148 Academician Zabolotny St., 03143, Kyiv, Ukraine
Phone: (044) 526 7104; fax:
(044) 526 7104;
e-mail: iicb@iicb.kiev.ua
The Institute is a leading research centre in plant cell and molecular biology, biotechnology and genomics. Its core competences are: new technologies in cell and genetic engineering and safe use of genetically modified plants; biotechnology methods for plant biodiversity conservation; study of genome functioning in genetically modified plants; structure and functions of plant cytoskeleton; signal and regulator plant systems; structure of cell walls of higher fungi.
Scientific results of the international significance have been obtained in plant cell engineering, in particular, biparental inheritance of cytoplasmic genes after somatic hybridization. In molecular biotechnology, methods of plant genetic transformation are improved. Research into chloroplast genome transformation is carried out. Transgenic plants of agricultural species with commercially important traits have been created for further breeding. A new promising direction is the development of technologies for producing pharmacological proteins via their transient expression in plants (headed by NAS academician Yu. Yu. Gleba).
In cell biology, the structure and functions of cytoskeleton proteins are studied to develop biotechnologies for improving plant resistance to biotic and abiotic stress factors. For the first time a number of posttranslational tubulin modifications have been identified. Structural-biological approaches to constructing plant tubulin spatial models are developed. Bioinformatics methods to identify new proteins of plant microtubules and tirosinkinases are used. Vertical gene transfer from transgenic plants to their wild relatives is studied. Methods to detect genetically modified components in plant material and food products have been worked out (NAS corresponding member Ya. B. Blume).
In biophysics and radiobiology, molecular-biological fundamentals of the processes induced by chronic irradiation are studied. The role of molecular recognition in reparation processes and plant defense signal systems is investigated. Methods of phytomicrobial decontamination from radionuclides are elaborated (NAS academician D.M.Grogzinsky). Structural and functional organization of higher fungi cell wall is studied with a view to developing new sorption materials for medicine and industry. The plant germ plasma pool of the world flora has been made, which has been recognized as a National Asset. The Centre for shared use of scientific equipment to carry out complicated experiments in plant molecular biology, biotechnology and genomics has been set up. The Institute publishes «Cytology and genetics” journal.
Among the projects and technologies proposed for cooperative commercialization are: plant microclonal propagation, somatic hybridization and plant genetic transformation; production of recombinant proteins using plant systems; new marker systems for selection of transgenic plants; detection of genetically modified components in plant material and food products; phytoremediation of ecosystems from radionuclides; sorbents of heavy metals and radionuclides.