National Academy of Sciences of Belarus

10.06.2020

Belarusian and Russian Scientists to Join Efforts in COVID-19 Control

On the 10th of June, 2020, International video conference of the NAS of Belarus and the Russian Academy of Sciences on the topic “Coronavirus infection: fundamental, clinical and epidemiologic aspects. Social and economic challenges for the healthcare” was held. Alexander Sergeev, the President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, RAS Academician, and Vladimir Gusakov, the Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, addressed to the event participants.

Vladimir Gusakov, the Chairman of the NASB Presidium, said before the video conference: “It is the first video conference with our colleagues from the Russian Academy of Sciences dedicated to the coronavirus struggle. Our scientists are now working on a vaccine, and I think, here it is important to join our efforts to enhance the development efficiency. There is a number of antiviral drugs created by our scientists in Belarus, but they were developed before the pandemic – they have general antiviral properties. Now, we are working on special drugs for COVID-19 control. Our countries should develop a cooperation plan for 2020-2021”.

Alexander Kilchevsky, the Deputy Chairman of the NASB Presidium, told to the mass media: “We have already agreed to compare disposition of the Belarusians and Russians to the coronavirus. It is because there is some specificity, you may have read that the Chinese, Italians, etc. experience the disease differently. We would like to study this specificity with our Russian colleagues”, he said.

The following speakers represented the NAS of Belarus at the International video conference: Alexander Bildiukevich, the Director of the Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Sergei Gubkin, the Director of the Institute of Physiology, Svetlana Babitskaya, the Director of the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, and Andrey Goncharov, the Director of the Institute of Biophysics and Cell Engineering. Academician Petr Vityaz told about collaboration of the Belarusian and Russian scientists under the International Association of the Academies of Sciences.

The video conference participants considered fundamental aspects of the coronavirus infection studying, development of new technologies of prevention, diagnostics and treatment, contemporary approaches to working out of comprehensive strategic solutions for work under unfavourable conditions, as well as new lines of research of the NASB and RAS regarding the COVID-19 control.