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Nobel Prize in Medicine awarded for receptor research

Nobel Prize in Medicine awarded for receptor research

The Nobel Committee in Stockholm has named the laureates in Medicine — David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian. They discovered how temperature or touch, for example, is transformed into human sensations.

“Tactile and temperature receptors are very important. Without them, a rare organism would have survived in extreme environmental conditions. They are present not only in humans, but also in many animals, even invertebrates. Being in the skin of the entire surface of the body and even in the mucous membranes, for example, in the oral cavity, they allow the body to avoid excessively hot, cold and other irritants”, said Igor Kastyro, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer at the Department of Normal Physiology, RUDN University.

RUDN University scientists are also researching receptors. At the Department of Normal Physiology of RUDN Medical Institute, doctors invented a device with which it is possible to determine the body’s sensitivity to heat.

“Heat receptors can also act as pain receptors, since extreme temperatures are perceived by the body as pain. At the Department of Normal Physiology, RUDN University, we have proposed a new version of the thermoesthesiometer — a device for studying temperature sensitivity. It is used to determine the limits of human sensitivity to temperature,” said Igor Kastyro.

The research of RUDN University scientists will help to more accurately determine how acclimatization takes place in conditions far from the usual climate and adaptation to new weather conditions.

“Many foreigners from warm countries study at RUDN University. Arriving in Russia, they find themselves in conditions of a long period of low temperatures. We want to observe how the number of these receptors in them changes over time, how their body adapts to low temperatures,” noted Igor Kastyro.

30 Jan 2018
The conference on international arbitration, where law students from European universities simulate court proceedings and alternately defend the interests of the respondent and the orator.
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15 Nov 2017
RUDN University scientists publish results of their scientific researches in highly-recognized in whole world and indexed in international databases journals (Web of Science, Scopus ect.). That, of course, corresponds to the high status of the University and its international recognition. Publications of June-September 2017 ( In Journals of categories Q1-Q3)
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28 Nov 2025
To chip the placenta. RUDN University researcher wins a competition for young scientists with a cell model

The project to develop a cellular model of the placenta became the winner in the Scientific Materials category of the Young Scientists 3.0 competition, organized with the support of the Presidential Grants Foundation and T-Bank.

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28 Nov 2025
The White List: 10 scientific journals from RUDN University have been included in the first highest level of the state list of scientific publications

Ten scientific journals published by RUDN University have been included in the highest level of the state list of scientific publications, the White List.

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28 Nov 2025
The role of fungi in maintaining tree diversity has been unraveled – a global study involving scientists from RUDN University

Forests are not only the lungs of the planet, but also home to millions of species. However, it has remained unclear how underground interactions between trees and fungi affect forest species richness in different climatic conditions. Previous studies have yielded conflicting results: in some regions, the dominance of certain fungi reduced tree diversity, while in others it increased it.

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