CV
Valery N. Danilenko
Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor,
Head of the Laboratory of Genetics of Microorganisms,
Head of Department of Genetic Bases of Biotechnology, VIGG RAS,
Project coordinator of «MDR Tuberculosis»
Russian Group Coodrinator in the frame of the consortium "TBResist: International Consortium for the Full-Genomic Sequencing of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis strains"
Professor of Department of Bioinformatics at the Faculty of Medical and Biological Physics, MIPT (http://mipt.ru/education/chairs/bioinformatics/ )
Member of the editorial board of the journals "Vavilov Journal of Genetics and Breeding", Novosibirsk, "Vestnik RSMU", Moscow
Danilenko Valery Nikolayevich was born on May 8, 1947, in the Mogilev region (Republic of Belarus).
Professional achievements
Dr. Danilenko graduated from Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University in 1971. He graduated from the post-graduate studies in 1975 from the same Faculty of Biology. In 1977, he passed his Ph.D. defense with a degree in genetics. In 1994, he defended his habilitation thesis with a degree in genetics. In 1994, he became a professor of genetics.
From 1975 to 2006, Dr. Danilenko worked in research institutes directly involved in the creation of strains and pharmaceuticals for the microbiological and pharmaceutical industry of the country: GosNIIGenetika, VNIIantibiotikov, GosNIIsintezbelok.
In 1983 Dr. Danilenko V.N. headed the newly organized laboratory of genetic biotechnology of antibiotic producers VNIIantibiotikov Minmedproma USSR.
From 1991 to 2006, he headed similar laboratories in GosNIIGenetika and GosNIIsintezbelok. They created in Russia a line of scientific research - genetic engineering and genetic biotechnology of antibiotic producers.
From 1988 through 2002, he participated in the creation of the scientific and technological base for the construction of an antibiotics production plant in Orel.
From 2002 to 2006. Dr. Danilenko headed the FSUE "GosNIIsintezbelok".
From 2006 to the present time, he has been head of the laboratory of genetics of microorganisms, head of the department of genetic bases of biotechnology of Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences (http://vigg.ru/institute/podrazdelenija/otdel-geneticheskikh-osnov-biotekhnologii/laboratorija-genetiki-mikroorganizmov/).
The primary line of research of the laboratory is the development of pharmacological biomics, test systems that are further used for creating innovative anti-infective drugs.
Its secondary line of research revolves around the human microbiome: communication with the host organism, the source of the creation of new generation of drugs.
From 1984 to 2001, Dr. Danilenko was a member of the editorial board of the journal Antibiotics and Chemotherapy.
From 2016 to 2017, he became a member of the editorial board of the journals "Vavilov Journal of Genetics and Selection", "Bulletin of the Russian State Medical University" (Scientific Medical Journal of the NI Pirogov RNIMU).
From 2016 to 2017, became a reviewer of leading scientific publications: Anaerobe, Infection and Drug Resistance, Emerging Microbes and Infections (EMI), Journal of Tropical Medicine.
2020, reviewed articles that were published in the leading scientific journals: Frontiers Microbiology, Cells, Scientific Reports, International Journal of Molecular Sciences (IJMS).
Academic achievements
Dr. Danilenko is a prominent scholar in the field of biomedical sciences. He is known as a scientific leader and a skilled manager in this field in Russia and abroad. Dr. Danilenko has made significant progress such as revealing new epidemiologically dangerous M. tuberculosis lineages and developing diagnostics for their identification. Research led by Dr. Danilenko team is aimed at creating a fundamentally new methodology using genomics, proteomics, and genetic engineering methods to create innovative biotarget-directed anti-infective drugs. His research has significantly contributed to finding a solution to drug-resistant bacteria. He discovered a new mechanism of resistance to antibiotics in gram-positive bacteria, which was based on a new type aminoglycoside phosphotransferase.
