Kagansky was a biologist who had close ties with Edinburgh University (Source: Twitter)

Alexander “Sasha” Kagansky, a Russian scientist who was working on a COVID-19 vaccine, was found dead after reportedly falling from a 14th floor window of a high rise flat in St Petersberg, Russia. Kagansky’s body also had stab wounds on it.

The 45-year-old was in his underwear when he fell to his death. The police have stated that the scientist also suffered a stab wound, according to Russian newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets (MK).

The Russian police said they are investigating the scientist’s death as a suspected homicide and are questioning a 45-year-old man who they believe is a potential suspect, reports the newspaper.

Kagansky was a biologist who had close ties with Edinburgh University. He worked in the city of Edinburgh for 13 years until 2017.

Kagansky had also served as Director of the Centre for Genomic and Regenerative Medicine at Russia’s Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok. While there, he had continued research collaboration with Edinburgh University.

Kagansky had been working to develop a vaccine against the coronavirus and he died “under strange circumstances”, the MK report said. It added that the police believes Kagansky had been in a scuffle before falling down the window of the 14th floor apartment. The report did not provide any further details about which of the current COVID-19 vaccines Kagansky was working on.