Восени 2016 р. у Німеччині відбувся VII Міжнародний конгрес з гіпертермії (VII. International Hyperthermia Congress), який відкрився шануванням пам'яті видатного вченого професора Осинського Сергія Петровича

The 7th Congress of the German Society for Hyperthermia

Memorial note to Professor Dr. sci. med. Sergej P. Osinsky

Peter Vaupel ¹, Michael R. Horsman ²

1 Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. M.A. / Univ. Harvard, Department of Radiooncology and Radiotherapy, Klinikum rechts der Isar, TUM, Munich, Germany
2 Department of Experimental Clinical Oncology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark

On the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the sad death of Professor Sergej P. Osinsky we thought it would be appropriate to look back and remind people of his scientific accomplishments. At the time of his death, Sergej was Professor at the Department of Microenvironment of Tumor Cells at the R.E. Kavetsky Institute of Experimental Pathology, Oncology and Radiobiology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev, Ukraine. He had graduated from the Medical University in Kiev in 1969 and stayed in Kiev to do post-graduate studies at the Institute for oncology problems.

Those studies led to two theses: «Metabolism in Breast Cancer» and «Hyperthermia and Hyperglycemia in Oncology». In 1993, he assumed the position of Professor of Medicine at the same Institute. Although based in Kiev he has spent periods as a guest scientist in Professor Manfred von Ardenne’s Institute in Dresden (Germany) looking at pH changes upon hyperthermia and glucose infusion, and the Department of Physiology & Pathophysiology, University of Mainz (Germany) investigating the role of cobalt on the tumor microenvironment. He has also collaborated with Prof. J. Kleef and Prof. H. Friess at the Department of Surgery, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München (TUM), Munich (Germany).

His research interests include basic studies favoring the use of local hyperthermia in the clinical setting. These studies involved experiments for selectively enhancing tumor cell killing upon heating using glucose to acidify the tumor tissue. He also helped to develop magnetic field based nanoparticles to induce local tumor heating.

Much of his research also involved trying to assess the pathophysiology of the tumor microenvironment, especially using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MrS) techniques. Those studies resulted in some 100 abstracts and numerous publications, 25 of which are listed on PubMed. He also edited several books, specifically «Tumor Microphysiology» (published in Russian in 2009) and «Tumor Hypoxia in the Clinical Setting» (published in English in 2011). At the time of his death he was collecting manuscripts from a variety of internationally renowned authors for a book on «Tumor Pathophysiology for oncologists». He attended many scientific meetings, sometimes as an invited speaker such as the 2011 European Society for Hyperthermic Oncology (ESHO) Annual conference held in Aarhus (Denmark). He also hosted three international conferences in Kiev organized by the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. These were the 18th Annual Meeting of the International Clinical Hyperthermia Society (ICHS) in 1995, the International Conference on Tumor Hypoxia and Malignant Progression in 2008, and the International Conference on Tumor and Host: novel aspects of old problem in 2010.

Sergej was a member of the Ukrainian Oncological Society, the European Society of Hyperthermic Oncology, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Hyperthermie (Honory member in memoriam), and a member of the Board of the International Clinical Hyperthermia Society. He was also deputy editor-in-Chief of the Journal «Experimental Oncology».

Sergej leaves behind a loving wife, Larissa, with whom he also had a wonderful working relationship, a son, Dimitri, who was educated as a surgeon, grandchildren and numerous colleagues and friends who miss him greatly.