Alena Svarval – Head of laboratory, PhD
Phone: + 7(812) 233-44-62, email: svarval@pasteurorg.ru
The Laboratory of Immunology was created in 1982. From its foundation to September 2015, the Laboratory was led by the Corresponding Member of Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor Anatoly Jebrun. In November 2015, the Laboratory of Immunology was reorganised into the Laboratory for the Identification of Pathogens without changing its activity profile.
Today, the Laboratory has a staff of fifteen, six PhDs and an infectious disease physician among them.
In 1980s and 1990s, the Laboratory was actively using up-to date diagnostic methods. In collaboration with researchers from other institute departments, a range of diagnostic products for indirect hemagglutination test and immunoenzymatic assay were developed. For the first time in Russia, the Laboratory headed by A.Jerbun laid down the foundation for fine immunochemistry research. Antiglobulin reagents based on protein A in Staphylococcus aureus, as well as their labelled and immobilized derivatives used in the detection of immunoglobulins and their isolation by affinity chromatography methods were developed. The Laboratory obtained numerous patents for methods, products and their clinical application.
From the very beginning, one of the main areas of research at the Laboratory has been the study of Helicobacter pylori. This infectious agent is associated with many gastrointestinal disorders. This is the only Laboratory in the Institute that cultivates H. pylori in vitro. The Laboratory studies its biological properties such as toxin production, antibiotic resistance, and the relationship between clinical signs of the infection and infectious agent genotypes and particularities of immune response of the body. The continuous monitoring of H.рylori strains occurring within the North-Western Federal District and in Saint-Petersburg is carried out.
Another important area of the Laboratory’s research is the investigation and identification of agents of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Today, health problems affecting the reproductive system present a burning issue. Laboratory specialists are familiar with every existing method of chlamydia, trichomonas, and mycoplasma detection. Based on a vast amount of data, the biological properties of strains occurring in the region have been described. Comparison of commercially available diagnosis test systems and new methods is carried out. In collaboration with medical practitioners, guidelines of complex laboratory examination have been developed for various diseases of reproductive system. The Laboratory developed and approved a new diagnostic product for chlamydia agent detection.
A large part of research addresses the study of viral hepatitis infections. The incidence of viral hepatitis infections within the North-Western Federal District in various age groups is subject to continuous dynamic monitoring. Molecular and biological properties of herpes viruses are studied, circulating strain genotypes are reported.
The study concerning the detection of human papilloma virus with high and low carcinogenic risk in patients with pathologies of reproductive system is ongoing.