For many years, the RE Kavetsky IEPOR NAS of Ukraine has been paying considerable attention to cooperation with foreign partners from Austria, Belarus, Canada, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Russian Federation, Turkey, Sweden, United Kingdom, USA, etc. This cooperation entails joint research with leading research and medical institutions of these countries in the fields of experimental pathology and oncology. Research has been conducted as part of international projects and grants.

Since 1994, the IEPOR has been the only Ukrainian institution, that is a member of the Organization of European Cancer Institutes-European Economic Interest Grouping (ОЕСІ-EEIG, www.oeci.eu). The organization aims to introduce innovative, competitive, high-quality cancer treatments that are designed according to the principles of evidence-based medicine. This is achieved through the coordination of clinical and scientific research and improving education in European oncological institutions. The IEPOR's membership in the OECI-EEIG provides an important background for greater integration of the Ukrainian oncological science in the European space.

In 2013, the IEPOR's international scientific and technical cooperation was conducted basing on bilateral agreements on scientific cooperation signed by the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU) with the Academies of Sciences of neighboring countries, Agreements with foreign research institutions and international organizations.

As part of the Project Agreement between the Ukrainian Science and Technology Center (USTC) and the IEPOR, in cooperation with the Durmishydze Institute for Biochemistry and Biotechnology of the National Academy of Sciences of Georgia and the University of Murcia, Spain, we continued research program entitled «Development of Nanotechnology of Nanoplant Composites and Investigation of their Antitumor and Antioxidant Activities».

We continued research under existing agreements on international cooperation between the IEPOR and the Department of Surgery of the Technical University of Munich entitled «Molecular Pathology of Gastrointestinal Tumors and Improvement of Diagnosis».

We continued research within the European 7 FP Marie Curie actions «People» International Research Staff Exchange Scheme in cooperation the University of Brighton (Department of Pharmacology and Biomolecular Sciences, United Kingdom) and the Medical University of Clermont-Ferrand (France). Two research programs were carried out in 2013, namely «Novel Medical Adsorbents for Extracorporeal Treatment of Life Threatening Conditions» (University of Clermont-Ferrand, France) and «Adsorbent Carbons for the Removal of Biologically Active Toxins» (University of Brighton, UK).

Within the framework of the Joint Ukrainian-German Centre for Nanobiotechnologies, established in 2009, through a trilateral Agreement between the Shevchenko Kyiv National University, the IEPOR, and the Technical University of Ilmenau (Germany), we performed research in the following areas during 2010-2013:

• Research into ability of multiwalled carbon nanotubes to generate radical oxygen species in response to near-infrared radiation and to cause hyperthermia effect in vitro
• Research into antitumor activity of unmodified fullerenes C60 with the view to develop a technology for using these carbon nanomaterials in oncology

During 2012-2013, we carried out a Joint Project of the NASU and the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR) entitled «Malignant Transformation of Cells Caused by Viral Proteins: the Unknown Mechanisms». Our partner from the Russian side was the D.I. Ivanovsky Research Institute of Virology of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation.

We launched a number of joint projects with foreign partners. One such project is entitled «Mechanisms of Caspase-Dependent Death of Leukemia Cells In Vitro Mediated by New Synthetic Combinations that Affect Tubulin Polymerization». For this project, our client was the State Agency on Science, Innovations and IT of Ukraine (SASIITU) within the framework of joint projects of the SASIITU and the RFBR. Our Russian partner was the M.D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Also, we started the research project entitled «Identification of Apoptotic Links that Define Multiple Drug Resistance and Cross-Resistance in Human Leukemic Cells». This project will be implemented in 2013-2015 under the joint Ukraine-Japan research program of the SASIITU.

In 2013, the IEPOR hosted a number of foreign delegations:

In February 2013, there was a one-day visit to IEPOR of a delegation of US scientists, including 6 people: Mr. V. Korsun (STCU Deputy Executive Director, USA), Dr. J. Capala, Dr. B. Prickril, Dr. I. Bodnar (Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL, USA), Dr. E. Bodnar — National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, and also O.E. Taberko, STCU Manager. The purpose of the visit was to conduct technical consultations and discuss possible cooperation in the field of use of nanotechnology in treating cancer patients. The delegation visited a number of structural units of the institution and had final meeting with the Institute Director, Academician of Dr. Vasyl F. Chekhun.

One of the leading European specialists in translational oncology, the Chairperson of the EU Project «EuroCanPlatform» — Professor Ulrik Ringborg (Director of Cancer Center Karolinska, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden) visited the IEPOR in April 2013. During his visit Prof. Ulrik Ringborg delivered the lecture «EuroСanPlatform as a Platform for Translational Cancer Research». While meeting with the Institute Director Academician Vasyl F. Chekhun our guest, as the member of OECI and ECCO Boards, discussed the opportunities for joint research and prospects of participation of national oncologists in European Union Programs on cancer research.

In April, Dr. Ewald Terpetschnig of SETA Biomedicals (USA), a specialist in organic chemistry and spectroscopy with more than 25 years of experience in the development, implementation and commercialization of fluorescent materials for biomedical applications, maid a one-day visit to the Institute. We discussed the possibilities of cooperation in the area to producing conjugates of monoclonal antibodies with fluorescent dyes.

