!!Benefits of scientific collaboration between Ukraine and UK

__Collaboration between scientists from Kyiv’s Bogomoletz Institute of Physiology and Cardiff University’s School of Biosciences have resulted in important advances.__
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The Russian criminal war against Ukraine is causing immense suffering in this large European country and has resulted in the worst refugee crisis since the second world war. While we reflect on these terrible events at the Vigil for Ukraine on 9th March at 11 am, led by the Vice-Chancellor [Colin Riordan|Member/Riordan_Colin] MAE, it is worth noting that collaboration between scientists from Kyiv’s [Bogomoletz Institute of Physiology|http://biph.kiev.ua/en/Main_Page] and [Cardiff University|https://www.cardiff.ac.uk]’s School of Biosciences have resulted in important advances.
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A [paper|https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1300910110] published in the prestigious ''Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA'' (''PNAS'' 101: 13186-13191, 2013) on ‘Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ channel blockade as a potential tool in antipancreatitis therapy’, co-authored by staff from Cardiff University and the Bogomoletz Institute in Kyiv, is in the top-20 most cited papers (out of a total of more than 5000 papers) with a UK-Ukraine collaboration over the past ten years. __Oleksiy Gryshchenko__, who has been a frequent visiting scientist at Cardiff University over many years and is in Kyiv right now participating in the defence of the Ukrainian capital, is a joint first author of this highly cited 2013 ''PNAS'' paper (>150 citations according to Google Scholar). __Dr. Gryshchenko__, is a recipient of the 2016 Burgen Scholar Award of __Academia Europaea__.
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[{Image src='Gryshchenko_DSC_0626_small.jpg' caption='Dr Oleksiy Gryshchenko (right) receives the Burgen Scholar Award at the Annual Conference of Academia Europaea, held at Cardiff University in 2016, from Professor Sierd Cloetingh, who was President of Academia Europaea at that time.' height='400' alt='Dr Oleksiy Gryshchenko and Professor Sierd Cloetingh' align='center' }]
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[Ole Petersen|Member/Petersen_Ole] CBE FRS, Vice-President of __Academia Europaea__, said:
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''“It is gratifying to see that the intensive, long-standing and continuing collaboration between staff at Cardiff University’s School of Biosciences and the Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences’ Bogomoletz Institute of Physiology has resulted in major advances in our understanding of the pathophysiology of the often fatal disease Acute Pancreatitis. It is essential that such collaborations between the UK and the Ukraine can continue, but they are obviously threatened by the criminal war waged by Russia against Ukraine. We must all do our utmost to support our brave colleagues in Ukraine and at the same time put maximal pressure on our colleagues in Russia to help turn public opinion in that country against the war”''.
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