Speaker: Anna Bazhenova

Is the absence of pain always good? This lecture addresses the genetic basis of pain perception. You will learn how genetic variation influences pain sensitivity, which disruptions can lead to rare conditions — including congenital insensitivity to pain — and how contemporary research and clinical case studies reveal the complex relationship between genetics and the perception of threat. This topic deepens our understanding of human physiology and offers a new perspective on health and the body’s protective responses.

Speaker: Elena Nevskaya

We are accustomed to implants designed for permanence — titanium devices intended to last a lifetime, and polymers with variable long-term behavior. However, some materials are designed to function temporarily and then safely degrade once their role is complete. Magnesium is one such material. This lecture examines how biodegradable metallic implants can be engineered to degrade in a controlled manner without harming the body. The work is driven by a megagrant-funded research team: a lab built from the ground up, successive experimental series, animal models from rodents to minipigs, and patients who already receive such implants.

Speaker: Irina Martynenko

How and why do scientists fold the familiar DNA molecule into unexpected shapes? An introduction to structural DNA nanotechnology and its applications.