Chumakov Institute

Here’s a professional English version of the requested text that retains the academic-historical tone while improving fluency and readability. History of the Institute In 1955, in response to the growing threat of poliomyelitis spreading across the Soviet Union, the USSR Minister of Health issued Decree No. 208 on September 12, establishing the Institute for Poliomyelitis Research under the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR. In 1960, the institute was renamed the Institute of Poliomyelitis and Viral Encephalitis of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences. The founder and first director (until 1972) was Academician Mikhail Petrovich Chumakov. In a remarkably short time, the institute mastered the production technology of the inactivated Salk polio vaccine, reaching an annual output of five million doses by 1958. By 1959, it had developed the world’s first technology for mass production of the live oral polio vaccine derived from A. Sabin strains, carried out extensive field trials, and by 1960 had begun mass immunization of the entire Soviet population with the live vaccine. Following the success and global expansion of the polio eradication program, the institute broadened its research to develop protection methods against other viral diseases. Its scientists created production technologies for numerous viral vaccines, which were manufactured on an industrial scale by the institute’s production facilities. By exporting vaccines to over one hundred countries, the institute not only helped address major international health challenges but also generated significant foreign currency revenue for the country, part of which was reinvested into research—thus fueling further scientific and industrial innovation. Areas of Activity - Scientific research - Education and training - Viral disease diagnostics - Epidemiological studies - Development of diagnostic tools Clinical research on therapeutic and preventive drugs The institute is a leading scientific center in the field of medical virology, conducting research on poliomyelitis and other enteroviral infections, tick-borne encephalitis, viral hemorrhagic fevers, influenza, and viral hepatitis. Currently, its work includes both fundamental and applied research, including clinical studies, in the following areas: - Fundamental research in molecular virology - Studies of the etiology, epidemiology, immunology, and pathogenesis of viral infectious diseases - Research on pathogen biology and host–pathogen interactions at molecular, cellular, organismal, and population levels - Development of scientific foundations for creating prophylactic and diagnostic tools, and theoretical justification for disease prevention strategies - Development of scientific principles for protection against bioterrorism Key Scientific Milestones 1944 In 1944, M.P. Chumakov identified the viral etiology of a severe hemorrhagic disease that appeared among Soviet troops after the liberation of Crimea. He studied the pathogen’s properties and tick-borne transmission, developed preventive and therapeutic measures, and proposed the name “Crimean hemorrhagic fever.” 1947–1950 Between 1947 and 1950, Chumakov conducted extensive field research on Omsk hemorrhagic fever, isolated and studied its causative agent, proposed methods of prevention, and discovered outbreaks of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in the Yaroslavl and Tver regions. 1952–1954 From 1952 to 1954, he investigated the etiology and epidemiology of Q fever. During the same period (1951–1953), he organized mass outpatient antibiotic treatments for trachoma, which led to the eradication of one of the leading causes of blindness in the Volga region and Central Asian republics of the USSR. 1950–1954 Between 1950 and 1954, Chumakov served as Director of the Institute of Virology of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences. Due to the sharp rise in polio incidence, the Soviet government established the Institute for Poliomyelitis Research within the Academy in 1955, appointing him as director. Under his leadership, the institute developed an inactivated polio vaccine in record time (1956) and conducted the world’s first large-scale field trials (1959), confirming the safety and efficacy of the live attenuated oral vaccine derived from A. Sabin strains. These pioneering studies provided the foundation for mass vaccination campaigns as the primary strategy for eradicating the disease and removing the virus from circulation. The results became the basis of the World Health Organization’s global program to eliminate poliomyelitis.