Association of cryobanks, established in 2013, to develop cells and tissues banking and provide a legitimate, safe and effective treatment by cell and tissue transplants, makes a substantial contribution in the education of physicians and public awareness concerning modern cellular technologies, harmonization of legal acts, regulating the activity of the industry, provides free advisory support to doctors, biotechnologists, patients.

An important structural subdivision of the Association of cryobanks is Foreign Affairs Department, which is responsible for cooperation with international biotech centers, clinics, professional and public societies, organisation of international scientific conferences, consiliums, roundtables, envolvement of foreign scientists to provide professional advice to Ukrainian doctors and researchers as well as provision of consultation support to foreign centers, etc.

During 2 years’ activity of the Association, with the support of the Foreign Affairs Department several scientific conferences (Cell Technology Week 2013, Cell Technologies in Obstetrics, Gynecology, Neonatology and Pediatric Nneurology (2013), “Transplantation – Present, Past and Future” (2014) were held, to which leading foreign scientists were invited as speakers. Also, with the assistance of the Association of cryobanks Ukrainian clinics received from foreign collegues and provided them a number of necessary consultations both on the production of cell preparations, and the treatment of patients. The leading foreign banks of umbilical cord blood (Pokrovsky Bank of Stem Cells (St. Petersburg), Polish Bank of Stem Cells – PBKM (Warsaw) became the associate members of the Association of cryobanks. Association of cryobanks also established media partnerships with a huge international publishing house Medcrave. Journal “Cell and Organ Transplantology”, which is published with the informational support of the Association, was accepted in a number of prestigious international sciometric databases – Index Copernicus, OAJI, International Scientific Indexing, CiteFactor, NCBI and others.

In 2015, the head of the Foreign Affairs Department of the Association of cryobanks, Christina Nasadyuk, PhD, a physician-immunologist was trained at the Academic Medical Center of the University of Amsterdam and the Erasmus University in Rotterdam (Netherlands) within the scientific summer school devoted to inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis).

The course was organized by the European Federation of Gastroenterology for young professionals working in the field of basic medical research with the aim of teaching them new methods of modeling and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease in the experiment. Stem cells held far not the last place in the course program, in particular their role in the pathology of the gastrointestinal tract, and treatment of diseases of the digestive system with the use of stem cells.

Laboratory classes of the school were aimed at mastering of the methodology and practical skills in the cultivation of organoids from mesenchymal stem cells, culturing of intestinal fibroblasts determination of transepithelial electrical resistance of the epithelial cells of the intestine, and others.

In 2015, the European Federation of Gastroenterology invited 41 promising scientists from 16 countries (UK, the Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Poland, Turkey, Ukraine, Romania, Greece, Lithuania, Russia, Malta, Austria) to participate in the basic science summer school. It is important that course participants were selected on a competitive basis, taking into account the applicant’s scientific achievements, publications, future professional plans. Only half of the researchers who applied, have successfully passed the qualification screening. In 2014, Christina Nasadyuk also successfully passed similar training at the Technical University of Munich (Germany).

Stem cells of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as circulating hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic stem cells play a crucial role in the regeneration of the digestive system, as well as the processes of carcinogenesis and metastasis. The study of the profile of these cells and the invention of methods of control over their behavior will help to develop radically new and effective methods of treating a number of serious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, first of all – cancer.

In Ukraine, the material and technological base of the Institute of Cell Therapy, which is a founder and a full member of the Association of cryobanks, allows to conduct the high-tech research and scientific work in step with the leading biotecnologic centers of the world. Thus, the knowledge and experience acquired by Ukrainian researcher during her training in Netherlands, in near future will be implemented in the research work of the Institute.