Institute of Radiobiology and Radiation Protection

History

Institute was established on the initiative of Professor Polat Kazymbetuly Kazymbet on the basis of the Radiobiological Research Center of the University, opened in 2004, renamed in 2010 into the "Institute of Radiobiological Research", in 2014 - into the "Institute of Radiobiology and Radiation Protection".
Polat Kazymbetuly Kazymbet - Honorary Director of the Institute, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Academician of the Kazakhstan Academy of Pedagogical Sciences, Member of the New York Academy of Sciences, member of editorial Council of the International Specialized Scientific Journal "Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety" (Moscow), Vice-President of the Asian Association for Radiation Research, President of the Public Association "Republican Society of Radiobiologists".
For 15 years, the Institute has carried out a number of large scientific and technical grants on the problems of medical provision of radiation safety of the population in the uranium mining, mining and oil producing regions of Kazakhstan. 10 doctors of science, 3PhD doctors, 13 candidates of science and 5 masters have been trained.

Tasks

– Development of priority scientific programs and scientific research in the field of radiobiology, radiation epidemiology, radiation medicine, radiation hygiene, radiation ecology and radiation genetics;
– Development of university science, integration of scientific research and educational programs;
– Training of highly qualified scientific and pedagogical personnel in the field of radiobiology and radiation medicine, for undergraduate, graduate and PhD doctoral studies;
– Implementation of the results of scientific research in practical healthcare and other industries;
– Expansion of international cooperation in the field of radiation medicine and radiobiology with leading specialized institutes in the near and far abroad;
– Advanced training of specialists from various departments in radiation safety, occupational health, occupational diseases;
– Provision of paid services to determine the levels of compliance with radiation safety standards in residential and industrial premises, as well as environmental objects.
Mission of the Institute: achievement of competitiveness of scientific research and development in the field of radiobiology, radiation medicine, hygiene and radioecology, aimed at solving urgent problems of medical support for radiation safety of the population and training of highly qualified scientific and pedagogical personnel that meet international quality standards.

Goals

Achieving the competitiveness of scientific research and development in the field of radiobiology, radiation medicine, hygiene and radioecology, aimed at solving urgent problems of medical support for radiation safety of the population and training highly qualified scientific and pedagogical personnel that meet international quality standards.

Functions

Comprehensive radiation-hygienic studies, including an assessment of environmental objects and the health status of the population living in areas where radiation-hazardous objects are located, as well as an assessment of risks from agents of a physical and chemical nature.
Conducting scientific research in the field of epidemiology of the consequences of technogenic impact on personnel and the population, based on the use of the Industry Medical Dosimetric Register, created at the Institute.
Development and improvement of regulatory, methodological and guiding documents to ensure the radiation safety of personnel and the public.
Development of educational programs, training of scientific and pedagogical personnel and holding advanced training courses for specialists in the field of radiation safety and protection.

Activity

1. Educational activities
2. Scientific activity
3. Provision of paid services
The Institute carries out its activities on the basis of the following licenses: The Nuclear Energy Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Republic of Kazakhstan for the lesson "Provision of services in the field of the use of atomic energy" No. 20004992 dated 16.03.2020. of the Committee for Nuclear Energy of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Republic of Kazakhstan for the lesson "Special training of specialists and personnel for activities related to the use of atomic energy" No. 19009260 dated April 22, 2019 of the Committee for Control in Education and Science of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan "Training of PhD doctoral students in the specialty 8D101 "Health" "Training of PhD doctoral students in the specialty 8D051 - Biology" of the Committee for Control in Education and Science of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan "Training of masters in the specialty" Medicine", section "Radiobiology", "Training of masters in the specialty 7M051 - Biology" . No. KZ93LAA00014823 dated March 19, 2019
Types of rendered paid services:
- determination of uranium in urine;
- attestation of workplaces at enterprises;
- educational advanced training courses for specialists: on the topics "Radiation safety when working with sources of ionizing radiation", "Dosimetrist", "Radiation safety when working with radiation screening devices", "Radiation safety when working with sealed sources of radiation and devices that generate ionizing radiation ”, “Radiation safety in medicine”;
- measurement of EDR of gamma radiation and flux density of alpha-, beta-particles;
- measurement of concentration of radon and other radioactive gases;
- radiospectrometric determinations - ²³⁸U, ²³⁴U, ²³²ТҺ, ²³⁰ТҺ, ²²⁸ТҺ, ⁴⁰К, ¹³⁷Cs, radiometric determinations of -²²⁶Ra, ²²⁸Ra, ²¹⁰Pb, ²¹⁰Po in samples of environmental objects (soil, water, plants, etc.);
- individual dosimetric control of personnel;
- determination of the content of radionuclides in products, materials, environmental objects;
- radiation monitoring of territories, premises, workplaces, goods, materials, scrap metal, vehicles;
- quality control of the operation of sources of ionizing radiation, as well as devices, equipment, installations containing such sources or generating ionizing radiation (medical X-ray computed tomographs; general-purpose medical X-ray units; medical X-ray angiographic equipment; medical X-ray dental equipment; medical X-ray mammography units) .
Structure of the Institute:
1. Testing laboratory for radiochemistry and radiospectrometry (accredited according to ISO/IEC 17025-2019);
2. Laboratory of Radiation Epidemiology and Medical Dosimetry Registry;
3. Laboratory of radiation safety hygiene.
Tasks of the laboratory:
1. Testing laboratory of radiochemistry and radiospectrometry:
• development of effective methods for cleaning up territories contaminated with technogenic radionuclides;
• introduction, training and dissemination of modern and effective methods for analyzing the activity of radionuclides in samples of environmental objects on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan;
• providing scientific and methodological assistance to attached employees, undergraduates, PhD doctoral students, residents and applicants of NJSC "MUA" and from other medical institutions.
2. Laboratory of Radiation Epidemiology and Medical Dosimetry Registry:
· determination of individual radiation risks of occupational exposure of personnel under individual dosimetric control;
· development of a model of medical and dosimetric register of uranium industry workers;
· analysis and assessment of the health status of the population of uranium mining, mining and oil and gas regions;
· monitoring of the medical dosimetric register.
3. Laboratory of Radiation Safety and Hygiene:
• development of scientific bases for regulation of safe levels of technogenic radiation impact on personnel;
• determination of priority areas of radiation hygiene, introduction of new methods of labor protection at manufacturing enterprises;
• certification of workplaces at enterprises;
• complex radiobioecological study of natural environment objects in uranium mining, mining and oil producing regions;
• development of scientific and methodological foundations for medical support of radiation safety of workers at radiation-hazardous enterprises.

