The official presentation of Biotech Hub, a new innovative biotechnology laboratory, took place on November 17 at Tech StartUp School, Lviv Polytechnic National University (2 Kolessy Street).
The laboratory was established on the basis of the Lviv Polytechnic StartUp School. It has been successfully operating for six months. Nazar Podolchak, Director of Tech StartUp School, Lviv Polytechnic, said that the laboratory was well equipped with all the necessary devices due to the help of colleagues from the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (a well-known DNA laboratory in the United States).
«We renovated the premises at the expense of the University. Thanks to the sponsorship money, we received advanced devices. One room of our new laboratory is currently open. In two months we will open four more. The main task of Biotech Hub is to develop joint research related to medicine and biotechnology. In this laboratory, biologists, physicians and IT specialists will jointly look for solutions to problematic issues», said Nazar Podolchak.
Biotech Hub is an innovative environment for learning, research and prototyping, where, both, students and teachers, researchers and startupers can work. Anyone interested can develop their ideas in the field of Biotechnology and DNA research in the laboratory.
The laboratory is divided into three elements – a training laboratory, a research laboratory and coworking to discuss new ideas.
Among the devices in the laboratory there are: centrifuge, thermal cycler, electrophoresis, photoelectrocolorimeter, distiller and other equipment.
«In this laboratory, we can study the effects of various substances on human or plant DNA. We can determine whether a particular product is genetically modified, investigate the presence or absence of certain genes in the organism», said Kateryna Hutsko, who works at Biotech Hub.
Tech StartUp School has a plan to create a biotechnology lyceum in the future, so that talented young people can realize themselves in this direction. Currently, to implement this plan, the StartUp School is working closely with the Department of Technology of Biologically Active Substances, Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Lviv Polytechnic National University, the Lviv cluster of medical business and the Small Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
We would like to add that the future support of the laboratory was offered by representatives of Enzym, Lviv Regional Small Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Institute of Cell Biology, Lviv cluster of medical business and the Department of Technology of Biologically Active Substances, Pharmacy and Biotechnology. An official memorandum was signed, confirming the importance of developing biotechnology from the school desk and supporting practical experiments on the basis of the laboratory.
