Russian-Armenian University

Cellular dysfunction, the fundamental basis of all human diseases, underpins the pathophysiology of numerous disorders. This program presents a overview of research initiatives focused on advancing human health through the development of diagnostic, preventive, and therapeutic strategies. These projects are conducted in collaboration with multiple research institutions and are supported by diverse grant funding mechanisms.

This program is designed to encapsulate and facilitate research projects focusing on the intricate dynamics between genetic predispositions and environmental factors in the progression of chronic diseases, excluding cancer. This initiative aims to unravel the molecular mechanisms and pathways that underlie these diseases, thereby paving the way for targeted interventions and therapies.

Principal Investigator: Prof. David Goukassian

University: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Research team: Recruitment in progress

Duration:2023-2027

Hosting partner: Institute of Molecular Biology NAS RA (IMB)

Project Importance The high likelihood of developing genomic instability due to exposure to ionizing radiation suggests that exposure can cause DNA damage to hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), promoting the development of somatic mutations that can lead to aberrant clonal events. ...

The aim of this project is to establish a bank of induced pluripotent stem cells from patients with Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) using cell reprogramming approaches for a more comprehensive study of disease molecular mechanisms. In Armenia, FMF prevalence is about 14-100 per 10,000 inhabitants, depending on the region. For the comprehensive research of the disease, it is necessary to have appropriate cell platforms that will contain pathogenic mutations of the FMF. Created stem cell bank ...

Space radiation (IR) from Solar Particle Events (SPE) and Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR), also known as high charge and energy (HZE) IR, is a primary risk associated with deep-space missions. There are limited animal and human studies on the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) development due to space-IR. The cardiac effects induced by space-type IR, specifically simplified GCR simulated (simGCRsim)-IR, are yet to be discovered. We hypothesized that gamma (γ) and simGCRsim IR-induced biological ...

This project focuses on studies around brain disorders and ageing.

In this project genetic engineering and functional genomics approaches will be used to describe molecular mechanisms of FMF. Using DNA/RNA samples obtained from FMF patients and healthy subjects MEFV nanopore gene sequencing will be performed to identify genetic variants and possibly find novel putative functional variants. The impact of genetic variants on transcriptome landscape will be studies by RNA-sequencing using nanopore sequencing device. Based on MEFV sequencing data and patients clinical ...