AltSU students for the first time took part in the genomic engineering competition of the WorldSkills Russia National Final 2020
The competition of future genomic engineers, which was attended by representatives from NSU, AltSU, TSU and the Russian Technological University (MIREA), took place in a remote format. The competition platform at Altai State University was organized on the basis of the laboratory of the Department of Physical and Chemical Biology and Biotechnology of the Institute of Biology and Biotechnology of Altai State University, headed by Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Olga Lavrik.
“Students of Altai State University, in particular, the Institute of Biology and Biotechnology of Altai State University, took part in such competitions for the first time. Each university presented a different number of competitors. Thus, four young researchers of various degrees of training from our university took part in the competition. These are the first and third-year students of bachelor's programs: Yuri Rudometov, Roman Maslov and Ekaterina Belash, as well as a first-year master's student Viktoria Severina,” said Dina Balabova, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Ecology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology at IBB AltSU. “Genomic engineering at Altai State University is studied at the Department of Physical and Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, and research in this direction is carried out at the Russian-American Anti-Cancer Center. This is a very promising area that our students are passionately engaged in. Moreover, AltSU has already formed a youth laboratory called Gena Papa, which united future biotechnologists and genetic engineers. Representatives of this youth took part in these competitions.”
Within the framework of the competitive program, students competed in the ability to conduct experiments with high quality and to reliably analyze their results. In total, the participants were offered 4 independent modules, within which they demonstrated their research skills in conducting cell seeding, planning a gene cloning experiment, analyzing samples for the presence of a target gene by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction analysis of plasmid DNA. In total, the participants were given about 15 hours for experiments within two competitive days.
“The competence of a genetic engineer is the main thing in the creative biotechnology of the 21st century, since the last 30 years, thanks to genetic engineering achievements, the productivity of a number of microbiological producers of amino acids, vitamins, recombinant proteins, including vaccine components, has been dramatically increased. Fundamentally new varieties of plants were also obtained, including fruits, vegetables and cereals, and this is just the beginning. In addition, the emergency situation with coronavirus infection has led to a dramatic acceleration in the timing of the development of recombinant vaccines, which became possible thanks to genetic engineering technologies. Holding such competitions will further accelerate the processes of creative transformation of nature and improve the living conditions of mankind,” stressed Sergei Netesov, Head of the Laboratory of Bionanotechnology, Microbiology and Virology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, NSU, RAS Corresponding Member.
Experts of the competition were specialists from the ICBFM SB RAS, FRC ICG SB RAS, IBCh RAS, Vector-Best JSC, Medico-Biological Union Group of Companies and SibEnzaim LLC. Altai State University was represented in the jury by Director of the Russian-American Anti-Cancer Center of Altai State University, Doctor of Biological Sciences Andrey Shapoval.
The final of the IV National Interuniversity Championship Young Professionals (WorldSkills Russia 2020) was held from 1 to 7 December for the first time in a distance and in person format.
