On the 20th anniversary of LRB

Maintain the title of radiobiological capital of Russia

On 20 - 24 October, the Conference "Current issues in radiation biology. Accelerated charged particles and neutrons in radiobiology" was held in Dubna. It was dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the JINR Laboratory of Radiation Biology and the memory of E.A.Krasavin. The traditional organizers of this Conference series are the Scientific Council on Radiobiology and the Radiobiological Society of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Laboratory of Radiation Biology.

The reports at the Conference covered a wide range of topics: patterns and mechanisms of charged particle and neutron energy transfer to genetic structures and other biological objects; molecular disruptions of genetic structures under the impact of charged particles and neutrons; charged particles and radiation mutagenesis; charged particles as an efficient tool in meeting fundamental problems of radiation biology; cytogenetic aspects of charged particle and neutron action; heavy charged particles and space radiobiology; accelerated charged particles in radiation therapy of malignant tumors; radiation protection; problems of astrobiology and heavy charged particles. Specialists from the Moscow Federal Medical and Biological Centre named after A.I.Burnazyan, the National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute", the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Biochemical Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the A.F. Tsyb Medical Research Centre (Obninsk), the Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Pushchino), the Institute of Physics of the Earth of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, as well as universities and centres from Nizhny Novgorod, the Urals, the Far East and Tomsk arrived in Dubna.

Before the opening of the Conference, Co-Chair of the Organizing Committee LRB Director Aleksandr Bugay told our weekly newspaper, "This year, we lost the founder of our laboratory and a new field in radiobiology - heavy ion radiobiology Evgeny Krasavin. Therefore, the first day of the Conference is dedicated to his memory, his contribution to science, the development of radiobiology at JINR and the establishment of a new laboratory, that as an independent division, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. As JINR's anniversary approaches, we are holding the conference in an expanded format this year: it will last for a week and cover the main areas of radiobiology studied at JINR, with a focus on densely ionizing radiation, primarily, accelerated charged particles - protons and multiply charged ions, as well as neutrons. This is an excellent tool not only for meeting problems in radiobiology but also in many related fields. The Conference programme covers fundamental issues in radiation biology, radiation therapy and its radiobiological aspects, space radiobiology and astrobiology and applied aspects of radiobiology. During the Conference, the participants will have the opportunity to learn about the Institute's facilities, particularly, the capabilities of the NICA Complex.

The programme includes a meeting of the Scientific Council on Radiobiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, as the Council's bureau is represented there both as speakers and participants. Next year, we are holding a larger event - the 9th Congress on Radiation Research. This event brings together several hundred specialists from various fields, not just those we work on at JINR and is held every few years under the auspices of the Scientific Council on Radiobiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Radiobiological Society.

In addition to the Conference being attended by leading scientists, academics and heads of leading laboratories in our country, as well as colleagues from Belarus, Azerbaijan, Cuba and Iran, we are going to organize a competition for young scientists that will be awarded special prizes for participation. The participants will be presented with an information stand dedicated to the new JINR journal, Natural Science Review and the colleagues will be invited to publish in its topical sections on radiobiology and related sciences.

Opening the Conference, JINR Director Grigory Trubnikov emphasized its long and fruitful history and the well-coordinated collaboration between JINR and the Russian Academy of Sciences. "I am pleased that our friends from the Federal Medical and Biological Agency, the centres of the Ministry of Health and Rosatom, the institutes in Pushchino and Obninsk, Moscow State University and many Russian universities regularly participate," Grigory Trubnikov highlighted. "This is an international conference, attended by colleagues from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Egypt, other JINR Member States, India and Iran. It is a great honor for JINR to host and co-organize this forum that is attended by nearly 200 people. Young researchers meet through the conference's discussions and there are new joint projects." I am very grateful to I.B.Ushakov and A.Yu.Rozanov for traditionally choosing Dubna as the conference venue and to A.N.Bugay and his team for taking up the conference banner from E.A.Krasavin. We remember Evgeny Aleksandrovich, will develop the Laboratory of Radiation Biology and have decided, with the support of the Laboratory of Nuclear Problems, to expand the laboratory's space. We are donating the building to the Laboratory of Radiation Biology so that the scale of its infrastructure will match the prospects and range of its investigations. I believe this is the best gift for the Laboratory of Radiation Biology's anniversary."

