The R.E. Kavetsky Institute of Experimental Pathology, Oncology and Radiobiology (IEPOR), located in Kiev, Ukraine was formed in 1960 through the joint initiative of the National Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Health of Ukraine and was the first scientific center in the field of experimental and clinical oncology in Ukraine. IEPOR is part of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and a member of the Organization of European Cancer Institutes. It acts as a scientific-organizational bridge between the National Academy of Sciences, Academy of Medical Sciences, and Ministry of Health of Ukraine.

The mission of IEPOR is to contribute to the understanding, prevention and cure of cancer, to be accomplished through innovative basic and translational research programs. IEPOR conducts numerous studies in support of commercial pharmaceutical products and has designated a significant portion of its facilities and staff to support its operation as a CRO.

The scientific staff of IEPOR consists of 117 researchers, including 29 Doctors of Science, 76 Ph.D.s/M.D.s, 18 postgraduate students, and 7 research trainees. A significant number of the senior scientific staff has been retained by Sequent Development as consultants to provide services to commercial customers. IEPOR operates out of a 96,000 square foot, four-story building in central Kiev housing 104 rooms for laboratory and administrative use, and additional areas for storage of materials and maintenance of their extensive cell culture bank.

IEPOR has conducted work under grants funded by European pharmaceutical companies, NIH and other U.S. agencies, and various medical institutes. IEPOR itself holds seven patents in Ukraine, in addition to numerous patents owned by its former and current employees. IEPOR maintains a comprehensive research library of publications in the field of oncology and related fields and publishes quarterly the international peer-reviewed Journal of Experimental Oncology.

One of the most impressive features of IEPOR is its Cell Culture Bank. The institute maintains a unique bank of cell lines and tumor strains with more than 13,000 samples of standard and original cell lines established from normal and tumor tissues of humans and animals of various species (rat, mouse, hamster, monkey, pig, dog, cow, sheep, bat, mink, etc.). There are more than 160 types of cell lines including 48 of ATCC (American Type Culture Collection) human cell lines. IEPOR also has a collection of transplantable tumors consisting of 32 types of tumor strains, 138 storage units of hybridomes, approximately 3,600 storage units of human tumors and cell culture materials from people affected by the Chernobyl disaster.

During the past three years IEPOR conducted approximately fifty commercial in vitro studies and approximately thirty in vivo studies, representing approximately half of its total work in these areas. The charts below summarize the human cell lines and tumor strains that were used most frequently during this period.

Most Frequently Used Human Cell Lines (in vitro Studies)

Most Frequently Used Tumor Strains (in vivo Studies)