 Achievements

On the basis of the Institute, 10 doctors of science, 3PhD doctors, 13 candidates of science and 5 masters were trained and defended. At the moment, 5 PhD doctoral students and 5 undergraduates in the direction of "Biology" and 1 PhD doctoral student in the direction of "Medicine" are studying. The staff of the Institute published 10 copyright inventions and certificates, 6 monographs and manuals, 5 guidelines, more than 250 scientific articles and theses.
The employees of the Institute have created an electronic database on the incidence and accumulated dose of the personnel of group A of industrial enterprises and on its basis - the current module "Industrial Radiation and Epidemiological Register (IRER) of workers of radiation-hazardous enterprises". Currently, the Department of Healthcare Digitalization of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan is working on the integration of the IRER with the medical information system of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Since 2018, on the basis of the Institute, the determination of uranium in the urine of employees of enterprises in uranium mining regions by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry has been organized. Its standard levels in urine have been established (Methodological recommendations have been approved and a draft order has been submitted to the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan, 2019). The module "Unified System for Medical Support of Radiation Safety (USMSRS)" was developed for employees of radiation-hazardous enterprises. The Consortium "MSRSMM" (medical support for radiation safety and morbidity management) was created on the basis of the Institute and the Republican State Enterprise on the REM "Central Clinical Hospital DPW", which has experience in treating patients with ionizing radiation (affected by the activities of the SNTS and liquidators of the Chernobyl accident).
At the initiative of the Institute, a “Memorandum between the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan and “NAC Kazatomprom” JSC on cooperation in protecting the health of workers and a Memorandum on improving the health of oil and gas production personnel between the Institute and JSC Ozenmunaigas” were concluded.          
The Institute has implemented the following scientific and technical grant programs:
- “Creating a molecular genetic characterization of the DNA of workers in uranium mines, confirmed by chronic exposure to low doses of radiation. Creation of an electronic data bank on the genotypes of people exposed to constant exposure to radiation in low doses” (2011-2015);
- "Reducing the risks of production-related morbidity among workers in the uranium industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan" (2013-2015);
- "Integrated approaches to managing the health status of the Aral Sea population" (2014-2016);
- "Development of scientific and methodological foundations for minimizing the environmental burden, medical support, social protection and improvement of the population of environmentally unfavorable territories of the Republic of Kazakhstan" (2017-2019);
- "Research and development of methods to reduce the radiation risk of the population living in the zone of influence of radioactive waste storage facilities" (2018-2020).
Currently, the Institute is implementing the following domestic and foreign scientific programs:
-    Development of methods for leveling negative technogenic risk factors for the environment and public health of Syrdarya uranium ore province" carried out in the period from (2021-2023);
-    "Assessment of the dose load and epidemiological study of the population living near mothballed uranium mines and the development of measures to minimize negative technogenic factors” (2022-2024);
- "Radiation monitoring of the territory of oil producing enterprises" (2022-2024);
-    "Assessment of the radon safety of the secondary school in Aksu village, located near the storage of radioactive waste and the development of measures to reduce the risk of exposure of students" (2022-2024);
-    International Joint Analysis of Uranium Processing Workers (involving scientists from the US, Canada, UK, Germany, France and Russia);
-    Establishment of a national training center with reference laboratory to support and improve radiation protection in the medical use of ionizing radiation (IAEA project);
-    Memorandum of Understanding between NJSC "Astana Medical University" (Republic of Kazakhstan) and the University of Tsukuba (Japan).

Contacts

Astana, Beibitshilik st., 49A, 7th floor, room 705
tel.: 8(7172) 53-94-48; 57-78-96 (ext. 434,430,250).
fax: 8 (7172) 53-94-48.
e-mail: irrp@amu.kz