Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research

Situated in the busy city of Kyiv, Ukraine, the Institute of Molecular Biology & Genetics (IMBG) has long been a bright spot for science in the former Soviet Union. The research group got its start in 1973 as part of the country’s National Academy of Sciences, and soon gained a reputation as one of the top molecular biology centers in the Ukraine, Europe’s second largest country, after Russia.

But by the time Dr. Ivan Gout of the Ludwig Institute began a collaboration with IMBG in 1997, the political and financial collapse of the Soviet Union were starting to take its toll.

The Academy had only enough to money to support the most basic expenses, prompting some 100 researchers to leave the IMBG in the past decade. Although two research rooms were granted for a new joint laboratory on cell growth, what little research equipment was there looked very old-fashioned.

“It was not an easy ride at the beginning,” admits Dr. Gout, who heads the cell regulation group at the University College London Branch.

Nevertheless, there were plenty of enthusiastic and skilled researchers still left at IMBG, and with the bear hug support of the Institute’s director, Dr. Gennadiy Matsuka, the collaboration quickly prospered.

In the once run down labs that first greeted Dr. Gout sits a series of protein and DNA sequencers donated by the Ludwig Institute. Research grants have since pored in from other groups, including the Wellcome Trust, INTAS, and the Royal Society and National Academy of Sciences, which helps fund a total of 17 scientists and 4 PhD students from the Ukraine.

The Ludwig Institute provided the research training, and already, the joint laboratory has produced several important revelations on its two main projects: Understanding how S6 kinase signaling pathways control cell growth, and the discovery of new cancer antigens.

Researchers recently identified a long-sought after enzyme in CoA biosynthesis, termed CoA synthase (formerly Ukr1). This enzyme may link S6 kinase signaling pathway with energy metabolism, which is a driving force for protein synthesis. Furthermore, the joint laboratory is responsible for discovering nearly 100 potential cancer-associated antigens through SEREX technology.

“I have no doubt now that the partnership with IMBG was the right choice,” says Dr. Gout.

This initial collaboration has opened a floodgate of other opportunities as well. Research teams from the United States, Germany, and France have also established relations with the IMBG, supporting a range of projects that explore cancer and other diseases.

“In spite of all the difficulties, our Institute has preserved its infrastructure and one can see sufficient progress,” says Dr. Valerie Filonenko, an IMBG researcher who spearheaded the collaboration with the Ludwig Institute.

Born in the Ukraine, Dr. Filonenko, who spent nearly six years as a post doctoral fellow in the United States, was initially leery about returning to continue his research there.

“The crisis in the economy and financial system had a drastic effect,” says Dr. Filonenko. “Frankly, most of my friends did not recommend that I come back since it was very difficult to do science in the Ukraine because of a lack of funds.”

But his desire to return home led to a chance meeting with Dr. Gout in Kyiv, where they would hatch a plan to start a joint laboratory.

“The contribution from Valeriy Filonenko to the success of this project is enormous,” says Dr. Gout.

Along with continued study of novel cancer antigens and S6K cell signaling mechanisms, the joint laboratory is focusing on the binding properties of A33, a monoclonal antibody now being tested in clinical trials at the Ludwig Institute. The laboratory has also become major teaching center, hosting seminars on cancer immunology that have drawn participants from 11 different countries.

Once confined to working with other scientists in Eastern Europe, the IMBG now has links to various institutions throughout the world, a development that promotes better for science for everyone.

“The first signs of reversing the trend of one-way flow from the former Soviet Union are emerging,” says Dr. Matsuka of the IMBG. “Setting up a successful example paves the way for others to follow.”

By Eric Sabo