Achievements and prospects in biotechnology

     Department of Plant Protection, Biotechnology and Ecology of NULES held V All Ukrainian Research and Practice Conference of Students, Postgraduates and Young Scientists “Biotechnology: achievements and prospects”.
     The initiator of the conference was the Chair of Ecobiotechnology and Biodiversity, and its co-organizers were National Technical University of Ukraine “Kyiv Polytechnic Institute” and the Odessa I.I. Mechnikov National University.

     Conference participants were greeted by Rector Stanislav Nikolaenko who stressed that the rapid development of biotechnology is stipulated above all by the needs of humanity. Currently, biotechnology has rapidly come to the forefront of scientific and technological progress and its development as a science in Ukraine keeps pace with the times. And first the research in genetic engineering, which is the theoretical foundation of biotechnology, began to take hold in the early 1970’s in Kyiv, including M.H. Kholodny Institute of Botany, Institute of Cell Biology, Institute of Biochemistry of NAS of Ukraine and other scientific institutions. Stanislav Mykolayovych also noted that today the world’s bio-industry annual turnover is over 160 billion dollars. The largest biotechnology market in the world is USA, where half of the world's biotechnology products are created. The second largest market is Asia-Pacific region, with most dynamic development of this area takes place in Australia, China, India and Japan. Europe closes the top three. Ukraine's share in the global amount of biotechnology products is now negligible (in 2010, it was less than 0,2%) and does not meet the intellectual, scientific, technological and resource potential of our country. Recently, NULES has become Ukraine's first to be part of international universities’ network cooperation agreement and became a co-founder of PhD programs in genetics and plant biotechnology.

     Pro-Rector for Academic and Educational Work, academician Serhiy Kvasha made a report “Sustainable rural development: problems of misbalance of economic interests”. The main focus of the conference participants were centered around the blocks of economic and environmental principles of sustainable and ecologically balanced development of the agricultural sector, restoring a full ecologically and socially attractive living environment of the rural population in conditions of Ukrainian integration into the European domain.

     The conference was attended by representatives of various scientific organizations and higher educational institutions of Ukraine – leading scholars, teachers and students. Plenary speakers were also Associate Professor of the Chair of Industrial Biotechnology of NTUU KPI, Doctor of Biological Sciences Oleksandr Halkin, who outlined the biotechnological aspects of improving immunosorbent diagnosis of infectious diseases, and research worker of Odessa I.I. Mechnikov National University, Cand. Sc. (Biology) Kateryna Krylova, who introduced scientific and practical issues concerning the application of bacteria in biotechnology for protection and stimulation of plant growth.

     Technology platforms of agricultural production as a tool of biotechnology development was introduced at the plenary session by Dean of the Department of Plant Protection, Biotechnology and Ecology, Professor Mykola Dolya and Head of the Chair of ecobiotechnology and biodiversity, Professor Mykola Patyka.

     Delegates had the opportunity to get acquainted and listen to information about the role and scientific and practical activities of Ukrainian Laboratory of Quality and Safety of Agricultural Products in the development of modern agricultural biotechnology presented by Professor Vladyslava Spyrydonova.

     Meaningful and relevant report about beneficial properties of dairy products and bacterial agent “Narine” for healthy nutrition was made by Dean of the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control of Agricultural Products of NULES Larysa Bal-Prylypko and Head of the Chair of Meat, Fish and Seafood Products Lyudmyla Derevyanko.

     Presentations were made by leading scholars, scientific and pedagogical workers of the university. Specifically, Associate Professor of Ecobiotechnology and Biodiversity Artur Lihanov reported on Aesculus hippocastanum resilience against horse-chestnut leaf miner moth, Senior Lecturer of the Chair of Physiology, Plant Biochemistry and Bioenergetics Andriy Babytskyi – about the impact of anatomical structure of one-year-old introduced bushes on their winter hardiness, assistant of the Chair of Molecular Biology, Microbiology and Biosafety Oleksandr Kolodyazhnyi on modern molecular and biological methods of analysis of metagenome of prokaryotic complex of soil for agricultural use.

Oleksandr Kolodyazhnyi