Dr. Skurkovich has pioneered treatments for:

· LEUKEMIA. Dr. Skurkovich and his group started work on immunotherapy of leukemia in 1960s -1970s and published positive results in major scientific journals including Blood, Nature, and later in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences (227:384-395, 1976). Together with his colleagues (Drs. T.I. Bulycheva, S.A. Mayakova and L.A. Mahonova) (two of them are his former post-doctoral fellows, now professors, one a chairperson of Immunological Laboratory at the Hematology Center and another – a chairperson of Pediatric Leukemia Department at the Oncology Center in Moscow) he developed live vaccines using allogenic leukemic cells for children with acute leukemia. This vaccine was used in acute period and in period of remission; more than 42% of children vaccinated in remission survived and have been disease-free for more than 30 years without any further treatment. This work has enormous practical application to oncology. “Targeted Immunotherapy of Cancer” 

Immunotherapy of many pathological conditions including cancer can be quite effective (S. Skurkovich et al. Nature 1969; 223:509; S. Skurkovich et al. Nature 1974; 247:551; J. Kelly. Microbes and Infection 2000; 2:1383).

Below we propose specific immunotherapies of cancers that we regard as very promising. They became possible after multiple safe-to-administer cancer antigens became available (NY-ESO-1, formalinized cancer cells, tumor DNA, synthetic, and others).

1. Donors with absolutely healthy immune system are actively immunized with cancer antigens. Before administration, antigens are incubated in human IFN-gamma to increase their antigenicity. After immunization, donors’ T lymphocytes and humoral immunity are tested for their specific activity against the immunizing antigen. When specific activity of T lymphocytes peaks they are harvested by lymphapheresis, incubated in human IFN-gamma to further activate their specific activity, and then stored at – 272⁰C. After thawing they are administered multiple times to cancer patients both intravenously and, in some cases, locally. T lymphocytes can be harvested multiple times until their specific immunological activity decreases. It is necessary to create large banks of frozen immune lymphocytes and sometimes immunized donors’ bone marrow (to treat genetically-matched patients) and use them as needed.
2. Anti-cancer activity can be induced in lymphocytes in vitro. After their anti-cancer activity peaks they can be incubated in human IFN-gammaand used as described above.
3. Immune lymphocytes obtained by methods described above can also be used together with monoclonal antibodies directed against specific tumor determinants.
4. The adaptive immunotherapy of ill people continues till there will be no more tumor cells in the organism.
5. All proposed immunotherapy may be done in combination with chemotherapy and surgery and other methods of treatment of cancers.
6. It is possible to do immunotherapy without gamma-interferon (which was used for tumor antigen and lymphocytes). As well Interleukin-2 and Freund’s adjuvant can be used instead of gamma interferon.
7. In the past we treated a group of children with acute leukemia who were in remission for at least 6 months with a long-term immunization with a vaccine prepared from allogeneic leukemic cells. As of the end of 2007, long-term survival (over 30 years) of immunized patients was 42.2%  (8 out of 19) vs. 0% in controls (S. Skurkovich, T. Bulycheva, S. Mayakova & L. Makhonova, BIT 1^st Annual World Cancer Congress, 2008, Shanghai, China, page 480). These results suggest that healthy people with absolutely intact immune system but who are at increased risk for developing cancer (e.g., bearing specific genetic markers) can be successfully immunized to prevent this from occurring.
8. We propose to immunize healthy relatives with corresponding cancer antigen (corresponding to the cancer of the ill person). After multiple immunization and achievement of the sufficient immunological activity of the health person t- lymphocytes and NC-cells of the person we immunize can be used for the treatment of the ill person as in p.1. In addition it would be very reasonable to transplant the lymph nodes from the person we immunize (taken after the immunization) to ill person.
9. When some post-transfusion complications of the recipient occur, some methods of reduction of those complications can be used for the recipient (e.g. analgesics, tranquilizers, and even narcosis).
10. In some cases in the capacity of antigen material the tumor tissues taken after operation (immunization by own tissue) can be used.
11. In the capacity of donors for the tumor antigen immunization close relatives of the ill person can be used. T-lymphocytes and lymph nodes taken from the relatives after the immunization can be used for immunotherapy.
12. Materials have to be immunologically compatible.  
13. All those propositions for the treatment of ill people with tumors are related to the use of the immunological changes in the organism of a healthy person.

· AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES; CYTOKINE DISEASES AND AIDS (THAT HAS AN AUTOIMMUNE COMPONENT). Dr. Skurkovich developed radically new understanding of the pathogenesis and treatment of autoimmune diseases (S.Skurkovich et al. Nature, 247:551, 1974; J.IFN. Res. 9 (suppl.2:S305, 1989; Expert Rev Clin Immunol 1 (1):11, 2005), and others. Many scientists feel that this opened a new chapter in medicine that triggered a large number of experimental and clinical investigations. In Dr. Skurkovich’s opinion, anti-cytokine therapy and cytokine therapy will lead to positive clinical outcomes and will result in the development of new treatment methods for some autoimmune conditions and cancers. Thus, Dr. Skurkovich was the first to develop a hypothesis about the role of cytokines in the development of autoimmune diseases and the first to carry out anti-cytokine therapy in 1974-1975-1977-1989, and in later years. This gave birth to a new line in immunopathology and stimulated experimental and clinical work in this area. These works obtained wide experimental and clinical development all over the world. New approach to the treatment of autoimmune diseases In 1973 in the British journal Immunology, Dr. Skurkovich stated that interferon (IFN) is part of the immune system. In that work Dr. Skurkovich was one of the first who stated that interferons were not only antiviral agents but also, in some manner, were anti-tumor factors as well. In addition, interferons play important role in immunity and play other important roles in the organism. In 1974, in the journal Nature, he was the first to publish his hypothesis that the disturbance of interferon synthesis can lead to autoimmune disease and that removal of IFNs (cytokines) from the organism can be therapeutic. In 1975 Dr. Skurkovich was the first to find interferon in the blood of patients with different autoimmune diseases. In perfectly healthy people IFNs are not found in the blood. Overproduction of these cytokines accompanies diseases, and their presence in the blood is a sign of autoimmune disease. This was later confirmed in other laboratories around the world. Dr. Skurkovich was the first to propose the use of anti-cytokine therapy that many scientists now define as the new era in the treatment of autoimmune diseases and especially rheumatoid arthritis. He was the first to propose treating autoimmune conditions by removal of alpha-interferon and gamma-interferon (Nature, 1974 and other publications) from the organism. Later, to his disappointment, he found that in the publication in 1977 in the Annals of Allergy one of the co-authors made some mistakes in evaluation of cytotoxicity of lymphocytes in rheumatoid arthritis. Those mistakes upset Dr. Skurkovich greatly as he trusted that scientist. Besides, Dr. Skurkovich found out that evaluation of the positive effect of polyclonal anti-alpha-interferon antibodies was overestimated though antibodies were very potent (antibodies were taken from donkeys that had been immunized for 2 years).