The Conference was greeted by Academician-Secretary of the Department of Physiological Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences V.A.Tkachuk that emphasized that it was personally conceived by E.A.Krasavin and expressed his sympathy to everyone on the great loss. President of the Radiobiological Society I.B.Ushakov (A.I.Burnazyan Federal Medical Biophysical Centre) emphasized that the Conference has a breadth and duration of a congress that "we hope to hold next year in Dubna. During E.A.Krasavin's time, one could now say so, Dubna became the radiobiological capital of Russia and I hope this status will be maintained."

Summing up and outlining plans

LRB Director A.N.Bugay opened the Conference's scientific programme and memorial section with a report entitled "Current issues in the radiobiology of densely ionizing radiations". He linked key issues in radiobiology with the development of radiobiological research infrastructure at JINR, the history of LRB's origins and development, its research infrastructure and the pioneering experiments and results obtained by E.A.Krasavin and his colleagues. Alexander Nikolaevich recalled the support of G.N.Flerov and Yu.Ts.Oganessian in organizing the first radiobiological experiments using proton and multiply charged ion beams at the FLNR U-300 accelerator in 1969, as well as the first experiments at the LHEP synchrotron in the late 1970s. A fundamental scientific problem - the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of ionizing radiation was met, establishing that RBE is evaluated by both physical and biological factors. Evgeny Aleksandrovich carried out pioneering work that identified the molecular basis for the specificity of RBE-DNA damage. This work is carried out at the current level, using fluorescence microscopy and mathematical modeling to study clustered DNA damage.

Another problem E.A.Krasavin addressed in the 1970s was the modification of radiation-induced effects under the impact of radiation with different linear energy transfer (LET). He and his colleagues carried out a series of investigations on chromosomal aberrations in human lymphocytes at the Synchrophasotron and later, at the Nuclotron. These investigations, rare for the 1970s, established fundamental principles of radiation mutagenesis.

A.N.Bugay discussed the main scientific challenges facing radiobiologists today: further investigation of the radiation-induced effects of heavy charged particles using current techniques and in particular, resolving the problem of extrapolating data across different levels of biological organization.

At the dawn of accelerator development, space radiobiology was also developing in Dubna, thanks to the efforts of the Institute of Biomedical Problems. The first experiments at the DLNP synchrocyclotron paved the way for future manned spaceflight. While studying at the IMBP, E.A.Krasavin carried out the first unique experiments studying the effects of protons on the cells of the central nervous system of animals. Later, through the efforts of Evgeny Aleksandrovich, the LRB complex was established to study animal behavior exposed to heavy charged particles. Unique experiments with primates were also carried out at that time. This investigation served as the basis for E.A.Krasavin's development of a new concept for evaluating the risk of manned spaceflight outside the Earth's magnetic field.

"Where to next?" the speaker asked. "Developing protective measures - to meet technical issues related to physical protection, radioprotective agents, the professional selection of cosmonauts and other alternative approaches."

A new research field, astrobiology was developed at the Laboratory of Radiation Biology (LRB) on the initiative of E.A.Krasavin and A.Yu.Rozanov. Together with Italian specialists, breakthrough work was carried out on the abiogenic synthesis of prebiotic compounds - the building blocks of living organisms using irradiating meteorite material.

