The Department of Medical Chemistry and Biology was established in 2015 on the basis of chemical, biological and technological disciplines for the students of specialties "Pharmacy", "Technology of perfumery and cosmetics" and "Stomatology". The department includes lecturers of chemistry, biology and technological disciplines of the Department of General and Clinical Pharmacology of Odesa Medical Institute. The head of the department is Ph. D. of chemical sciences, associate professor V.A. Bakherikov.
The creation of the department has given a new impulse to the development of educational, teaching, organizational and methodological work and research activities in the field of chemistry, biology and sciences includes pharmacy and cosmetology of technological disciplines.
Associate professors and lecturers teach such chemical disciplines as general and inorganic chemistry, analytical chemistry, organic chemistry, biological chemistry, physical and colloidal chemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry, toxicological chemistry, biological disciplines such as medical biology, pharmaceutical botany, pharmacognosy, human anatomy, histology , cytology and embryology, physiology, pathological physiology, pathomorphology, biological physics, medical and biological physics, physical methods of analysis and metrology, purely pharmaceutical and cosmetology disciplines, such as technology of medicines, pharmacy technology of medicines, clinical pharmacy, industrial technology of medicines, technology of perfumery and cosmetic means of industrial production, trichology, dermatology, venereology, aromatics, cosmetology, clinical cosmetology, hardware cosmetology, epidemiology, manicure, pedicure, makeup and several other practical disciplines. The lecturers of the department regularly update the curricular programs , methodological guidelines and manuals for students’ individual work.
Teaching of basic disciplines is conducted in the department in three languages: in Ukrainian, Russian and English (for foreign citizens). The department staff constantly works in a science club for students , in which they extend chemical and biological knowledge and solve applied tasks.
In 2016 a small laboratory was arranged at the department, due to the Odesa Biostimulator's plant for physical and chemical equipment. A number of valuable tools for the educational process, including UV spectrophotometer, polarimeter, refractometer, colorimeter, technical scales, muffle furnace, drying cabinet, mixers, were received. The laboratory is also provided with a minimum of laboratory dishes needed for some simple analytical experiments. Some simple demonstration chemical experiments and some laboratory works on general and inorganic, physical and colloidal, organic, pharmaceutical and biological chemistry, biology and other disciplines are carried out in this laboratory. This work can introduce students to elementary skills of experimental work and equipment of the laboratory. The staff of the department in the future plans to intensity laboratory work and experimental work. They also continue to prepare the relevant guidelines.
For effective learning process and successful “digestion” of educational material , the professors of the department widely apply traditional and modern technical means of training, such as computer presentations, video films, computer testing, and others. For these aims, the department has several projectors and computer classes. Specialized rooms with a screen, a TV, textbooks, spreadsheets, posters are used. The collection of electronic directories, manuals, methodological guidelines , lecturer’s notes, assignments, video clips, presentations in such disciplines as inorganic chemistry, analytical chemistry, organic chemistry, biological chemistry, physical and colloidal chemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry, toxicological chemistry, biology and its subdivisions.
In the staff of the department there are four associate professors, Ph.D. V.A. Bacherykov, Ph.D. A.M. Venger, Ph.D. E. L. Markina, Ph.D. S. N. Sambursky, Professor, Doctor of vet science M. M. Brozhkov, lecturers S. M. Kisil, E. A. Marants.
Department educational subjects are taught by leading faculty lecturers and specialists of International humanitarian university and other higher educational institutions of Odesa. Among them there are two professors (doctors of medical sciences), seven associate professors (Ph.D. of chemical and medical sciences), three lecturers (without science degree) during 2016-2017 academic years.
The scientific interests of the department's researchers are concentrated on the field of general organic chemistry and organic synthesis, stereochemistry of organic compounds, medical chemistry, supramolecular chemistry, thermodynamics and kinetics of chemical processes and phase transformations, bioinformatics, molecular biology, evolutionary genetics, bioinformatic models in medicine and pharmacy, methodical aspects of teaching of chemical and biological disciplines. In 2015-17, about 30 scientific articles and reports, including prestigious and recognized foreign publications. The research results embodied in collections of International humanitarian university were published by the department's scientists.
The lecturers of the Department of Medical Chemistry and Biology, together with the staff of other departments of Odesa Medical institute, annually take part in the organization and work of the conferences of the International humanitarian university and the conferences "Modern problems of pharmacology, cosmetology and aromatics", which traditionally open on Pharmacist's Day at the end of September.
Students that study at the college and Odesa Medical institute take an active part in students research work. Since the foundation of the department, students under the supervision of the faculty specialist have prepared and read delivered about twenty scientific papers at the scientific conferences of the International humanitarian university . The most active management of scientific work of students is led by assistant professor, Ph.D. in chemistry E. L. Markina, associate professor, Ph.D. in biology A.M. Venger is one of the leading promising young scientists of the department, participated in the competition "Your Agrostart-up" from the company "Svarog West Group", he has also received a grant for research on DNA of soybeans, and also won the competition of young AgroTalks researchers, that was conducted by AgroChallenge (2016).
In addition to research work, and with the aim of providing more practical skills to the students professor S.M. Kisil organized a course of practical classes directly at several enterprises and scientific institutions of Odesa.
The staff of the department make efforts to establish and maintain their relations with scientific societies, including in those located other countries. Associate professor V.A. Bakcherikov is an expert of the international editions of Chemistry and Biodiversity and Chemistry Select, participates in the work of international communities Research Gate, Academia.edu, The Science Advisory Board, Associate Professor A.M. Venger is a member of the Ukrainian Society of Geneticists and Breeders of the European Society for the Study of Plant Breeding (EUCARPIA).
Head of the department, Ph.D. in chemistry, associate professor Valery Anatoliyovich Bacherikov graduated Odesa I. I. Mechnikov State University, on specialty "Chemistry" in 1978. From 1976 to 2001 he worked at the
Physico-Chemical Institute named after O. Bogatsky NAS of Ukraine , conducted scientific research in the field of organic synthesis and stereochemistry of heterocyclic compounds and calixarenes under the direction of Professor A.I. Grunya, who started his career from the laboratory to a senior researcher. In 1989 he defended his Ph.D. thesis "Synthesis and study of stereochemistry of alkyl substituted 1,3,2-dithio and 1,3,2-oxathioborinan", in 2001 he received the degree of senior research associate. In 2000, he received a grant from DAAD (Germany) for a short scientific visit and a research on the synthesis and computer modeling of calixarenes at the Department of Organic Chemistry I, University of Ulm. In 2001-2002, he took a course at the Institute of Chemistry of the Syunik Academy (Taipei, Republic of China) in hydrocarbon chemistry; in 2002-2006 he undertook training at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences of the Academy of Sinica under the direction of Professor T.-L. Su on medical chemistry and biological activity of anticancer drugs. In 2006-2009 he was trained at the Department of Medical Chemistry at the University of Mississippi (USA) under the direction of Professor M. Avery on medical chemistry and biological activity of antimalarial antibiotics. He has been working at the International humanitarian university since 2012 and gives lectures in general, inorganic, organic, medical, biological, physical, colloid, pharmaceutical and toxicological chemistry, including English version of this lectures for foreign students.
Ph.D. V.A. Bagherikov is the author of more than 60 printed works in leading academic editions and 3 copyright certificates. His scientific interests are concentrated on general organic chemistry and organic synthesis, medical chemistry, stereochemistry of organic compounds, supramolecular chemistry. He pays great attention to the improvement of the material base of the department, the implementation of scientific research, the activation of teaching and methodological work, the resolution of personnel issues, the creation of a healthy psychological climate in the team.