Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Toxicology
About the Department
Department originates from the Department of Medical Chemistry, University of St. Volodymyr, established in 1867. Since 1999, in connection with the opening of the Pharmaceutical Faculty the Department was renamed to “Bioorganic, Biological and Pharmaceutical Chemistry” and since 2014, a new graduate Department “Pharmaceutical, Biological and Toxicological Chemistry” of the Pharmaceutical Faculty has been separated. In 2021, the Department was reformed and called “Medicinal Chemistry and Toxicology”.
In different years the Department was headed by its employees and eminent scientists such as A. Schaeffer, A. Sadoven, S. Kravchenko, S. Fomin, S. Vinokurov, D. Ferdman, R. Chagovets, E. Shamrai, Y. Hmelevsky.
Since 1997 to 2010 the Department was headed by Corresponding Member of NAMS of Ukraine, Honored Scientist of Ukraine, laureate of NAMS of Ukraine, MD, Professor Yurii I. Gubsky (1945-2019), a leading scientist in the field of medical biochemistry, biochemical pharmacology and toxicology of physiologically active compounds, the author of over 300 scientific publications, including monographs, textbooks, scientific reference books.
Priority development of Corresponding Member of NAMS of Ukraine Professor Y. Gubsky and scientific school headed by him was a series of works devoted to lipid-oxidative reactions in nuclear chromatin, free radical damage of DNA, the role of calcium in violation of metabolic processes under the conditions of antioxidant deficiency and the action of highly toxic xenobiotics.
Since 2010 the Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Toxicology is headed by MD, Professor, Honorary Scientist and Technician of Ukraine Iryna Nizhenkovska. She has 42 years of experience in scientific and pedagogical work.
Research works by I. Nizhenkovska are dedicated to biochemical and membrane mechanisms of damage to the internal organs in various pathological conditions and their correction by physiologically active compounds; problems of detection of bioenergy, functional and ultrastructural changes in the myocardium under conditions of heart failure of functional and toxic genesis, as well as pharmacological correction of biochemical and membrane damage to myocardiocytes in various types of heart failure and toxic damage; synthesis and pharmacological assessment of biological activity of new compounds; biochemical and pathobiochemical molecular mechanisms of biomembrane damage and therapeutic and preventive use of bioantioxidants; development of educational and methodological support, reform of higher pharmaceutical education, implementation of modern educational technologies taking into account the specifics of teaching of Organic, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Toxicological Chemistry for students of the Pharmaceutical Faculty.
