A groundbreaking microscope at Harvard Medical School could lead to breakthroughs in cancer detection and research into longevity. But the scientist who developed computer scripts to read its images and unlock its full potential has been in an immigration detention center for two months \u2014 putting crucial scientific advancements at risk.<\/p>\n
The scientist, the 30-year-old Russian-born Kseniia Pertova, worked at Harvard\u2019s renowned Kirschner Lab until her arrest at a Boston airport in mid-February. She is now being held at ICE\u2019s Richwood Correctional Center in Monroe, Louisiana, and fighting possible deportation to Russia, where she said she fears persecution and jail time over her protests against the war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Petrova\u2019s case and the detention of academics across the country has damaged the ability of universities in the United States to recruit and retain leading talent, experts and Petrova\u2019s colleagues said. In fields where expertise is often highly specialized, the loss of talent could have dire consequences globally for the future of medicine and scientific discovery. Scientists and faculty members are planning to leave institutions across the country, legal experts said, because they\u2019re worried that their visas could be revoked or that they could be swept up in immigration actions.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would call it a grinding machine,\u201d Petrova, who spoke with NBC News from the Louisiana facility, said about being detained. \u201cWe are in this machine, and it doesn\u2019t care if you have a visa, a green card, or any particular story. … It just keeps going.\u201d
\nPetrova\u2019s first immigration court hearing in Louisiana is scheduled for Tuesday morning. Her lawyer, Gregory Romanovsky, said that they expect to have more information on her asylum case after the hearing.<\/p>\n
Dr. Leon Peshkin, a principal research scientist at Harvard\u2019s Department of Systems Biology and Petrova\u2019s manager and mentor, received a call from Customs and Border Protection on Feb. 16 after agents detained Petrova at Logan International Airport in Boston for failing to declare samples of frog embryos to be used in scientific research.
\nKseniia Petrova. (Courtesy Petrova’s attorney)
\nRomanovsky said that CBP typically imposes two penalties for such customs violations: the forfeiture of the items and a fine, usually around $500, and that \u201cfor a first-time violation, the fine is typically reduced to $50.\u201d Instead, officials canceled Petrova\u2019s J-1 scholar visa.<\/p>\n
A DHS spokesperson told NBC News on Monday that Petrova had been \u201clawfully detained after lying to federal officers about carrying substances into the country.\u201d
\n\u201cThey asked if I have any biological samples in my luggage. I said yes,\u201d Petrova said before describing her confusion over procedures and an interrogation by Customs and Border Patrol officers.<\/p>\n
Peshkin said international researchers have become increasingly worried in response to the Trump administration\u2019s aggressive approach to illegal immigration. When asked whether he\u2019s concerned that these policies might discourage other international scientists from coming to Harvard, he said: \u201cI\u2019m not concerned that it may. I am horrified that it does.\u201d
\nA recent survey by the scientific journal Nature revealed that 75% of the 1,600 scientists surveyed were considering relocating to Europe or Canada, citing actions taken by President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n
Peshkin immediately saw this quality in Petrova\u2019s devotion to her work and her willingness to go beyond computational science, which was what she was recruited to do. He explained that their lab\u2019s research \u201crequires a unique set of skills because you have to both be able to work as an embryologist and do applied math, modeling, data analysis and bioinformatics \u2014 all in one package.\u201d
\nOthers echoed that sentiment. Dr. William Trim, a postdoctoral fellow who is a co-worker and housemate of Petrova, underscored her irreplaceable role in their research project using the one-of-a-kind microscope. Petrova developed the computer scripts to analyze the 100,000 images contained in the microscope.<\/p>\n
The detention of Kseniia Pertova highlights the risks faced by international scientists in the United States due to stringent immigration policies. The loss of talent could have significant consequences for the future of medicine and scientific discovery. It is crucial for the scientific community to come together to support Petrova and other international scientists who are facing similar challenges.<\/p>\n
Introduction to the Crisis A groundbreaking microscope at Harvard Medical School could lead to breakthroughs in cancer detection and research into longevity. But the scientist who developed computer scripts to read its images and unlock its full potential has been in an immigration detention center for two months \u2014 putting crucial scientific advancements at risk. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19143,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-19142","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/media.nbcchicago.com\/2025\/04\/Kseniia-Petrova.png?resize=1200%2C675&quality=85&strip=all&w=1200&resize=1200,675&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19142"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19142"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19142\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19144,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19142\/revisions\/19144"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}