On 20 December SSU was visited by Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Mikhail M. Kotyukov. That meeting was conducted as one more event devoted to the university 110^th anniversary. At first, the Minister inspected the research laboratories in Bldg. VIII. Also the meeting was attended by Governor of the Saratov Region Valerii V. Radayev, SSU Rector Aleksei N. Chumachenko, and journalists.

The staff of the Remote Controlled Theranostic Systems Laboratory told the Minister about their research aimed to discover interactive nanoengineering systems based on nanostructured material. Using those systems the research team can manage distanced drug delivery and monitor the local environment.

The laboratory staff told Mikhail Kotyukov about their work and showed their unique equipment. The Minister wanted to know how many students had participated in the research.

‘Our laboratory was opened 5 years ago, and since then more than 50 undergraduates and postgraduates from Russian and other countries have worked here. We implement lots of student projects and actively cooperate with Russian Foundation for Basic Research and Russian Science Foundation. Our scientists publish their research articles in such biggest databases as Scopus and Web of Science,’ commented on their achievements a member of the laboratory staff Olga A. Inozemtseva.

Mikhail Kotyukov marked that their results were great.

The next to visit was the  Biomedical Photoacoustics Laboratory, the unique modern laboratory and clinic unit equipped to develop optical and ultrasonic medicine devices.

The leading researcher, Director of the Arkansas Nanomedicine Center at UAMS (Little Rock, U.S.A.) Vladimir P. Zharov spoke about the research done by the laboratory group.

‘Our laboratory was established in a very short time, and our staff consists mostly of young people. For two years we have not only conducted research but tested its results. Our equipment is unique as it is the only one of this kind in the world,’ said Vladimir Zharov.

The research team focuses on early theranostics and treatment of cancer and contagious and cardiovascular diseases. They use impulse laser radiation and register ultrasonic waves resulting in saturant objects in tissues and blood when they are lasered.

Vladimir Zharov showed the Minister the laser devices and told him about the equipment advantages.

‘Due to this method we can make the blood test without blood drawing. The laser passes through the vessels and signals if a tumour cell is detected.’

As for the procedure duration, it depends on the disease and on the patient’s characteristics. Thus, the oncology test lasts up to 30 minutes and the malaria test – up to 30 seconds.

Governor Valerii Radayev noted the up-to-date character of the research which results would definitely be used when an oncology centre is opened in Saratov.

Also Mikhail Kotyukov asked young laboratory staff members about the plans after the university graduation, and all of them answered that they were going to stay in their alma mater and develop the research.

‘Our scientists are the best in the world in some fields. However, young researchers need support so that they will be able to compete with such leading companies as Apple and Samsung,’ concluded the Minister.

Moreover, the Minister visited the Metamaterials Laboratory, which was opened 7 years ago. The project is targeted at theory and experiment research of physics phenomena, wave ones in particular that occur in metamaterials. Also the lab group studies methods to compose such materials and develops devices based on them which can be used in radioelectronics and photonics.

There the first Russian Brillouin spectroscopy of magnetic materials unit was opened, and with the help of optical methods the laboratory staff can measure the properties of spatiotemporal dynamics of coherent and noncoherent excitation in micro- and nanostructures based on new magnetic materials and metamaterials (magnonic crystals and composite nanofilm).

Head of the laboratory, Corresponding Member of RAS Sergei A. Nikitov said that all the research units the Minister had visited cooperated with each other. And university young scientists work in all of them.

A staff member of the Magnetic Metamaterials Laboratory, Associate Professor of the Department of Open Systems Physics Alexander V. Sadovnikov marked that different science fields should be united, and due to that approach research would improve and more new unique projects would appear.

Finally, the Minister thanked the research groups and their heads for the excursion. He added that he had an opportunity to learn about the leading development results in medicine, nanotechnology, and other breakthrough sciences.