika Skvortsova, in her turn, highlighted that JINR and FMBA together carried out a common important mission. "Our cooperation is a team one. From your side we see not just the great support, but also concrete contributions to the development of the joint project: organizational, administrative, and financial. If last year we started this work and purchased 44 units of significant medical equipment, this year it is already 137 units. But the most important thing is that this is not just a 3.5-fold increase in the contribution, it is a well-structured work," the Head of FMBA said.

As part of the visit programme, a meeting "Fundamental and Applied Research of JINR in Life Sciences" was held in the FLNR Conference Hall. At the meeting, LRB Scientific Leader, RAS Corresponding Member Evgeny Krasavin spoke about JINR research in radiation biology. JINR Director Assistant Grigory Shirkov presented the programme for fundamental and applied research of the Institute in life sciences.

First Deputy General Director of Burnasyan Federal Medical Biophysical Centre of FMBA, Chief Freelance Specialist of FMBA of Russia in Occupational Pathology, Doctor of Medicine Andrey Bushmanov spoke about the long fruitful cooperation between FMBA and JINR. In particular, the speaker highlighted that JINR was a valuable partner for FMBA because it had the opportunity to irradiate cancer patients with protons, which was not available in many other scientific centres.

At JINR, Veronika Skvortsova and her First Deputy Tatiana Yakovleva visited the Laboratory of Radiation Biology, where the guests were presented with the SARRP X-ray facility for radiobiological studies on small laboratory animals. While getting acquainted with the scientific work of the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions, Veronika Skvortsova examined the DC-280 cyclotron and visited the nanocentre. During the visit to Dubna, the FMBA delegation also visited the units of Dubna Medical Unit No.9.

During the visit, an innovative occupational therapy room was opened in the Medical Unit. There patients will be able to undergo neuro- and post-COVID-19 rehabilitation using VR technology. The office is equipped with a hardware and software complex of medical devices developed by the Federal Scientific and Clinical Centre of Medical Rehabilitation and Balneology of FMBA of Russia.

It is planned to open a vascular centre in Medical Unit No.9, where patients with vascular pathologies will be able to undergo early rehabilitation using specialised hardware and software complexes. It will be located in the anesthesiology-intensive care unit and will serve both residents of Dubna and nearby districts. It is important, since to act quickly is the main thing in the rehabilitation of patients with strokes and heart attacks.

FMBA representatives also highlighted the readiness to open an Outpatient Cancer Care Centre in the Medical Unit. The future centre has already recruited a staff of oncologists and received equipment for early diagnosis of oncological diseases: a video gastroscope, a colonoscope, a mammography system, and two expert-class ultrasound imaging systems.

The modernisation of Medical Unit No.9 takes place with the active financial and organizational participation of JINR in order to implement one of the strategic goals, i.e. the creation of a comfortable social environment in Dubna, attractive for talented youth and highly qualified staff.

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