The Laboratory of Cryoprotectants  of the IPCC of NAS of Ukraine was founded in 1973; till 1984 it was headed Dr. Maria Shrago, the outstanding  cryobiologist, the founder of a scientific school dealing with the profound study of various cryoprotectants, their properties including toxicity. Since 1985 till 2000 the Department  was headed by Prof. Volodymyr Luhovyi. Under his leadership, the comprehensive  studies  of novel multicomponent cryopreservatives  based on polyols and amides were conducted at the Department of Cryoprotectants. Since 2000 till now  the Laboratory is headed by Prof. Antonina Kompaniiets. Under her leadership, the studies devoted to designing the cryopreservatives based on glycerol, 1,2-propanediol and polyvinyl alcohol for human erythrocyte freezing, are being carried out. 

SCIENTIFIC INTERESTS 
A promising direction in designing the efficient poly-component  cryoprotective media may be the use of novel synthetic compounds, e.g. the recrystallization inhibitors, possessing the features of natural antifreeze proteins, that can help to reduce ice recrystallization at the heating stage. In particular, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is one of these compounds.

The strategic direction of the laboratory's activity for next 4–5 year is a novel approach to design the modern efficient  cryopreservative media or human erythrocyte freezing, which are composed of substances with amphiphilic and hydrophilic properties (e.g. 1,2-PD and glycerol) and including the substances controlling the crystal formation, e.g. polyvinyl alcohol with MW of 9 and 31 kDa.

The phenomenon of cluster crystallization of cryoprotective solutions near their vitrification temperatures has been experimentally revealed and theoretically elucidated. It has been shown that at such low temperatures, the ice microcrystals can be formed through a homogeneous mechanism without breaking the hydrogen bonds between the water molecules and cryoprotective substance. The state diagrams containing the area of existence of the resulting cluster phase, have been plotted. A possible contribution of cluster crystallization into the mechanisms of damage to biological objects during cryopreservation in cryoprotectant aqueous solutions are investigated.