The State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology VECTOR, also known as the Vector Institute (russian: Государственный научный центр вирусологии и биотехнологии „Вектор“, Gosudarstvennyy nauchnyy tsentr virusologii i biotekhnologii "Vektor"), is a biological

research center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricit ...

in Koltsovo,

Novosibirsk Oblast Novosibirsk Oblast (russian: Новосиби́рская о́бласть, ''Novosibirskaya oblast'') is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast) located in southwestern Siberia. Its administrative and economic center is the city of Novosibir ...

, Russia. It has research facilities and capabilities for all levels of

Biological Hazard A biological hazard, or biohazard, is a biological substance that poses a threat to the health of living organisms, primarily humans. This could include a sample of a microorganism, virus or toxin that can adversely affect human health. A bioh ...

, CDC Levels 1–4. It is one of two official repositories for the now-eradicated

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

virus, and was part of the system of laboratories known as the Biopreparat. The facility was upgraded and secured using modern cameras, motion sensors, fences and biohazard containment systems. Its relative seclusion makes security an easier task. Since its inception there has been an army regiment guarding the facility. At least in

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

times the facility was a nexus for

biological warfare Biological warfare, also known as germ warfare, is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, insects, and fungi with the intent to kill, harm or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war. ...

research (see

Soviet biological weapons program The Soviet Union covertly operated the world's largest, longest, and most sophisticated biological weapons program, thereby violating its obligations as a party to the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention.Leitenberg, M., Zilinskas, R., & Kuhn, J. ...

), though the nature of any ongoing research in this area is uncertain. As of April 2022 the Vector Institute is the Russian site for the

WHO Who or WHO may refer to: * Who (pronoun), an interrogative or relative pronoun * Who?, one of the Five Ws in journalism * World Health Organization Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Who, a creature in the Dr. Seuss book '' Horton He ...

H5 Reference Laboratory Network, which responds "to the

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

needs arising from avian influenza A(H5N1) infection in humans and influenza pandemic preparedness."

History

Organized in 1974, the center has a long history of

virology Virology is the scientific study of biological viruses. It is a subfield of microbiology that focuses on their detection, structure, classification and evolution, their methods of infection and exploitation of host cells for reproduction, th ...

, making impressive Soviet contribution to

research. Genetic engineering projects included creation of viruses that manufacture toxins as well as research on bioregulators and various peptides that function in the nervous system. In the post-Soviet times the center made research and development contributions in many projects like a vaccine for

Hepatitis A Hepatitis A is an infectious disease of the liver caused by ''Hepatovirus A'' (HAV); it is a type of viral hepatitis. Many cases have few or no symptoms, especially in the young. The time between infection and symptoms, in those who develop them ...

influenza vaccines Influenza vaccines, also known as flu shots, are vaccines that protect against infection by influenza viruses. New versions of the vaccines are developed twice a year, as the influenza virus rapidly changes. While their effectiveness varies fro ...

, vaccines for the Ebola virus, antiviral drugs with nucleotide analogs, test-systems for diagnostics of

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

and

Hepatitis B Hepatitis B is an infectious disease caused by the '' Hepatitis B virus'' (HBV) that affects the liver; it is a type of viral hepatitis. It can cause both acute and chronic infection. Many people have no symptoms during an initial infection. ...

and other development. It is one of the two laboratories worldwide that are authorized to keep smallpox.

COVID-19 vaccine development

In March 2020 it was reported that Russian scientists have begun to test vaccine prototypes for the new coronavirus disease, with the plan of presenting the most effective one in June, a laboratory chief at Vector Institute said. The prototypes have been created and the testing on animals began. In July 2020, research by the centre found that the

SARS-CoV-2 Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) is a strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), the respiratory illness responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The virus previously had a ...

virus that causes

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

can be killed in room temperature water within 72 hours, helping further research about the disease during the pandemic.

Tasks

The main tasks of the centre, according to VECTOR, are: * Basic research of causative agents of especially dangerous and socially important viral infections, and their genetic variability and diversity, pathogenesis of viral infections. * Ensuring constant readiness for implementing diagnostics of especially dangerous infectious agents. * The development and introduction into healthy practice of diagnostic curative and preventive medicines. * Post-graduate training, and scientific training of higher qualification in the field of Virology, molecular biology and biotechnology through graduate school and higher education.

Accidents

On 30 April 1988, a doctor died two weeks after accidentally pricking himself through two layers of rubber gloves with a needle contaminated with the Marburg virus. In 2004, a researcher at VECTOR died after accidentally pricking herself with a needle contaminated with the

Ebola virus ''Zaire ebolavirus'', more commonly known as Ebola virus (; EBOV), is one of six known species within the genus '' Ebolavirus''. Four of the six known ebolaviruses, including EBOV, cause a severe and often fatal hemorrhagic fever in humans and o ...

. On 17 September 2019, a gas explosion occurred at Vector. One worker suffered third-degree burns, and the blast blew out window panes. The lab has highly contagious forms of bird flu and strains of hepatitis. The explosion happened in a decontamination room that was being renovated by a contractor.

Notes

Citations

External links

State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology VECTOR homepage

About the center

at

Globalsecurity.org GlobalSecurity.org is an American nonpartisan, independent, nonprofit organization that serves as a think tank, and research and consultancy group. Focus The site is focused on national and international security issues; military analysis, syste ...

{{authority control 1974 establishments in the Soviet Union Biological warfare facilities Biosafety level 4 laboratories COVID-19 vaccine producers V Medical research institutes in the Soviet Union National public health agencies Research institutes established in 1974 Research institutes in Russia Soviet biological weapons program