At the University of Tartu, with the help of a grant, 3D-printed health products from Estonian and Ukrainian medicinal plants will be researched

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University of Tartu’s Institute of Pharmacy received a grant of 168 000 euros which will be used to research creating new 3D-printed medicine forms from Estonian and Ukrainian medicinal plants. Grant was received by Ukrainian Oleh Koshovyi who is doing here post-doctoral research.

Oleh Koshovyi had already previous contacts with Institute of Pharmacy. He said that he find out about institute first time in 2016 when University of Tartu’s researchers took part of their conference at the National University of Pharmacy, Kharkiv, Ukraine. „After that we decided to keep in touch with the colleagues. Some times later we visited the University of Tartu with the group of our students. Professor Ain Raal with the colleagues organized great practical training for them.“

One of the supervisors of the project, Professor Ain Raal added that not long after, academic collaboration began, resulting in their first joint publication in 2020. "By the time we applied for the project, we had published 12 publications."

Oleh Koshovyi explained that the project aims to create new plant-origin materials and 3D-printed medicinal dosage forms with expected antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, sedative and anxiolytic activity for disorders of nervous system, infectious and inflammatory processes using raw materials of Ukrainian and Estonian flora. „Due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, it is a very important challenge for pharmacy and medicine there to help treat various wounds and injuries. It is also important to reduce central nervous system disorders (anxiety, difficulty falling asleep, sleep disorders, mental exhaustion and depression) in people affected by war,“ said Ain Raal.

Oleh Koshovy’s main research areas previously were creating new herbal medicines by complex processing of raw materials and modifying herbal extracts, also standardization of herbal pharmaceutics according to the modern requirements of Ukraine and Europe.

Oleh Koshovyi projects’s name is „Design and development of 3D-printed medicines for bioactive materials of Ukrainian and Estonian medicinal plants origin“. The supervisors of the project are professor Ain Raal and professor Jyrki Tapio Heinämäki.

Grant „MSCA4 Ukraine“ supports displaced researchers from Ukraine. 13 doctoral candidates and 111 postdoctoral researchers from Ukraine will be able to continue their work in EU Member States and countries associated to Horizon Europe.