The Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology (IPT), located in Kiev, Ukraine, is a part of the Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine and the premier drug-testing laboratory in Ukraine. The scientific staff consists of 95 researchers including 62 with Ph.D./M.D. degrees, 22 with D.Sc. degrees and 12 postgraduate students. On April 1, 2004, the IPT facilities were confirmed through independent audit as fully compliant with ICH and GLP guidelines for the conduct of pre-clinical research. It is the first laboratory in the former Soviet Union to achieve this status.

IPT works closely with the State Pharmacological Center (SPC) of Ukraine as a support organization for implementation for its guidances for medical product development and marketing. The SPC provides regulatory oversight for expert evaluation and registration of medicines in Ukraine, surveillance of their application in medical practice, and guidance in compliance with international standards. In addition, the SPC coordinates activities in clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacovigilance.

IPT conducts research in all aspects of new drug development, from fundamental studies of cellular mechanisms of pathological processes and synthesis of new substances, to screening of biological activity and pre-clinical and clinical drug trials in compliance with GLP and GCP regulations.

Within the framework of international grant systems such as INTAS, Welcome Trust and CRDF/NIH, IPT cultivates close scientific relationships with a number of

• Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Strathclyde University, Glasgow, UK
• of Pharmacology, University College London, London, UK
• Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, CNRS, Toulouse, France
• Molecular and Cellular Physiology Biomedical Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
• Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, MCP Hahnemann University, Philadelphia, USA