USUST researcher wins the NRFU competition in Ukraine
The Ukrainian State University of Science and Technologies congratulates Pavlo Zadorozhnyi, Associate Professor of the Department of Pharmacy, Chemistry and Technologies, on winning the competition of the National Research Foundation of Ukraine, held in partnership with the Netherlands Research Council (NWO). His scientific development has become part of an international project aimed at creating safe and ethical approaches to testing chemical substances and pharmaceuticals.
The global scientific community is actively seeking alternatives to traditional preclinical studies based on animal testing. Such methods do not always accurately reflect human physiological responses and raise serious ethical concerns. This is why the international team of the VHP4Safety (Virtual Human Platform for Safety) project is working on the development of a virtual human platform – an advanced tool that enables to predict the toxicity of chemical agents using computational methods.
In early 2024, Pavlo Zadorozhnyi joined the project team. His work focuses on the development of QSAR models that predict the potential impact of chemical substances on the thyroid gland based on their molecular structure. The thyroid is one of the most sensitive organs, essential for human development and metabolism. Despite its critical role, data on the thyroid toxicity of many compounds remain limited.
In his research, Pavlo Zadorozhnyi applies machine learning and cheminformatics methods. Using a large dataset, the model ‘learns’ to identify hazardous properties of chemical substances and predict potential health risks.
This approach makes it possible to:
• accelerate the safety assessment of potential pharmaceuticals;
• minimize the need for animal experiments;
• obtain more accurate predictions regarding the effects of chemical compounds on the human body;
• develop regulatory decisions based on digital tools.
• minimize the need for animal experiments;
• obtain more accurate predictions regarding the effects of chemical compounds on the human body;
• develop regulatory decisions based on digital tools.
The ccooperation began after a seminar organized by the NRFU and NWO, where Pavlo Zadorozhnyi met Dr. Elena Dominguez-Romero from Maastricht University. She introduced him to the VHP4Safety project and invited him to join the international research team.
Today, Pavlo works in a group led by Professor Gerard van Westen of Leiden University. The team brings together diverse expertise in chemistry, toxicology, bioinformatics, physiology, and computational modeling.
As the researcher notes, working in such an environment not only allows him to apply his expertise in practice but also expands his professional horizons and offers a new perspective on scientific challenges.
Pavlo Zadorozhnyi’s success in the NRFU competition is an important step forward for the development of Ukrainian toxicology, bioinformatics, and pharmaceutical research. His participation in a large-scale international initiative highlights the high scientific standards of USUST and opens new opportunities for collaboration, knowledge sharing, and the implementation of modern research methodologies.
The university sincerely congratulates Pavlo Zadorozhnyi on this significant achievement and wishes him continued success, new scientific discoveries, and future international projects that will further strengthen USUST position on the global landscape of science.