Dr. Skurkovich together with other authors and his son Dr. Boris Skurkovich (professor at Brown University in Providence, RI, USA) published the data on the treatment of the following autoimmune diseases: rheumatoid arthritis (Int.J. Immunother. XIV (1), p.23-32., 1998, Scan. J Rheumathol, 4 ,30:203-7, 2001, Anticytokine therapy in rheumatoid arthritis, referat of doctoral dissertation, Moscow., author Loukina GV 2004, and other publications); multiple sclerosis (Multiple Sclerosis. Clinical and laboratory research. Vol.7. 5, 276, 2001 and other publications); corneal transplant rejection (Am J Ophthalmol, 133:829-830, 2002 and other publications); type I diabetes (Expert Rev Clin Immunol 1 (1), p.13, 2005, Questions on hematology/oncology and immunopathology in pediatrics (in Russia), , 2 (4): 81-83, 2003 and other publications); uveitis (Expert Rev Clin Immunol 1 (1), p.14, 2005 ), 8th International Workshop on Autoantibodies and Autoimmunity, 18, Berlin, 2003 and other publications); psoriasis vulgaris (Expert Rev Clin Immunol 1 (1), p.16, 2005, 5th Asia Pacific Congress of Allergy and Clinical Immunology:121-125, 12-15 October 2002 and other publications); alopecia areata (Expert Rev Clin Immunol 1 (1), p.15, 2005, J Clin Immunol 103: S103,2002 and other publications); vitiligo (Expert Rev Clin Immunol 1 (1),15, 2005, J Clin Immunol 103: S103, 2002 and other publications); acne vulgaris (Expert Rev Clin Immunol 1 (1), 16, 2005, Ernst Schering research Foundation Workshop 56. Vol.209. 11, 2006, and other publications); herpes simplex type 1 (Expert Rev Clin Immunol 1 (1), 17, 2005, Ernst Schering Research Foundation Workshop 56. Vol.209. 11-12, 2006 and other publications); herpes simplex type 2 (Expert Rev Clin Immunol 1 (1), 17, 2005, Ernst Schering Research Foundation Workshop 56. Vol.209. 11-12, 2006 and other publications); sebborrheic dermatitis (Expert Rev Clin Immunol 1 (1), 16, 2005, Cytokine and Anti-cytokine Therapy in Dermatology, Vol.339, p272-273, 2006, and other publications); dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (Expert Rev Clin Immunol 1 (1)17, 2005,) Ernst Schering research Foundation Workshop 56. Vol.209. p.12-13, 2006 and other publications). Antibodies to gamma interferon and sometimes antibodies to TNF-alpha for comparison purposes were used to treat these diseases with great and sometimes striking results. Patients were treated with antibodies to gamma-interferon and antibodies to TNF-alpha first in an open label comparative study and subsequently in double-blind, placebo-controlled studies to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Pain, joint swelling and other clinical symptoms decreased dramatically during and after treatment. These results demonstrated that improvement with the use of anti-IFN-gamma was as good as and sometimes superior to anti-TNF-alpha with fewer side effects and higher remission rates. Ultrasound data indicated significant reduction in swelling of the synovial joint membrane in the anti-IFN-gamma group only. In multiple sclerosis anti-IFN-gamma and anti-TNF-alpha antibodies were also used in an open-label comparative study, followed by a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis in which patients were followed for 1 year. In the controlled trial, the group receiving anti-IFN-gamma showed a significant increase in the number of patients free of sustained EDSS (Expanded Disability Status Scale) progression and in mean time without sustained EDSS progression as well as a significant increase in the number of patients without gadolinium-enhancing lesions on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). No significant improvement was found using anti-TNF-alpha, which confirms other studies in Multiple sclerosis patients in which anti-TNF-alpha was found ineffective (Lenercept Multiple Sclerosis Study Group and the University of British Columbia MS/MRI Analysis Group. TNF neutralization in MS: results of a randomized, placebo-controlled multicenter study. Neurology 53:457-465 1999). These studies were performed at: Rheumatology Institute, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Moscow, Russia (Profs. Y.A. Sigidin, MD, and G.V. Lukina, MD), Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Russian State Medical University, Moscow, Russia (Profs. A. N. Boiko, MD, and E. I. Gusev, MD), Department of Dermatology and Venerology, Russian State Medical University, Moscow, Russia (Profs. N.G.Korotky, MD, and N.M. Sharova, MD), Research Institute of Children Hematology, (Profs. V.M. Delyagin, MD, and A.G. Rumyantsev, MD), Research Institute of Ophthalmology, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Moscow, Russia (Profs. A.A. Kasparov, MD and N.P.Narbut, MD). Dr. Skurkovich was the first to propose to treat Crohn’s disease with anticytokine therapy but he didn’t conduct clinical trials (New Americans’ Collected Scientific Reports, 1, 163, 1991). Dr. Skurkovich and his son Dr. Boris Skurkovich were the first who proposed to treat Crohn’s disease by anticytokinotherapy which proved to be a very successful mean of treatment. But unfortunately in several years later the patent was received by other authors and other scientists. The patent office missed Dr. Skurkovich’s publication. That is a common occurrence in USA and other countries when companies use Dr. Skurkovich’ ideas.