We shouldn't forget about terrestrial problems, such as cancer, where JINR has also become a pioneer. In 1967, a proton therapy complex was established at the Laboratory of Nuclear Problems, where radiobiological research immediately began. Regarding the development of current techniques of radiation therapy for cancer, Evgeny Alexandrovich believed that it was necessary not only to follow current trends but also to thoroughly explore fundamental radiobiological effects. He critically examined the promising approach of flash therapy, emphasizing the need for its radiobiological justification. In recent years, he has proposed a fundamentally new approach: binary therapy, uniting radiation and DNA repair inhibitors. This approach has demonstrated high efficiency on tumor cell lines and animal prototypes in joint investigations with medical centres in Obninsk and the Federal Medical and Biological Agency. Neutron capture therapy, a new approach for JINR, also lies in this vein, also requiring a drug based on a special isotope.

Development of new radiopharmaceuticals (RPs) for nuclear medicine is another area of applied radiobiological research. In the late 1990s, E.A.Krasavin and colleagues from the A.I.Burnazyan Federal Medical and Biological Centre (FMBC) developed a radiopharmaceutical for the targeted delivery of the alpha emitter astatine-211. Insufficient funding at the time prevented these pioneering projects from being commercialized. In recent years, Evgeny Aleksandrovich has returned to this topic, proposing a new concept for complex radiopharmaceuticals combined with radiosensitizers that could significantly improve the efficacy of therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals based on iodine isotopes and other beta emitters. This concept was recently tested in pilot experiments with colleagues from the FMBC.

The speaker emphasized E.A.Krasavin's contribution to the training of new personnel - first, at the JINR-affiliated department of the UC, later, at the Department of Biophysics at Dubna University. This department still recruits staff not only at JINR but also at research centres across Russia and abroad. In recent years, JINR Directorate has embraced the idea of establishing a Department of Radiobiology and Radiochemistry at the Moscow State University branch, a dream once proposed by Evgeny Aleksandrovich, so perhaps, his dream is coming true.

The laboratory's goal is to continue and to develop the scientific legacy of a remarkable man, scientist and mentor who never rested on his laurels.

Remembering Krasavin's lessons

President of the Radiobiological Society of the Russian Academy of Sciences (A.I.Burnazyan Federal Medical Biophysical Centre) I.B.Ushakov delivered a report entitled "The investigations of Evgeny Aleksandrovich Krasavin - the foundation for the future development of radiobiology of densely ionizing radiation on earth and in space". He began by emphasizing that the 130th anniversary of radiobiology as a science will be celebrated next year. Radiation has become a virtually ideal tool for studying living systems through precisely dosed and targeted damage. E. A. Krasavin elegantly utilized this fundamental approach. His primary research interests include the biological effects of radiation with different physical properties. Their relevance is in the fact that broad-spectrum LET radiation is a unique tool for meeting fundamental problems in biology and genetics, as well as current practical challenges. The use of heavy ion beams has allowed to address one of the central issues in radiobiology - the relative biological efficiency of radiation. However, the speaker emphasized that this issue cannot be considered completely resolved. He highlighted E.A.Krasavin's significant contribution to its solution. The scientist was the first to establish that differences in the biological efficiency of radiation with different physical properties are estimated not only using physical factors but also the cells' ability to repair DNA damage. Cluster-type damage was also discovered.

E.A.Krasavin experimentally substantiated and in collaboration with M.A.Ostrovsky and A.I.Grigoriev, published a new concept for the radiation risk of manned deep-space flights. "It was presented, among other things, at a meeting of the RAS Council on Space. And to say that it shook the space science world is an understatement," Igor Borisovich recalled. "The aftershocks of that meeting still rage and the debate are unabated. It will likely only subside when precise calculations of radiation damage, at least, to nerve structures, during deep-space flight are obtained but it hasn't been done yet. Much experimental work is to be done."

