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The founders of the Institute of Physiological Active Compounds have succeeded in combining science and business. The concept for the new institute was developed in 1981. At that time, chemist Grigory Andriyevsky and physicist Oleg Sizonenko worked at the Institute for Low Temperature Physics and Engineering.
The realisation of this idea started after the breakup of the Soviet Union. At that time, Oleg Sizonenko left the field of science and went into business. He took part in the formation of the corporation “Group-Taifun” and in establishing several enterprises that are affiliated with the corporation. He also served as the director of the managing organisation of the corporation “Group-Taifun”.
In 1994, Grigory Andriyevsky developed the method to obtain water solutions of unmodified fullerene molecules. It was of scientific interest in a new allotropic form of carbon and the moral certainty in the practical significance of work on this approach that became the turning point, thanks to which Sizonenko and Andriyevsky managed to unite a team of people who held the same views.
The scientific achievements of Ukrainian scientists were noted by the discoverers of fullerene. In a letter dated April, 29, 1999, Nobel prize winner Sir H.W. Kroto, who discovered fullerenes in 1985, expressed his opinion as to the importance of research on water solutions of fullerenes as follows: “...Thank you very much for sending me your very interesting paper on the water solubility of fullerenes. It looks like a very important advance, in particular for pharmaceutical applications. I do hope that it turns out to be a major step forward …”. The President of the Japanese Nanocarbon Research Institute, Professor E. Osawa, gave a report at the International Forum on Nanotechnologies (October, 7, 2003), in which he noted the unique character of developments on fullerene water solutions, which were, in his opinion, a breakthrough in the field of fullerene science.
The research was carried out in cooperation with numerous scientific centres. In particular, in 2002, at the initiative of American scientists from New-York University (Professors S. Wilson and G. Brenner), a project was launched on joint research on the water-soluble forms of fullerenes. Unique results were also achieved in cooperation with physicists, chemists and biologists from Moscow State University and the Pushchino Scientific Centre, along with medical personnel from the Russian Oncological Scientific Centre of the Russian Academy of Medicinal Sciences (RAMS).
Currently, the Institute of Physiological Active Compounds is a scientific production complex that includes research subdivisions, an innovative centre, and a factory producing various products on the basis of hydrated fullerene.
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