According to Dr. Skurkovich’s strong opinion, special attention has to be paid now to the treatment of multiple sclerosis, epidermolysis bullosa (DEB), and type I diabetes (autoimmune disease, like chronic disease which brings a lot of suffering but could be treated at this time). We observed good clinical effect in all three of these diseases using antibodies to interferon-gamma. Regarding multiple sclerosis, results have been published and a patent has been obtained. There is also a publication from Mayo clinic supporting a role of gamma-interferon in multiple sclerosis development. As far as epidermolysis bullosa and type I diabetes are concerned, we obtained good clinical results treating these conditions with antibodies to gamma-interferon. Patients suffer from these diseases, they need help but many people are indifferent. It is a primary responsibility of the rich people in the world to help people with multiple sclerosis, type I diabetes, and epidermolysis bullosa. Their suffering is unbelievable, even though the treatment for them is ready. Dr. Skurkovich is personally ashamed of the people who are satisfied only when their pockets are full but who pay no attention to other people’s suffering, especially children. Dr. Skurkovich thinks that unfortunately not all companies in USA and other countries are completely honest. Money for them is much more important than human health. He wants to remind to all companies whos representatives will read that biography that he was the first who created the anticytokinotherapy. He was the first who proposed to treat autoimmune diseases with antibodies (blockers) to alfa-interferon, gamma –interferon and some other cytokines. Some international companies earned a lot of money using that discovery. Some patents Dr. Skurkovich received in USA – the treatment of multiple sclerosis, diabetes type-1, psoriasis, stopping of rejection of organs after transplantation. But those patents were taken away from Dr. Skurkovich “in legal way” and they are not realized now. From his point of view it was done because of some personal interests and with the aim to become extremely rich. Dr. Skurkovich regrets that the US patents dedicated to the treatment of diabetes type 1, stopping of rejection of organs after transplantation, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis and some other diseases can not be realized as now all patents are in the hands of Mr. Richard Kiphart who has no intention to use them. Dr. Skurkovich feels guilty owed to millions of people who could have been treated. Dr. Skurkovich thinks that Mr. Kiphart is in fault as well because he did not fulfill his promises. There is a large body of literature describing complications from anti-cytokine therapy (mostly anti-TNF-alpha). For example, use of anti-TNF-alpha sometimes leads to development of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), infections, reactivation of latent tuberculosis, malignancies, such as lymphoma, worsening of congestive heart failure, and development of inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. Most of these conditions were not observed until after the drugs were used for several years in a broad patient population. Additional adverse effects of these therapies continue to appear in the literature, such as anti-TNF-alpha triggering alopecia areata. In connection with significant side effects, Serono has stopped using a TNF-alpha blocker for the treatment of psoriasis (Discontinuation of onercept in moderate-to-severe psoriasis and canvaxin (reg) in stage IV melanoma. Medical News Today. 09 Apr. 2005). Although we were the first to propose to use antibodies to TNF alpha to treat different autoimmune diseases, we think that antibodies to TNF-alpha have to be used very carefully. We think that at the same time we have to use gamma-interferon blockers widely because they are safer and have better therapeutic efficacy than TNF blockers. Unfortunately, companies producing TNF-alpha blockers continue to promote them widely due to high profits, and not paying appropriate attention to patients’ health. Currently, a number of companies in the United States and Europe (Switzerland) are exploring the use of antibodies to IFN-gamma for the treatment of Th1 autoimmune diseases instead of anti-TNF-alpha. It is necessary to broaden the use of special blockers of interferon-gamma in clinical practice. In different autoimmune conditions interferon-gamma and other Th1 cytokines have been found at the site of pathological manifestations of the disease. These findings can open a perspective of using antibodies to interferon-gamma and sometimes antibodies to TNF-alpha topically. It is important to remember that interferon-gamma is the most important immune regulator in the organism and even minor changes in its synthesis can lead to major pathological derangements. Cytokine system in the organism forms a cytokine cascade and neutralization of any member of this cascade can have some therapeutic effect but much less pronounced than neutralization of gamma-interferon. Currently, only mono-anti-cytokine therapy is in wide use in the world. But in a number of diseases use of several anticytokines should give a better therapeutic effect (for example, in the treatment of type I diabetes). Anti-cytokine therapy can be used in AIDS as well. In AIDS as in SLE large quantities of alpha-interferon circulate in blood. Dr. Skurkovich was the first to find interferon-alpha in the blood of patients with SLE (Ann Allergy 35: 356, 1975). Those findings stimulated a search and subsequent discovery of interferon-alpha in the blood of patients with AIDS (De Stephano, J.Infect. Dis. 146,451-459, 1982). SLE and AIDS have many common features. HIV is a special virus that, in contrast to other viruses, stimulates interferon that does not defend cells from foreign genetic information. In 1987 Drs. S. Skurkovich, B. Skurkovich and J. Bellanti (Journal of Imuunology and Immunopathology, 3 (43), 362-373, 1987) hypothesized that there were at least two different types of viruses that stimulate at least two types of interferon production. Type I that induce normal interferon which plays a protective role, and type II which induce IFN which itself may have a deleterious effect on cells. In this latter case the IFN acts mostly as a pathological agent which, together with the viruses and other agents which induce this IFN, exerts a pathological effect on the organism. It is possible that slow viruses, e.g., scrapie virus, oncogenic viruses, HIV, chronic virus infections, rubella virus, cytomegalovirus, certain other viruses and bacteria, Mycobacterium leprae, some viruses or agents which participate in psychiatric and neurological disorders, avian flu virus and herpes virus type 2 and some chemical agents, belong to this latter class. Thus, anti-IFN(s) therapy may be considered to be a delicate instrument in the treatment of a wide range of diseases, and paradoxically, it may even be possible to treat certain virus infections and other conditions not with IFN but through the binding or removal of IFN by antibody or with special filters and/or with drugs which can destroy IFNs. Circulation of two cytokines (alpha-interferon and TNF-alpha) leads to damage in AIDS patients. Long time ago we proposed to remove TNF-alpha from organism of AIDS patients and patients with other autoimmune diseases (J. IFN.Res. 9 (suppl 2), S 305, 1989). At Georgetown University, Washington, DC, Professor Joseph Bellanti, MD removed interferon-alpha from blood of AIDS patients. The results were absolutely positive. In our additional work with the extracorporeal removal of IFN-alpha in AIDS patients, a lowering of viral burden was seen in 3 of 4 patients after the reduction of IFN-alpha. At the same time, the level of TNF-alpha also dropped (Interferon Cytokine Res., 16, 127, 1996). After Dr. Skurkovich’s work with anti-IFN-alpha, a vaccine against IFN-alpha was developed. It has demonstrated good effects in HIV infection in placebo-controlled, double-blind studies (Gringeri A., Mussico M, Hermans P, et al. J. Acquir. Immune Defic. Syndr. Hum. Retrovirol, 20 (4), 358, 1999. Dr. Bellanti also administered TNF-alpha blocker to AIDS patients that has lead to a dramatic decrease in HIV viral load (J.Bellanti, personal communication). This work was especially justified because alpha-interferon levels are connected closely to the level of TNF-alpha (Lau AS, Der SD, Read SE, and Williams BR, AIDS Res.Hum.Retroviruses, 7 (6), 545, 1991). There is research showing that gamma-interferon plays negative role in AIDS and we proposed to remove alpha-interferon, TNF-alpha, and gamma-interferon from organism of patients (U.S. Patent 6,863,890, 2005). In summary, anti-cytokine therapy was pioneered by Dr. Skurkovich and it is a new step in medicine which decreases morbidity and mortality from autoimmune diseases. This line must be continued in different specialties, especially in neurology, psychiatry, oncology and other fields.