"We currently fulfil a last will and testament of his, given to me when he was already very ill," Igor Borisovich shared. "It concerns our joint research from 2019 on clusters of hippocampal damage caused by heavy charged particles. 'Discuss it, show it, these are profound changes,' Evgeny Alexandrovich insisted. He constantly recalled this investigation. These damages do not recover for a long time and apparently, estimate the biological effect of impairments to higher cognitive functions of the brain." I.B.Ushakov also cited another joint investigation with E.A.Krasavin and A.S.Shtemberg on the research of cognitive impairments caused by carbon-12 irradiation of experimental animals. "We can state that we are on the threshold of a new space biomedicine - the biomedicine of interplanetary flights and one of its main branches is space radiobiology," he emphasized. "The fact that such space biomedicine takes shape is thanks to Evgeny Aleksandrovich and his school." In recent years, E.A.Krasavin proposed a research programme on the production of prebiotic compounds when formamide is exposed to cosmic radiation. In the field of radiation oncology, in 2019, he proposed and patented a fundamentally new approach to increasing the biological efficiency of ionizing radiation that has demonstrated its potential for future radiation therapy and nuclear medicine.

Once, E.A.Krasavin shared with I.B.Ushakov his plans to prepare a two-volume collection of selected papers on the radiobiology of accelerated heavy ions. "It's good that he succeeded to prepare it and to leave us a gift in the form of a newly published scientific legacy that contains the main theoretical and experimental papers on radiation biology," Igor Borisovich rejoiced. "Our common task is to think about preparing the third volume that Evgeny Alexandrovich had conceived." He concluded his speech with the words of I.V.Kurchatov, "Human life is not eternal but science and knowledge cross the threshold of centuries," emphasizing that Evgeny Alexandrovich had crossed this threshold. "We should pass on to our students the lessons of E.A.Krasavin, of which there are at least three: dedication to a beloved science; a systematic understanding of radiobiology, taking into account all current facts and phenomena; the respectful romanticism he always exuded in meeting complex scientific problems," I.B.Ushakov exhorted. "Creativity is something that cannot end with a person's death; it continues in his students, in his school. It undoubtedly applies to our outstanding contemporary, radiobiologist Evgeny Aleksandrovich Krasavin."

A.Yu.Rozanov (LRB, Paleontological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences) spoke about the initial rejection of astrobiology as a science in the United States and Russia. He recalled his first report at JINR and the support he received from V.A.Matveev, E.A.Krasavin and D.V.Shirkov. They played a key role in the establishment of the Astrobiology Sector at LRB. "This decision by JINR significantly shook the public's negative attitude," Alexey Yurievich recalled. "I am grateful to these people and to JINR Directorate for decisively declaring in Dubna: astrobiology will exist. And it does!"

Remembering Evgeny Alexandrovich

Editor-in-Chief of the specialized journal "Radiation Biology. Radioecology" A.S.Samoylov congratulated the LRB staff and all the participants of what was more of a symposium than a conference. He emphasized that E.A.Krasavin's potential as a scientist and mentor is revealed in the reports of his students, scheduled in the programme. Acting Rector of Dubna University A.S.Denikin expressed great satisfaction with the participation of both faculty and alumni. "The department that Evgeny Aleksandrovich founded has become a jewel for our university. This is one of the departments that has given a large number of outstanding specialists over the past twenty years. I am a fan of this department, influenced by Evgeny Aleksandrovich."

A.S.Shtemberg (IBMP RAS) stated that the once-exotic field of radiation neurophysiology currently gains considerable traction in light of preparations for interplanetary spaceflight. "The entire development of this field at our institute occurred in close collaboration with Dubna and Evgeny Aleksandrovich that has always supported it," A.S.Shtemberg recalled. "Unfortunately, we currently experience a crisis with our irradiation facilities. Our unique experimental prototype of the synchronous united effects of prolonged gamma irradiation and hypogravity simulation was, unfortunately, destroyed at our institute and is restored in Dubna. Our hopes are pinned on it and of course, on the NICA complex - all our hopes are pinned on Dubna and we count on very close cooperation."

