The recent advances in biological sciences and biotechnology have resulted in new knowledge and capabilities that  challenge existing understandings of biological threats and biological weapons (BW). The purpose of the article is to  evaluate scientific and engineering decisions that pose potential challenges to the biological weapons non-proliferation  regime and can reduce barriers to their development, production and use. Materials and methods. The scientific articles  available through the PubMed, Google Scholar and Russian Electronic Library databases were used in the research.  The method of analysis is the description. The results of the research. The success of biotechnology provides impetus for  experimentation with biological weapons, particularly by non-state actors such as terrorist organizations and extremist  groups. Transformative changes are occurring in areas not directly related to microbiology. However, the potential for  their malicious use is no less of a concern than the development, production and stockpiling of biological weapons.  The transformation of the concept of «biological threat» is traced. It becomes more complex and includes elements  from other fields outside of biotechnology and the traditional understanding of biological weapons. In addition to  biotechnology and synthetic biology, such technologies that are directly related to the BTWC issue, may include:  additive manufacturing based on 3D printing technologies; big data analysis and artificial intelligence technologies;  nanotechnology and materials science, as well as biological research automation and robotics. Conclusion. Many dual-use technologies have received close attention from the scientific community and international experts, but this does  not always contribute to an accurate and balanced understanding of their potential in the context of BTWC issues. The  convergence of new and emerging disciplines is creating new areas of scientific knowledge that address the problem of  non-proliferation of biological weapons, which requires the expert community to make a balanced assessment from  the point of view of both dual use and the risk of excessive prohibition and negative impact on further scientific and  technological progress.

The relevance of this research is determined by the scientific contradiction between the need to increase the efficiency  of degassing powder formulations when processing textile materials contaminated with drops of toxic chemicals, and  the lack of such an opportunity, since the application of modern theories of degassing is difficult here due to the lack of  knowledge about the diffusion stage that determines the transition of liquid from tissue into powder. The purpose of this  article is to study the process of removing a liquid organic substance from a textile material by powder, on which it is  applied discretely in the form of small drops, and the laws according to which this process flows. Materials and methods. To substantiate the experiments, publications available through the databases Scopus, eLIBRARY, SRussian National  Public Library for Science and Technology, Federal Institute of Industrial Property, Google Scholar, etc. were studied.  When carrying out the experiments, the relevant methods of microphotography, mass measurement, separation of  powder into different fractions, measurement of the diameter of powder particles and fabric fibers, and statistical  processing of experimental data were used. The discussion of the results. A technique has been developed that makes  it possible to experimentally study the process of removing liquid organic matter from textile material by powder. As  a result of the research, the process of removing a liquid organic substance from a textile material by powder, onto  which it is applied discretely in the form of small drops, was studied for the first time. Based on theoretical studies and  experimental data, several laws (regularities) for the removal of the liquid phase of organic matter from textile material  and the requirements for rate constants for the removal of the liquid phase of organic matter from textile material using  powder formulations were substantiated for the first time to ensure the required completeness of the decontamination  of combat equipment of military personnel contaminated with toxic chemicals. The conclusion. 1) the proportion of  the removed liquid phase of organic matter from a textile material is directly proportional to the rate constant for the  removal of the liquid phase of organic matter by powder, which takes into account only the processing time of the  powder formulation, and the square root of the processing time of the powder formulation («capillary law of removal of  liquid organic matter from textile material by powder»); 2) when changing the exposure to contamination and the time  of powder treatment, it is formulated as follows: «The proportion of the removed liquid phase of organic matter from a  textile material is directly proportional to the rate constant for the removal of the liquid phase of organic matter by the  powder, taking into account the time of treatment with the powder formulation and the exposure to contamination,  and the square root of the time of treatment with the powder formulation, and is also inversely proportional to the  square root of the time of contamination.»

The analysis of existing information about invasion of COVID-19 in Russia shows that that one of leading reason of  existing of new rises of covid-19 morbidity is distribution of new genovariants of SARS-CoV-2 virus. The omicron  genovariant of SARS-CoV-2 virus was a dominant agent of fifth and subsequent rises of COVID-19 morbidity in  Russia. The aim of this work – the estimation of sublines of omicron genovariant of SARS-CoV-2 virus as potential  dominant agents of new rises of COVID-19 morbidity in Russia. The source base of the study. Data published in  Russian and English-language scientific publications available via the Internet (RSCI, PubMed, Google Scholar). The  research method is analytical. Results. The basic properties of omicron genovariant of SARS-CoV-2 virus, epidemical  characteristics of the rises of COVID-19 morbidity in Russia, caused by new sublines of omicron variant, estimation  ofsublines of omicron genovariant as potential dominant agent of new rises of COVID-19 morbidity in Russia are  viewed. It is shown that basic direction of SARS-CoV-2 virus evolution is existing of sublines of omicron genovariant,  which are characterized by increased transmissivity but with less severity of the disease caused compared to previously  circulated variants of COVID-19agent. The main distinguishing feature of the new subvariants («Kraken», «Czerber»,  «Centaur», «Arktur», «Pirola») are multiple amino acid exchanges in structural glycoprotein S. The maximum level  of variability of this structural protein compared to the original variant of SARS-CoV-2 virus is marked for Pirola  subvariant. Onle Kraken subvariant was dominant agent of rise of COVID-19 morbidity in Russia. Conclusion. New  rises of COVID-19 morbidity in Russia will not be connected with existing of new subvariants of omicron genovariant,  but only with season factor.