Active immunization in autoimmune diseases. In several articles and patents (including U.S. patent 6,846,486, 2005) Drs. S. Skurkovich and B. Skurkovich proposed to prevent autoimmune diseases and allergy by active vaccination with different cytokines.

Allergies 1. In 1982 Dr. Skurkovich obtained a U.S. patent (no .4,362,155 (column 3), filed March 24, 1981, issued December 7, 1982) to treat allergies. 2. Drs S. Skurkovich, B. Skurkovich and J. Bellanti found that interferon (mostly alpha and gamma) increases IgE binding to basophils (Annals of Allergy, 50, 305 – 8, 1983). 3. Drs S. Skurkovich and B. Skurkovich obtained a U.S. patent (# 6,846,486, 2005) to treat allergy in 2005.

Hyperimmune Plasma and Immunoglobulin from Human Blood. This work saved hundreds of thousands of lives in the USSR, Russia, former Soviet republics and Eastern Europe and brought us a lot of happiness, satisfaction and awards. We obtained three preparations for the treatment of septic shock with superior therapeutic efficacy that do not cause allergic reactions.

1. Antistaphyloccocal hyperimmune plasma and hyperimmune globulin.
2. Anti-pseudomonas hyperimmune plasma.
3. Anti-E. coli plasma against different types of E. coli.

Two preparations (antistaphyloccocal and anti-pseudomonas) have been commercialized in Russia. Three patents were obtained. According to our information, antistaphyloccocal preparations are still produced in Russia, former Soviet republics and in Eastern Europe. Anti-pseudomonas preparation is produced in the Sklifosofsky Institute of Emergency Medicine in Moscow. These preparations can be purchased on-line in Russia. Several American companies (in Maryland and in Florida) tried to produce preparation against toxic shock (mostly against staphylococcus infection) without success. Some materials on immune preparations against antibiotic resistant bacteria were published (Problems inHematology and Blood Transfusion, 1969, 1974. Soviet Medicine, 1978; XIV Congress of the International Society of Blood Transfusion, 1975 (book); Microbes and Infection 2:1383, 2000, Paris; (Highly Effective Anti-staphyilococcal, anti-pseudomonas, anti-E.coli (Serotypes 01, 02, 015, 020, 0111) Hyperimmune Preparations to Treat Antibiotic-Resistant Bacterial Infections. 2004 Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance, July 27, 2004, Bethesda, MD, USA), and other publications.

