Institute of Cell Biology National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
Department of Analytical Biotechnology
Head of the Department – Mykhailo Gonchar, PhD, DrSc, Prof.
The history of the department begins in 1969, when the Department of Regulation of Cellular Synthesis of Low-Molecular Compounds was established as part of the Lviv Department of the O.V. Palladin Institute of Biochemistry of the NAS of Ukraine under the leadership of Professor Georgy Mikhailovich Shavlovsky. In this department (and since 2002 – in the Department of Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology) studies of flavin biosynthesis were conducted, in particular, enzymology, genetic control and metabolic regulation of the synthesis and biotechnology of these compounds in yeast. This direction was initiated in the 50s of the last century and was carried out until his death (1996) by Honored Scientist of Ukraine, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor G.M. Shavlovsky.
Shavlovsky's school has trained 3 doctors and about twenty candidates of sciences. More than 500 scientific papers devoted to various aspects of riboflavin (RF) biosynthesis and transport have been published in domestic and international journals, and copyright certificates of the former USSR, patents of Ukraine, the European Union and the USA have been obtained.
The works of G.M. Shavlovsky and his school, the path of riboflavin biosynthesis was first established and the main enzymes of this path were characterized, the participation of iron in the regulation of flavinogenesis was revealed, the influence of various factors on the biosynthesis of RF, including individual genes, was studied (G.M. Shavlovsky, A.A. Sibirny, O.M. Logvinenko, D.V. Fedorovych, V.E. Kashchenko, L.V. Koltun, G.P. Ksheminska, L.P. Strugovshchikova, Y.R. Boretsky, V.M. Trach, M.M. Stenchuk, A.E. Zakalsky, L.Ya. Babyak, O.V. Protchenko, etc.).
In 1996, the department was headed by Candidate of Biological Sciences Fedorovych D.V. Since 2001, the department has been headed by Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor M.V. Gonchar The department received a new name (analytical biotechnology) in 2007.
The employees defended 8 candidate theses (Klepach G.M., Smutok O.V., Kutsyaba V.I., Parizhak S.Ya., Demkiv O.M., Nechay G.I., Stasyuk N.E., Prokopiv T.M.) and 2 doctoral theses (Smutok O.V. and Stasyuk N.E.).
The Department of Analytical Biotechnology is engaged in comprehensive research to create new bioanalytical approaches, biosensor devices and enzymatic kits for the analysis of practically important substances using enzymes and microbial cells. This direction seamlessly combines various branches of modern biology - genetic engineering (cloning of genes encoding enzymes for analytical purposes), microbiology, biochemistry and enzymology (isolation of microorganisms from cells and characterization of enzymes, including recombinant ones), bioelectrochemistry and biosensors (construction of laboratory prototypes of microbial and enzyme sensors), biotechnology and analytical chemistry (creation of bioanalytical kits). Scientists of the department have developed new enzymatic and biosensor methods for the analysis of metabolites as biomarkers of various diseases (glucose, L- and D-lactate, creatinine, dopamine, serotonin), components of food products and beverages as indicators of their quality (lactic acid, glycerol, arginine), some toxic compounds (formaldehyde, methylamine, phenols).
In recent years, the department has been actively developing innovative catalytically active nanomaterials that are mimetics of natural enzymes (peroxidase, catalase, selenite reductase, diaphorase) and can serve as elements of bio(chemo)sensors and bioanalytical kits. For the first time in world science, scientists of the department experimentally proved that artificially synthesized nanozymes can completely replace the natural enzyme in vivo – catalase. We called this phenomenon "inorganic complementation of mutation".
The department's research is aimed at creating new bio(nano)sensors based on recombinant cells, enzymes, nanozyme composites for the diagnosis of some hereditary (galactosemia) and oncological endocrine diseases that are associated with the overproduction of neurotransmitter metabolites, in particular, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid. A new research direction dedicated to the creation of biofuel cells (BOD) using recombinant microbial cells, enzymes on their nanozyme mimetics as catalytic elements of a bioanode or biocathode. Under the program of overcoming the consequences of Russian aggression in Ukraine, research is being conducted on cloning the genes of nitrate reductase and laccase, obtaining the corresponding recombinant enzymes, as well as creating mimetics of natural nitrate reductase, which can serve as catalytic recognition elements of sensors for determining the residual content of nitrogen-containing explosives in environmental media. The possibility of bioelectrochemical remediation of explosives using recombinant cells, enzymes on nanozymes is being studied. The results of such priority and innovative research will be published in high-ranking international scientific journals with quartiles Q1 and Q2.
The department cooperates with Lviv National University named after I. Franko, Lviv Polytechnic National University, Drohobych State Pedagogical University.