The Department of Cryobiochemistry was established in 1972. Its first head of the Department was a corresponding member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Prof. Apollon M. BILOUS (1929-1999), who became the founder of a scientific school and direction – biochemistry of cell membrane structures at low temperatures. In his numerous works (he co-authored more than 300 publications, 15 monographs and 18 inventions), Prof. A. Bilous presented his vision of the mechanisms of cryodamage and cryoprotection of biological structures at different levels of their organization (macromolecules, biomembranes, organelles, cells, tissues and organs). Under his leadership, the Department staff developed a structural hypothesis of cold damage to cells, which postulates the crucial role of biological membranes as primary targets of low-temperature factors. Under his leadership 8 doctoral and 31 candidate theses were defended. His students successfully headed and are heading the departments of the institute and those in universities of our city. For his scientific achievements, A. Bilous was awarded the medal “For Valiant Labor”, the Certificate of Honor of the Presidium of the Ukrainian SSR and the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR, and received the State Prize for Science and Technology of Ukraine. From 1972 to 1990, the Department of Cryobiochemistry comprised the Laboratory of Cryoenzymology, which was headed by Prof. Volodymyr Io. Lugovyi (1938-2006). The laboratory staff performed original studies to determine the role of cryodamage factors that arise in the freeze-thaw cycle in disrupting the activity and molecular structure of enzymes. In the 1990s, two new divisions were formed on the basis of the Department, these are as follows: the Department of Cryobiochemistry of Cold Adaptations and the Department of Cell Cryophysiology.
Institute
for Problems of Cryobiology and Cryomedicine of the NAS of Ukraine
