Lviv scientists won grants for the development of a vaccine against coronavirus and a new generation antibiotic
29 years have not received grants of this level in Ukraine.
The head of the Lviv Regional State Administration said that Lviv scientists will develop a vaccine against COVID-19 and create a new generation antibiotic. Maxim Kozitsky wrote about this on Facebook.
– Lviv scientists won a grant to develop a vaccine against coronavirus. And also – to create a new generation antibiotic! I spoke only with the director of the Institute of Cell Biology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Professor Andriy Sibirny and his deputy, Doctor of Biological Sciences Konstantin Dmitruk. Scientists submitted their projects to the competition of the National Research Foundation of Ukraine. And yesterday we learned about the victory, – said Kozitsky.
Dmytruk was promised to allocate UAH 5.1 million for the development of a new antibiotic, and Sibirny – UAH 10 million for the development of a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. Dmitruk wants to defeat antibiotic-resistant microorganisms, and Sibirny wants to get yeast producers of viral proteins, and then test them on animals.
– Ukrainian legislation prohibits the import of transgenic animals from abroad, and only such animals can be tested. Perhaps scientists will carry out this part of the work in cooperation with European colleagues, – said Kozitsky.
The Lviv Regional State Administration website quoted what scientists said about their tasks.
– In the context of the fight against coronavirus, an important issue is also the use of antibiotics, because it is known that if Covid-19 is suspected, several types of antibiotics are prescribed to prevent the development of concomitant bacterial infections, Dmitruk said. – Despite the success in the use of antibiotics, with their long-term use bacteria find defense mechanisms, acquiring resistance. There is a constant “arms race” between bacteria and antimicrobial drugs, in which people need to be one step ahead.
According to Dmitruk, the search for new antibiotics is one of the main tasks of molecular genetics, biotechnology and medicine.
– In developed countries, the creation of a new antibiotic costs more than a billion dollars, and the recoupment of such drugs is several decades. It is not profitable for pharmaceutical companies to undertake this, the support of the state is important here, the scientist emphasized.
Sibirny explained that his work is related to the reaction of the coronavirus to antibodies – immune cells that fight infection.
– There is the so-called phenomenon of antibody-dependent intensification of infection, which consists in intensifying the infectious process in the presence of antibodies specific to the SARS-CoV-2 corona protein. We took this experience into account in our work and intend to use different parts of the “crown” protein to obtain antibodies in order to avoid this phenomenon. We will build up fragments of viral proteins using yeast, because it is faster and cheaper than using animal cells”, – Sibirny said.
The head of the region stressed that for the first time in 29 years, scientists in Ukraine won world-class grants.
– Thanks to the staff of the Institute, all the scientists of the Lviv region for their powerful scientific developments. For the fact that you work and live in Ukraine, despite the tempting prospects abroad, – thanked Kozitsky.
Source: kp.ua
