Our next NU Step to Ph.D. guest is Chingis Kharmyssov, an NU SEDS graduate, with a Ph.D. in Science, Engineering, and Technology. At the moment, Dr. Kharmyssov works as a postdoc researcher at the Advanced Physics lab working on protein biomechanics. Graduates
Tell us about your doctoral research?
I aimed to conduct a series of studies to understand the cause of glaucoma. As you know, glaucoma is an eye disease that is the second most common cause of blindness. It is crucial to investigate this illness because the number of those suffering from glaucoma exceeds 40 million people, and at the moment it cannot be cured. Therefore, we are developing a new mechanical strategy to protect fragile nerve cells, which, in good circumstances, will prevent blindness. We studied the mechanobiology and biomechanics of neurons and glial cells in the optic nerve head using engineering modeling. I have worked at the intersection of mechanics, modeling, computer engineering, and image processing to better understand the role of mechanics in glaucoma.
What is the applied value of your work?
My work consisted of three parts. First of all, we developed an algorithm that enables the automatic segmentation of the retinal layers from the medical image. This algorithm can be used in clinics to diagnose glaucoma. In the second part of the study, we developed a method for automatic model building using medical images of the retina. In the third part of my work, we used the method developed in the second part of the study for the creation of a model based on the data gained from twenty patients to study the effect of geometric factors on the appearance of glaucoma. These 3D models can be used to simulate the mechanical effect of intraocular pressure without sacrificing a real eye.
Please, tell us about your future plans.
In the future, I’m going to conduct research in the field of biomedical engineering, which is at the intersection of optics, artificial intelligence, and biophysics. We are currently working on a project to diagnose kidney disease using a laser and analyze the collected data using machine learning algorithms.
What would you advise future doctoral students?
I wish for future doctoral students to be persistent, committed, and never give up.
Nazarbayev University, 2022 graduate
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