Music. Dr. Skurkovich is also a musician – pianist and compositor. He said: “Without music I cannot exist”. He loves music as much as science and he says that they are one intellect. Some composers who are now classics (for example, Sergei Prokofiev whom he met in his youth and who proposed to be his teacher) gave him a high evaluation for his musical talent. Dr. Skurkovich wrote a concert for piano and orchestra which was performed in Moscow with unbelievable success. He started in Russia and, after coming to the US, he continued the Seven Part Symphonic Poem. The 4th part, named “Requiem” is dedicated to the Holocaust. Together with a very talented poet Yuri Solodkin (who transcribed The Bible into poetry) they created a masterpiece where Dr. Skurkovich used his music from “Requiem” and Yuri Solodkin wrote the words. This symphonic poem for voice soloists, chorus, and symphony orchestra was performed in December of 2016 in Providence, RI under the title “Holocaust.”

New Developments.

In March of 2009 Dr. Skurkovich and co-authors received a new patent US Patent # 7,504,106 B2 for: Replacement of kidney dialysis with administration of antibodies to patients. Everybody knows that kidney-dialysis machine can cause big trouble for patients who need it. Besides the complicated procedure this method may lead to complications: atherosclerosis and others. Patients do not live a long time and they suffer very much. Dr. Skurkovich proposed instead of using a dialysis-machine to use antibodies or other blockers (by injection) which can remove from patient’s body several waste products of metabolism. Besides the products which could be removed by kidney-dialysis machine his method could remove additional hyperproduced substances (for example, cytokines which bring arteriosclerosis). We must remember that the US Government spends about $26 billion every year for patients using renal dialysis. None of these three proposals have been assigned to any company and they belong to Dr. Skurkovich and his group. He needs a good promoter who would raise enough money to bring these proposals to commercialization to benefit the entire world. In his opinion this could create a new direction in science and be very profitable.

Also Dr. Skurkovich and co-authors submitted new patent applications to the US Patent Office:

1.Vaccine to prevent cancers. As we have mentioned before, in his laboratory in Russia Dr. Skurkovich developed a new type of vaccine which, when used in children with acute leukemia in remission, lead to survival of more than 42% of patients. In his application to the Patent Office he describes the method of vaccination of patients with solid cancers (breast, prostate, lung and others). Dr. Skurkovich describes the time when it is safe to immunize patients and also proposes some substances to purify the vaccine in order to improve its clinical effect.

2. Fire fighting, mostly in the forests, and prevention of natural disasters. A non-biological patent. According to Dr. Skurkovich’s opinion modern methods of fighting fires (using water and some chemicals) are much too old and not highly effective. In his patent application to the Patent Office he proposed to use a “cartridge” which can be very useful in stopping fires (mostly in forests), in preventing natural disasters, clearing land of snow, rocks or debris, altering atmospheric conditions, displacing flood water or mud slides, controlling oil spills and in many other situations. By using this proposal the world could save billions of dollars.

Awards.

1. The work on immune preparations brought Dr. Skurkovich Gold and Silver Medals. This work was also awarded a State Prize in Russia. There were a lot of publications (newspapers- “Pravda”, “Izvestia” and others) and books, and TV reports as well as a special movie about his work. What is very important is that his work on hyperimmune preparations saved a lot of lives in Russia and Eastern Europe.
2. Many scientists highly value Dr. Skurkovich’s enormous contributions to the explanation of pathogenesis and therapy of autoimmune diseases that is being used in many countries of the world. Dr. Skurkovich’s work on autoimmune diseases got awards at several international congresses. A lot of scientists highly regard his intellect. Some high -level scientists and universities, e.g., some scientists at Georgetown University, highly estimate Dr. Skurkovich’s intellect. Several journals in the US (New York, Washington DC, Baltimore) published articles about his work. A newspaper in New York wrote about Dr. Skurkovich an article entitled “A Genius Among Us”. His biography has been chosen to be included in the Great Minds of the 21st Century, published by American Biographical Institute. Of course, Dr. Skurkovich accepted this with skepticism and said that all this is a hyperbolization. In 2015 he was awarded one of Russia’s highest awards – Order of Friendship – for his scientific achievements.