I.A.Zamulaeva (A.F.Tsyb Medical Radiological Research Centre): "I would like to say once again how pleasant it is to meet at this conference. This is a series of conferences and each one is a highlight. And at each one, issues related to radiation therapy are discussed in one way or another. For the past ten years, we have worked closely with LRB and with Evgeny Aleksandrovich. I am very grateful to him for the support he has provided us over these years, all kinds of support -financial, spiritual and even emotional. Regarding the use of accelerated charged particles and neutrons in radiation therapy, this is an absolutely essential topic and it is right that this topic will occupy a significant part of our conference. It is impossible to imagine the development of radiation therapy without the participation of radiobiologists. I believe we will be able to clarify many issues at this conference. There are very few conferences where we can discuss the theoretical problems of radiation therapy. Thank you!"

Secretary of the Scientific Council for Radiobiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences V.I.Naidich recalled that E.A.Krasavin headed the Scientific Council for Radiobiology in 2016, continuing the work of previous chairmen and giving it new momentum. "The Laboratory of Radiation Biology provided us with an excellent scientific and organizational base," she said. "Our conferences on 'Current problems of radiation biology' became a tradition back then. Evgeny Aleksandrovich always clearly identified the main issue to be discussed at each conference. And when we gathered here with the support of JINR, many representatives from various cities in Russia and other countries attended. And another special feature is that these conferences are always attended by a large number of young people that is very gratifying. In 2021, the council, chaired by E.A.Krasavin, jointly with the Radiobiological Society, held a congress of radiobiologists. Recently, E.A.Krasavin tasked the council with focusing on radiobiology education. There are few institutes training radiobiologists and the courses they offer vary greatly. Evgeny Alexandrovich initiated a discussion on the need to standardize radiobiology education. Under I.B.Ushakov, a lecture course is already being published that could serve as the basis for radiobiology education at universities and this work should be continued."

Chairman of the RAS Scientific Council for Astrobiology A.Yu.Rozanov opened the session of the "Problems of space radiobiology and astrobiology" section and recounted in detail the history of astrobiology's origins, rejection and acceptance. He reiterated the names of three individuals "responsible" for the development of astrobiology at JINR: V.A.Matveev, E.A.Krasavin and D.V.Shirkov. It was during lengthy discussions with them that this topic was discussed, culminating in the establishment of the Astrobiology Sector at LRB. It all began in the 1960s in the United States, when NASA employee D.McKay published the only photograph of microfossils discovered in the Martian meteorite Migei, found in Antarctica. Many, including A.Yu.Rozanov, doubted that these were fossilized microorganisms. Later, when he saw other photographs of fossils from this meteorite, all doubts disappeared. But the first publications on this topic in the United States in 1963 were ostracized and the American Astronomical Society harshly punished their authors. Over time, acceptance came, although not by all specialists. Alexey Yurevich presented several photographs of microfossils from the Orgey meteorite and other meteorites from a huge number of samples processed in the LRB Astrobiology Sector. They reveal not only bacterial microfossils, but also a more complex organism - a testaceous amoeba. Speaking of support, US President Bill Clinton allocated $15 billion for astrobiological research, while A.Yu.Rozanov was only allowed to open a sector at the Paleontological Institute from his own funds. But the presidents of the Russian Academy of Sciences have always supported him. And in 1996, the first articles on bacterial paleontology appeared, based on the results of research in Siberia, where, together with Siberian colleagues, a skeletal fauna centre was discovered. The investigations received worldwide recognition. And afterwards, with the new investigations, a real boom in bacterial paleontology started.

S.G.Andreev (N.M.Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences) shared his emotions: "Without a doubt, this conference is a remarkable scientific event, with a rich programme and a high level of reports. The reports I have heard truly impressed me. I know many of the participants of this scientific meeting and the atmosphere here at LRB and in Dubna is, as always, wonderful.

The documentaries dedicated to the history of the establishment and development of LRB and the development of E.A.Krasavin as a scientist were very touching. The films feature many familiar events and faces. I also learned for the first time about previously unknown facts from Evgeny Aleksandrovich's biography. The films were made with great love and respect for him, which I bow deeply to the LRB staff for that created these unique works.