The transmission of pathogens from animals to humans is the cause of the appearance of the majority of newly  emerging diseases. The purpose of this review is to assess the danger of zoonotic pathogens of dangerous and especially  dangerous viral infectious diseases as potential agents of pandemics. Materials and methods. The paper presents an  analysis of data published in domestic and English-language scientific publications, as well as posted on the Internet.  The research method is analytical. The discussion of the results. At least 70 % of all emerging diseases have a zoonotic  reservoir. The exponential growth of human activity in previously undeveloped territories determines the increasing  influence of zoonotic pathogens. The infection of people with zoonotic pathogens occurs in direct and indirect contact  with infected animals and surfaces contaminated with their secretions, transmissible transmission through arthropod  bites, food transport through the consumption of contaminated food and drinking water. Two different transmission  models have been established among zoonoses from wild animals to man. One of these models assumes, that human  infection is a random event with a low probability, in the future, the pathogen is transmitted from person to person.  In the second model, direct or vector-mediated pathogen transfer from animal to human is a link in the natural cycle  of the pathogen. The risk of transmission of the virus from the zoonotic reservoir to humans is the highest in animal  species adapted to human habitats. Conclusions. The highest level of danger as a source of zoonotic diseases represent  primates, ungulates, carnivores and especially bats, which are natural reservoirs for a number of dangerous and  especially dangerous viral diseases. Representatives of families Poxviridae, Ortomyxoviridae and Coronaviridae have  already been caused pandemics, which caused enormous damage to all spheres of human activity. These pathogens can  be considered as the most likely agents of future pandemics.

Effective counteraction to biological threats, both natural and man-made, requires the availability of means and methods  for rapid and reliable microorganism identification and a comprehensive study of their basic biological properties.  Over the past decade, the arsenal of domestic microbiologists has been supplemented by numerous methods for  analyzing the genomes of pathogens, primarily based on nucleic acid sequencing. The purpose of this work is to provide  the reader with information about capabilities of modern technical and methodological arsenal used for in-depth  molecular genetic study of microorganisms, including bioinformatics solutions used for the genetic data analysis. The  source base for this research is English-language scientific literature available via the Internet, bioinformation software  documentation. The research method is an analysis of scientific sources from the general to the specific. We considered  the features of sequencing platforms, the main stages of genetic information analysis, current bioinformation utilities,  their interaction and organization into a single workflow. Results and discussion. The performance of modern genetic  analyzers allows for complete decoding of the bacterial genome within one day, including the time required to prepare  the sample for research. The key factor that largely determines the effectiveness of the genetic analysis methods used is  the competent use of the necessary bioinformatics software utilities. Standard stages of primary genetic data analysis  are assessment of the quality control, data preprocessing, mapping to a reference genome or de novo genome assembly,  genome annotation, typing and identification of significant genetic determinants (resistance to antibacterial drugs,  pathogenicity factors, etc.), phylogenetic analysis. For each stage bioinformation utilities have been developed, differing  in implemented analysis algorithms. Conclusion. Open source utilities that do not require access to remote resources  for their operation are of greatest interest due to activities specifics of NBC protection corps units.

Catastrophic pandemic of the particularly dangerous coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in 2020–2022 and the unexpected  spread of the monkeypox pathogen from Africa in 2022, demonstrate the need for an adequate response to biological  threats that have exotic infections as their source, overcome the interspecies barrier between animals and humans  and have high rates of virulence and contagiousness in relation to the latter. The purpose of the article is to create  a technology for constructing means for the express indication of new especially dangerous and exotic infections,  which makes it possible to quickly develop a gene diagnostic tool, evaluate its characteristics and launch large-scale  production. Materials and methods. The authors used technologies for constructing means for express indication  of new especially dangerous and exotic infections based on real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR-RT-Flu/ Coronavirus) methods, suitable for multiplex identification of coronavirus RNA. The discussion of the results. The  developed technology for constructing means for express indication of new especially dangerous and exotic infections  was successfully tested at the laboratory base of the FSBЕ «48 Central Research Institute» of the Ministry of Defense  of the Russian Federation using the example of designing a «Set of reagents for detecting the RNA of coronaviruses  SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2 and virus influenza A by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR-RT-Flu/Coronavirus)», suitable for multiplex identification of coronavirus RNA. Conclusion. As a result of the research  carried out to evaluate the equipment available at the laboratory base of the FSBЕ «48 Central Research Institute» of  the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the adaptation and implementation of key production processes,  the development and production of express-indication reagents, as well as testing the technology for constructing  express-indication means for new especially dangerous and exotic infections, using the example of designing a set of  RT-PCR-RV-Flu/Coronavirus reagents, a gene diagnostic platform was created for the development of reagents for the  express indication of new especially dangerous and exotic infections.