Over the past few years, Dr. Danilenko main scientific interests were related to the search for new targets and medicines for treating bacterial infections, especially tuberculosis, as well as a number of human diseases. New promising biotargets in pathogenic bacteria have been identified and characterized: F0F1 ATPases of type II toxin-antitoxin system, serine-threonine protein kinases, etc. Based on these findings, new screening test systems have been designed. These studies have made it possible to proceed with the creation of innovative biotarget-directed medicines. Under Dr. Danilenko leadership, several pre-clinical research projects were carried out within the framework of GP "Pharma 2020": "Preclinical studies of an antileukemic drug - protein kinase inhibitor Pim-1", "Preclinical studies of a semi synthetic antitumor antibiotic belonging to the group of macrolactans", "Preclinical studies of an antituberculous drug, a protein kinase inhibitor"," Preclinical studies of anti-tuberculosis medication based on semi synthetic derivatives of usnic acid. " Vavilov Institute of General Genetics RAS with the Department of Genetic Fundamentals of Biotechnology have created a center for integrated research on the development of drugs for the treatment of TB and other diseases.
Over the last years, Dr. Danilenko created and headed a new line of scientific research in Russia: Microbiota of the Russian population. The basis of this line of research was laid during the implementation of the complex project of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation "Development of universal starter culture techniques for the application in industrial biotechnology". From 2008 to 2010, new approaches have been developed to search for pharmaceuticals based on bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, isolated from ethno-regional populations of Russia. Dr. Danilenko developed a new concept of metagenomic analysis of human microbes based on the analysis of functional biomarkers, including groups of genes controlling the synthesis of neurotransmitters, antioxidants, immunomodulators, etc. Under the guidance of professor Danilenko, new promising drugs with potential therapeutic effects on infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, as well as immunological and oncological diseases were discovered. A panel of bacterial test systems for screening serine-threonine protein kinase inhibitors, that represent the basis for target-directed screening of potential drugs, was created. A collection of probiotic Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains was created and characterized for the use in pharmaceuticals with immunomodulatory, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity as well as adjuvants for vaccines of various classes.
Type II toxin-antitoxin systems of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria were identified and characterized for the first time. This yielded enough knowledge to develop diagnosticums for strain identification in human gut metagenomes. The immunomodulatory activity exhibited by Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains was shown to be strain-specific.
We sequenced and annotated genomes of dozens of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and Streptomycetes strains and hundreds of M. tuberculosis strains. We developed genotyping system for M.tuberculosis based on polymorphisms of genes in type II toxin-antitoxin systems and virulence systems.
Pre-clinical studies of an anti-inflammatory pharmaceutical based on a composition of three probiotic lactobacillus, bifidobacterium and enterococcus strains, were performed recently. On the basis of the laboratory of genetics of microorganisms VIGG, a biobank of human fecal samples was created. A new line of research aimed at studying the relationship between the host microbiota and the functioning of its brain is being developed; special attention is paid to the role of neurotransmitters in this process.
Dr. Danilenko discovered highly productive strains of microorganisms, created technologies for obtaining antibiotics and pharmacobiotics, diagnosticums for various purposes (the designs are protected by twenty patents of the Russian Federation), and co-authored experimental and survey articles in leading domestic and foreign journals. Dr. Danilenko dedicates much of his time to scientific personnel training. Under his leadership, 25 candidate dissertations were defended, 10 of them within the last 2 years (2015 -2019). Since 2013, he is a professor at the Department of Bioinformatics of the Faculty of Medical and Biological Physics at Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), where he gives a lecture course "Introduction to metagenomics".
(Http://мфти.рф/education/chairs/bioinformatics/education/courses/bachelor_courses/introduction_to_metagenomics.html)
Currently, in the laboratory of the genetics of microorganisms under the supervision of Dr. Danilenko, 7 Master’s students from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Moscow State University Lomonosov Moscow State Pedagogical University, Russian State Agrarian University - Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy.
Scientific and organizational activity
In 1988, under the initiative of Dr. Danilenko, an International Laboratory of Genetic Engineering of Producers of Antibiotics was established in All-Russia Research Institute of Automatics (VNIIA) for Comecon (council for mutual economic assistance) Member Countries.
From 1990 to 1999. Part-time director of the Association of Biotechnology of Antibiotics of the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Russian Federation. In 1999, he founded the BIOAN Research Center, which is the successor to the BIOAN Association. Currently he is the Director of programs and projects of SIC "BIOAN" www.bioan.ru.
From 1998 to 2001. Director of the Center for Research and Development CJSC Oryol Pharmaceutical Company.