Radiobiology has developed at JINR for many years. I remember that Evgeny Aleksandrovich began his radiobiological work while working at the Laboratory of Nuclear Problems. DLNP Director V.P.Dzhelepov supported this research and was pleased with the rapid development of radiobiology at JINR. It was reflected, in particular, in the large number of scientists from both Russia and abroad participating in international conferences organized by E.A.Krasavin at JINR.

I was fortunate to be friends with Evgeny Aleksandrovich. I also have friendly relations with his staff, many of whom graduated from the Department of Radiation Physics and Biophysics at MEPhI, headed by Viktor Ivanov, my supervisor and later, the opponent at E.A.Krasavin's thesis defense.

I'm pleased to state that there are many young people at the conference, just like at LRB that is especially gratifying. Having our own university helps. The young people are wonderful and I'm delighted with their scientific achievements that we all observed at the conference. Their teachers are active research staff members at LRB. I visited Dubna University, where Evgeny Aleksandrovich once gave me a tour; everything was wonderfully organized. Student education is a topic close to my heart, as I have experience teaching at MEPhI. Young people are our successors and E.A.Krasavin understood it perfectly, dedicating so much effort to establishing the university, the department and all the required conditions for the development of science and education as an inseparable, unified process."

Cosmonaut and Hero of Russia S.V.Avdeev traditionally participates in these conferences: "I began working on this topic even before my first spaceflight. During my missions to the station "Mir", a topic related to radiation aspects in space emerged. After having completed it, I defended my thesis, afterwards, continued working on this topic on the ISS.

I see many more participants at the conference, I heard interesting reports, the range of reports becomes ever broader, new centres working on radiobiology are founded and their staff have come here. This is encouraging. For me, participating in this conference is important for understanding how radiobiology expands its horizons, there are reports on new threats to deep space flights, magnetic field research is carried out, new information is presented and new discoveries are published. There are many young people here that is wonderful. I wish the Conference nothing but success."

Radiation - a unique tool

At the request of the weekly, Co-Chair of the Organizing Committee I.B.Ushakov summarized the Conference: "The Conference was truly very rich; it can be considered, if not a rehearsal, then a training session for the congress of radiobiologists. We agreed with G.V. Trubnikov that the congress will be held next year in Dubna in early October. And in 2026, the 80th anniversary of the Burnazyan Federal Medical Biophysical Centre will be celebrated. Returning to the Conference, it can be said that a critical mass of important facts has accumulated, indicating the extremely relevant nature of the topic. Radiation has effectively become a unique tool for studying the structure and function of biological structures through precisely dosed and localized damage. Of course, densely ionizing radiation can achieve these effects much better than gamma radiation and X-rays, with their general effects on all tissues. Yesterday, during a wonderful violin concert at the Scientists' Club, I was struck by the idea of comparing such irradiations to an ensemble, as there are many factors involved in radiation exposure, each of which adds something significant to the overall picture - either for the diagnosis of such structures or for radiation therapy. There were numerous reports on this topic and I counted numerous joint exposures, including neutrons and protons. Moreover, much depends on the sequence of exposure; the final picture turns out to be strikingly different, as demonstrated in I.A.Zamulaeva's report. They include gold and silver nanoparticles and the carbon-12 isotope, the effects of which have been extensively studied. And not only from Dubna, many other centres have embraced these technologies. Of course, JINR retains a controlling stake. These include helium nuclei, nitrogen ions and boron neutron capture therapy that experiences its fourth or fifth renaissance. I really enjoyed the report on this therapy by a participant from Obninsk. This wave is currently underway not only in Russia but worldwide. Various sensitizers and modifiers were discussed and several reports were made on the drug "Arats", a patent for which has been filed at the Laboratory of Radiation Biology, but many drugs are currently combined with dyes. We heard reports of probably a dozen effects in various combinations. The Conference provided a good brainstorming session ahead of the upcoming radiobiology congress that will help to build its engaging programme.

