RUSNANO and Skoltech launched a new educational program

With the support of the Fund for Infrastructure and Educational Programs RUSNANO Russia has launched practical educational course Genomic Data Analysis for the employees of innovative companies and research organizations, the website of the state corporation reports.

The first educational course on Genomic Data Analysis in Russia will be organized in Moscow area from July 2 to July 11 with the participation of teachers from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (the USA). The program participants will be: 16 Russian specialists from RUSNANO project companies, other innovative companies and research labs interested in the use of bioinformatics in their work. The course is aimed at rapid acquisition of practical skills in this field by Russian specialists.

The training course in Russia will be carried out by scientists who created and annually organize this course in Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL). CSHL is the most successful scientific and educational center of the biomedical area, consistently rating the first according to Thomson Reuters rankings for publications in the field of molecular biology and genetics. More than 400 CHSL researchers work in such areas as neurophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer, plant biology and development of new biofuels. In the course of the laboratory operation eight Nobel Prize winners worked there. In addition to research, CSHL is known for its conferences and training programs, annually attracting more than 12,500 scientists from around the world. The Russian course is conducted in full accordance with the CSHL curriculum, which includes lectures and practical classes on analysis and interpretation of data obtained with the use of highly efficient methods of DNA sequencing.

The use of modern methods for analyzing genomic data allows to achieve qualitative progress in fundamental and applied biomedical research and development, including such areas as individual medicine and pharmacology, agriculture and food industry.

116 applications from 12 cities of Russia were filed for the competitive selection of program participants. The decisions on admission for the course were taken by the CSHL course mentors. The main criteria for the selection were the scientific level of the applicants and the supposed effect of the acquired skills in their practice. Due to the financial support of the project partners, the program for the Russian audience will cost two times less than the similar course in the United States.

The course is organized by the Training Centre of Institute of Gene Biology, RAS, with the financial support of the Fund for Infrastructure and Educational Programs RUSNANO, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology Skoltech, Dynasty Non-profit Programs Foundation and InterLabService OJSC.

The practical training course Genomic Data Analysis demonstrates the integration of education and research, as well as the output of research results beyond the boundaries of individual disciplines - the elements of a new model of Russian scientific and educational institute developed by Skoltech.