History
The Department was established at Kharkiv University in 1933 and was initially named the “Department of General Biology and Genetics.” Its founder and first head was Professor V. L. Ryzhkov, Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. The staff of the department founded the Kharkiv Evolutionary and Genetic Scientific School, which gained considerable recognition.
From 1937 to 1966, the department was known as the “Department of Darwinism and Genetics.” During this period, it was headed by Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR I. M. Polyakov (1937–1948), Professor, Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR V. M. Nikitin (1948–1953), and Associate Professor M. P. Volovyk (1953–1966).
In 1966, the department was headed by Professor V. H. Shakhbazov, one of the founders of the All-Union Vavilov Society of Geneticists and Breeders, who made great efforts to revive genetics in Ukraine. The department was renamed the Department of Genetics and Cytology. The main research areas became physiological, biophysical, and molecular genetics, as well as cytophysiology.
In 2004–2005, the department was headed by Professor A. I. Bozhkov, who in 2005 became head of the newly created Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology. From 2005 to 2016, the department was chaired by Professor L. I. Vorobyova. Continuing its traditional lines of research, in 2007 the Laboratory of Molecular Genetic Research was established to study gene activity regulation.
Since 2016, the department has been headed by Professor L. O. Atramentova. Under her leadership, in the 1980s, university geneticists in Ukraine began systematic and multifaceted studies in human genetics. Initial studies in demographic genetics covered populations of various hierarchical levels and yielded important population indices characterizing the population. Genetic analysis of family data made it possible to determine the heritability of common diseases. These studies were later continued using marker genetics methods.
International recognition of the Kharkiv School of Anthropogenetics came with its invitation to represent Ukraine in the international scientific project “Genographic” (2005–2011). Thanks to the participation of Kharkiv anthropogeneticists in this project, the gene pools of Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars found their place in the genealogical history of humankind. The Department of Genetics and Cytology also contributed to the establishment of the Ukrainian school of psychogenetics. Later, Kharkiv geneticists began using quasi-genetic markers in collaboration with linguists and cultural scholars.
For Applicants
Over the past 40 years, the department has trained about one thousand specialists who successfully work in various scientific and industrial fields. Among its graduates are citizens of China, Israel, Malaysia, Uganda, and Burkina Faso, many of whom completed postgraduate studies and defended their theses.
Employment analysis of recent years shows a growing demand for our specialists not only in research institutions but also in commercial organizations and secondary education. A consistently high proportion of our graduates continue their studies in postgraduate programs.
The department possesses genetic collections of Drosophila, mulberry and oak silkworms—the richest in Ukraine. It also has extensive data on the frequency of hereditary diseases and pathologies, an experimental site at the university’s biological station, as well as equipment for biochemical and molecular-genetic research and modern microscopy facilities.
Affiliated institutions include:
– V. Ya. Yuryev Institute of Plant Production (Laboratory of Genetics and Biotechnology),
– Institute of Poultry Farming (Department of Breeding and Genetics),
– Institute of Vegetable Growing (Department of Breeding),
– State Institution “Institute of Child and Adolescent Health of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine” (Laboratory of Medical Genetics).
The department offers postgraduate studies in the specialty “Genetics,” with 2–3 PhD students trained annually.
Research
Main research areas: human genetics; animal genetics; plant genetics; radiobiology; human cytogenetics; genetics of the mulberry silkworm; cell culture methods; mechanisms of adaptation and manifestation of organismal fitness; genetic analysis of behavioral traits; mechanisms of gene expression regulation.
The department hosts a student scientific society and holds regular meetings. Staff members annually publish about 50 research papers, issue monographs, and actively participate in numerous conferences on genetics, radiation biology, biophysics, breeding, and related topics.
The department organized the 1st and 2nd International Conferences “Drosophila in Experimental Genetics and Biology” and a scientific-practical seminar on topical issues of poultry breeding.
Staff
The teaching staff of the department includes 12 members, among them 4 Doctors of Biological Sciences and 6 Candidates of Biological Sciences.
Educational Activities
The department provides general courses for biology students: General Cytology, General Genetics, Methods of Teaching Biology, Mathematical Methods in Biology, Developmental Biology, Evolutionary Theory, Fundamentals of Breeding.
Special courses for Bachelor students:
Sex Genetics, Developmental Genetics, Gene and Cell Engineering, Molecular and Biochemical Genetics, Mutagenesis, Genome Organization, Applied Genetics, Radiation Genetics, Human Cytogenetics, Genetic Analysis.
Practical courses include: human karyotyping methods, mutation accounting, polytene chromosome structure analysis, genetic and medical-genetic counseling methods, molecular and biochemical genetics techniques.
Special courses for Master students in Genetics:
Analytical Genetics, Genetics of Microorganisms, Animal Genetics, Behavioral Genetics, Population Genetics, Human Genetics, Genetic Monitoring, Medical Genetics, Teaching Methods in Higher Education, Organization of Scientific Research, Occupational Safety in the Field, Cytogenetics.
Major practical courses: Methods of Medical-Genetic Counseling, Plant Cytogenetics.
The department’s staff have authored a large number of textbooks and teaching manuals for higher education.