I'm not even talking about the very interesting fields of astrobiology and space radiobiology, or mathematical developments. Although mathematics is sometimes overly focused, it's often easier to carry out a radiobiological experiment and to find out everything. It's clear why simulation is important today, since the situation with radiation sources gets worse; they're currently shut down. A.S.Shtemberg lamented that it's no longer possible at the IBMP to simulate the united effects of weightlessness and radiation that is crucial for estimating the impact of deep space flights. Unfortunately, the IBMP currently lacks a gamma radiation source and they will carry out these experiments in Dubna. And densely ionizing radiation has opened a window of opportunity for both experimental research in tumor radiation therapy and disease diagnostics, as well as for space exploration. Researchers work with such radiation in Obninsk, Pushchino and Moscow. A wide range of investigations was presented at the Conference.

I would point to the extrapolation of fundamental radiobiological data to humans as an insufficiently addressed issue at the Conference. When carrying out experiments on mice or even cellular structures, we're thinking about the most important thing, that is how the introduction of a particular drug or isotope will work in the human body. I hope we'll improve this situation at the congress, perhaps, even establishing a special section, since these extrapolation problems are extremely important. Significant errors are possible here and it represents a vast field of activity for experimentalists and theoreticians. Mathematical techniques, well-developed at the Laboratory of Radiation Biology thanks to the efforts of A.N.Bugay, are particularly helpful in this area. They should be constantly supported by experiments to ensure a reasonable balance between experimental data and mathematical models. I welcome this approach; it's impossible to carry out all multifactorial experiments. Simulation is certainly necessary but at least some benchmarks should be verified experimentally. Mathematical modeling of radiation injury, especially for charged particles, is a very important area and some excellent papers on this topic were also presented at the Conference.

The space radiobiology and astrobiology section was very interesting, with excellent reports by IBMP staff. Among the new findings, I'd like to point out that it turns out that certain substances (though not radioprotectors) - amine metabolism correctors in nervous tissue, non-specific vitamin complexes and metabolic adjustments can achieve positive effects. It inspires some optimism; some of these could be recommended for long-distance spaceflight, but research needs to be carried out, not only at this institute, but also at other centres. The progress of space programmes is crucial here. For now, it's clear that there will be a lunar programme because too many countries have their sights set on the Moon and we can't fall behind. We need to think about the upcoming expedition and how to protect humans from solar protons. And the developments that were reported will help us in this endeavor. The Conference also sparked a discussion about silicon-based life on Venus. The first soft landing on Venus was made by the Soviet probe Venera 7 in August 1970, followed by three more successful missions. Perhaps, we shouldn't lag behind other countries that are going to Venus today. Regarding silicon-based life forms, A.Yu.Rozanov very eloquently showed that we need to thoroughly understand these issues before we begin searching for them. And an expedition to Venus is certainly necessary; it will help to develop new technologies operating at high temperatures and extreme pressures. The report on Venus ("Scheduled mission to Venus - search for signs of life" by V.N. Snytnikov, Institute of Catalysis, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences) was very interesting, despite the many serious questions Alexey Yurievich raised.

Interesting reports on reparative and restorative processes were presented. E.A.Krasavin wrote extensively about their importance and their significance is enormous. He always put reparation at the forefront and rightly so. It's as a fundamental concept as radiosensitivity. What are the markers of reparation and how can they be enhanced by various interventions? This is an extremely important issue in radiobiology and it was probably mentioned in every third report.

The Conference was a success. Dubna has truly become the capital of radiobiology for entirely objective reasons: the JINR Laboratory of Radiation Biology is the largest radiobiology institute, very large in academic terms. The laboratory, with its excellent irradiation facilities and contacts with all major institutes, is dedicated to pursuing such work. It's good that it is appreciated by JINR Directorate; we will value and strengthen our strategic scientific alliance."

LRB and the UC produced two documentaries, one for the laboratory's 20th anniversary, the other - about E.A.Krasavin's scientific career, as well as an exhibition of Evgeny Aleksandrovich's photographs. His colleagues and students spoke and he became an unseen participant in the Conference.

Olga TARANTINA,
photos by Elena PUZYNINA