A series of public lectures by practitioners in biotechnology and bioengineering has been launched. In October 2024, two public lectures were held at KNUTD following the planned activities.

On October 11, 2024, Dmytro Shakhnin, practitioner, Head of the Biopharmaceutical Development Laboratory of PrJSC’s Insulin Production Company “INDAR”, PhD in Chemistry, gave a lecture on the topic “Fundamentals of prokaryotes in pharmaceutical biotechnology” for 1st-year master students of the educational programme “Biotechnology of High Molecular Weight Compounds” within the framework of the discipline “Modern Biotechnology of High Molecular Weight Compounds”.

The technology for producing recombinant protein using E. coli was discussed during the lecture. Much of the time was also devoted to the engineering component. Dmytro Shakhnin elaborated on the principles of operation of separators used in biotechnological processes, focusing on the regularities of optimisation of separation parameters in the production conditions at INDAR PrJSC. They discussed how to choose biotechnological equipment to ensure maximum efficiency.

The lecture material aroused interest among the students and an active discussion. The students were invited to express their opinions on the possibilities of optimising and automating certain stages of the insulin production process. In conclusion, D. Shakhnin noted the high level of basic training of KNUTD students and stressed the need to join the employment offers at industry enterprises.

On October 21, 2024, a foreign lecturer Prof. Dr. Geert Potters, representative of Antwerp Maritime Academy (Department of Bioengineering Sciences), gave a public lecture on “Plants on the sofa” for first-year students majoring in 162 Biotechnology and Bioengineering. The lecture was held as part of the study of the discipline “General Biotechnology” on the topic “Plant Biotechnology”.

During the lecture, the primary types of stress (abiotic and biotic) and the mechanisms (physiological and molecular) of plant adaptation to these stresses were discussed. Key experimental studies conducted to determine the impact of physicochemical and biological environmental factors on the vital functions of plant cells were outlined. A lively dialogue with the audience centered on the importance of understanding stress mechanisms to enhance plant yields and resistance, as well as on the prospects for research to unlock the full potential of plants through biotechnological methods.

05.11.2024