From 1985 to 1989. Freelance UNESCO expert on biotechnology in Russia.
From 1984 to 2001. Member of the editorial board of the journal Antibiotics and Chemotherapy.
From 2001 to 2011. Member of the Expert Council on Biotechnology of the State Duma of the Russian Federation.
From 2002 until the present day, he has been a member of the Committee of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation for the development of the biological and medical industry.
Since 2009 to date. Member of the Scientific and Technical Council of the Ministry of Industry and Trade on the implementation of measures in the development of the chemical, medical and pharmaceutical industries, as well as the biotechnological complex of Russia; Secretary of the Council at the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences for the coordination of scientific research in the field of "Medical technology, technology and pharmaceuticals" (medtechpharm-ras.ru).
Since 2011. Co-director of the Scientific and Technical Council of the section "Translational Medicine" of the Technology Platform "Medicine of the Future".
In 1990, Dr. Danilenko was awarded the Medal "Veteran of Labor".
In 1998, was awarded the Medal "850 Years of Moscow".
In 2003, was awarded the title "Honorary Chemist".
In 2004, was awarded the diploma of the Ministry of Industry, Science and Technology of the Russian Federation for his great personal contribution to the development of the domestic biotechnology industry.
In 2006, was honored with commendation of the Federal Agency "Rosprom" of the Russian Federation, was awarded by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation with the diploma of the international military technical forum "Army 2015" for best report at the events of the forum's scientific and business program.
International collaboration
Dr. Danilenko has extensive experience of collaboration with large pharmaceutical companies in Russia and abroad. He has participated in interstate research programs and projects, thus he interacted with specialists in the human microbiota and tuberculosis from France, the USA, China, South Korea, South Africa, Germany, Bulgaria, etc. Dr. Danilenko has experience in organizing scientific Events (1989 – 2016). He used to be vice-president and president of the organizing committees of a number of international symposia and congresses held in Europe and Russia including the Russian-American and the BRICS countries.
He was the head of a group of Russian laboratories on the subject "Protein kinases - Novel Drug Targets of Post Genomic Era" within the framework of the EU program FP6. In 2011, Dr. Danilenko became one of the initiators and organizers of the Russian-American cooperation in the field of biomedical research. In November 16-18, 2011 The Russian-American Scientific Forum on Biomedical Research was held. And in 2012, Two workshops: the first meeting on June 28-29 "Tuberculosis in HIV-infected patients: new paradigms, diagnosis and drug development" and the second in September 17-18 "Human microbiome: metagenomics, new biomarkers of the disease, translational research in personalized medicine". From 2013 to 2014, Dr. Danilenko was co-leader in the project " Toxin-antitoxins & RpsA in TB drug resistance & persistence with HIV," carried out jointly by prof. Ying Zhang (Ying Zhang) from the Johns Hopkins University.
In 2013, with the active participation of Dr. Danilenko, Russia joined the International Consortium "TBResist: International Consortium on Full-Genomic Sequencing in Several Russian Institutions. Dr. Danilenko became the Coordinator of the Russian group of the consortium "TBResist: International Consortium for the Full-Genomic Sequencing of drug-resistant Strains of Tuberculosis". Within the framework of this consortium, a decision was taken to hold the Russian-American workshop "Virulence and multiple drug resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: full genomic sequencing, epidemiological and bioinformatic aspects" in Moscow in May-June 2014. Today, the consortium database includes more than 800 full genomic sequences of fully characterized Clinical isolates of M. tuberculosis, including Russian isolates.
In 2015, Dr. Danilenko was a co-rapporteur of the report "Mycobacterium tuberculosis 'Hybrid Warfare': Virulence, Pathogenicity, Persistence and Drug Resistance" at the conference "Science Diplomacy 2015: Scientific Drivers for Diplomacy" in Washington, DC.
Today, studies on drug resistance, virulence and phylogenetics of M. tuberculosis have been conducted jointly with research groups from the United States, South Africa and the PRC and the European Union. A joint research project on the direction “Microbiome, the brain – gut axis - role in the formation of neurodegressive and degenerative diseases” was prepared recently.
From 2017 to the present day, co-chair of the organizing committee and member of the award committee of the Eurasian Creative Forum https://ecuforum.kz/.