Research & Expertise News at HSE University

Scientists at HSE University have identified a molecular mechanism underlying aggressive breast cancer. They found that the signals supporting tumour growth originate not from the tumour itself but from its microenvironment. The researchers also demonstrated that reduced levels of the IGFBP6 protein in the tumour microenvironment lead to the accumulation of macrophages—immune cells associated with a higher risk of cancer recurrence. These findings already make it possible to assess patient risk more accurately and may, in the future, enable the development of drugs that target cells of the tumour microenvironment. The study has been published in Current Drug Therapy.

Modern supercomputers can perform more than a trillion calculations per second. This immense capacity enables researchers to address problems that were previously intractable. At the XXVI April International Academic Conference, Ilias Kotsireas, a professor at Wilfrid Laurier University, spoke about the potential of high-performance computing in fields such as weather and climate modelling, astrophysics, and medicine. 

Researchers at HSE MIEM, in collaboration with colleagues from the Moscow Technical University of Communications and Informatics (MTUCI), have implemented a novel approach to designing microwave filters—generative synthesis using machine learning tools. The proposed method reduces the filter development cycle from several days to just a few minutes and in the future could be applied to the design of other microwave electronic devices. The results were presented at the IEEE International Conference '2026 Systems of Signals Generating and Processing in the Field of on Board Communications.'

Building an effective workforce training system requires not only appropriate institutions, but also well-developed intermediary organisations capable of translating policy into practice and connecting different groups of stakeholders, said Dr Po Yang, Professor at Peking University. She was an invited speaker at the XXVI April International Academic Conference named after Evgeny Yasin.

As a student, Stepan Mikhailov took part in an expedition to the Urals and became so deeply engaged that he eventually wrote his dissertation on a related topic—possessive constructions in the Khanty language. In this interview for the HSE Young Scientists project, he talks about bridging syntax and semantics, the importance of making time to cook and eat breakfast in the morning, and his favourite place in the village of Kazym.

Sergey Loesov, professor at the Institute for Oriental and Classical Studies (Faculty of Humanities), and his colleagues document endangered languages while working in the field in Tur Abdin and Qalamoun. In this interview, Prof. Loesov discusses field linguistics, Kurdish assistants, and a ‘bold analogy’ with the Prague Linguistic Circle.

The conference programme covers five research topics: economics; human capital and society; instrumental methods and models; foresight research; and international research. Hundreds of scientists from around the world will take part in the conference.

The HSE Faculty of Humanities has held the fourth Terra Hominis conference, a scientific event for students, doctoral students, and prospective researchers. This year, more than 700 applications were received (1.5 times more than last year) and more than 400 participants and 200 attendees from different regions of Russia and foreign countries took part. The conference partners were the Main Information and Computer Centre of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Centre.