In order to get acquainted with scientific research areas of the Institute, discuss the possibilities for bilateral collaborative research within the Lithuanian-Ukrainian Project on Cooperation in Science and Technology for 2014-2015 years, a two-day visit to the Institute was paid by a delegation of the Institute of Oncology of the Vilnius University (Lithuania). The IEPOR was visited by Prof. N.E. Salamavicius, Director of the Institute, and Dr. E. Jalunionis, Scientific Secretary of the Institute. We discussed a number of issues concerning cooperation opportunities between the institutions in the field of fundamental and clinical oncology.

In June 2013, we discussed the requirements to agents for sorption therapy for their certification in the EU and possible ways to achieve this goal at a meeting with representatives of the Spanish Mondragon Componentes: Mr. Javier Borda, CEO of the subsidiary company Samuran XXI, Mr. José Luis Arteta, Development Director of the same company, and Mr. Luciano Velasquez Cooper, owner of Velasco Cooper & Co. The delegation visited the Department of Physical and Chemical Methods of Sorption Detoxification and took part in a seminar on the development of modern means and methods of sorption therapy jointly with the Head of Department, Corresponding Member of the NASU, Prof. Volodymyr H. Nikolaev.

In July 2013, we hosted a delegation of experts in the field of synthesis of analogs of natural compounds from the N.D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the plan of bilateral collaborative research entitled «Mechanisms of Caspase-Dependent Death of Leukemia Cells In Vitro in Response to New Synthetic Combinations that Affect Tubulin Polymerization».

In order to get acquainted with scientific research areas of the Institute and discuss preparations for the International Scientific Forum «Diagnostic Molecular Markers and Personalized Therapy for Breast and Prostate Cancer», an OESI -ESO Event, which will be held in September 2014, Dr. Alberto Costa, General and Scientific Director of the European School of Oncology (Milan, Italy) paid a one-day visit to the Institute in July 2013. According to the program, we discussed a series of issues of preparation and holding of the OESI-ESO Event and presented research activities of the Institute, most important innovative developments, and prospects for their implementation into clinical oncology.

In August and September 2013, the Institute was visited by Dr. Carol Howell, the University of Brighton, Department of Pharmacy and Bimolecular Research (UK), and Sandeep Kumar, post-graduate student of the University of Brighton, who are experts in the field of biomedical materials. The visit took place through a joint action program between the IEPOR and the University of Brighton for 2011-2014 years under the European Programme, FP7-People-247547 MEAD-ET, which is performed as a part of the project entitled «New Medical Adsorbents for Extracorporeal Treatment of Severe Conditions». Dr. Carol Howell met with the Institute Director, Academician, Prof. Vasyl F. Chekhun and with the Head of Department of Physical and Chemical Mechanisms of Sorption Detoxification, Corresponding Member of the NASU, Prof. Volodymyr H. Nikolaev. According to the program, Dr. Carol Howell conducted a series of experimental studies in the Department of Physical and Chemical Mechanisms of Sorption Detoxification and the Center for Collective Use of Scientific Instruments, and took an active part in the seminar of the Department.

In November 2013, the Institute hosted a 4-day visit of the delegation from the Institute of Oncology of the Vilnius University (Vilnius, Lithuania), consisting of experts in the field and oncoimmunology and vaccinotherapy, namely Vita Pasukoniene, PhD, Head of Immunology Laboratory of the Oncosurgery Center of the Oncology Institute, and Aidas Darinskas, PhD, researcher in oncoimmunology from the same laboratory. The purpose of the visit was to discuss the plan of joint bilateral research under the Agreement between the IEPOR and the Institute of Oncology, Vilnius University (Lithuania). During the visit, the delegation met with the Institute Director, Academician Vasyl F. Chekhun, and held a scientific seminar, where achievements of the Department for Constructing of Cancer Biotherapy headed by Prof. Hrygorii P. Potebnia, were presented.

Also, the guests became acquainted with the work of the IEPOR's Center for Biotechnology. Special attention was paid to discussing and developing the program of joint research in the field of effective cancer vaccines to treat chemoresistant tumors.

Under the Cooperation Agreement between the Institute of Oncology, Vilnius University (Lithuania) and the IEPOR dated September 19, 2013, we hosted the delegation from the Institute of Oncology, Vilnius University (Lithuania): Prof. Richardos Rotomskis, Head of Biomedical Physics Laboratory of the Institute of Oncology, and Vitalius Karabanovas, PhD, researcher from the same laboratory. The purpose of the visit was to discuss the plan of bilateral collaborative research under the Cooperation Agreement. During the visit, a mini-seminar was held, where Prof. R. Rotomskis and Dr. V. Karabanovas made presentations and the prospects for the use of photodynamic therapy and bionanotechnology in increasing selectivity of cytotoxic drugs were discussed. Also, an action plan was developed to prepare the program of joint research in bionanotechnology and photodynamic therapy. The guests got acquainted with the work of the Center for Collective Use of Scientific Instruments and a number of structural units of the Institute.