A meeting on the creation of vaccine development infrastructure in Ukraine was held on April 22 under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and with the participation of heads of leading scientific institutions.

According to the Prime Minister, the situation with the shortage of vaccines against COVID-19 in the world has demonstrated the need to create a domestic laboratory in Ukraine.

"Today, the whole world is waiting in line for a vaccine, and it is becoming clear that Ukraine needs to have its own base for developing vaccines. This is a strategic issue, as the construction of modern infrastructure in line with world standards will allow us to restore scientific potential and develop drugs to protect against various diseases," said Denys Shmyhal.

During the meeting, Deputy Minister of Health - Chief State Sanitary Doctor Viktor Liashko noted that one of the options being considered by the Ministry of Health is the creation of a laboratory on the basis of L.V. Gromashevsky Institute of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases.

"At the same time, we have a plan to create an open scientific space at the institute, which will unite all scientists to conduct research," said Viktor Liashko.

The Deputy Minister of Health stressed that such an open cluster would give Ukraine an impetus to resume production of immunobiological drugs, in particular for the treatment of cancer.

On the outcomes of the meeting, the Prime Minister commissioned to work on infrastructure issues within two weeks and identify ways to finance the establishment of a high-level laboratory in Ukraine.

The meeting gathered together the Minister of Health Maksym Stepanov, the head of the National Research Foundation of Ukraine Olha Polotska, the head of the department of D.K. Zabolotny Institute of Microbiology and Virology Mykola Spivak, Chairman of the Board of PJSC SPC DIAPROPH-MED Oleksandr Shevchuk, Director of the Institute of Cell Biology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Andrii Sybirnyy, Director of O.V. Palladin Institute of Biochemistry of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Serhii Komisarenko, Director of the State Institution L.V. Gromashevsky Institute of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine Victoria Zadorozhna and Director of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Mykhailo Tukalo.