Combat veterans, former fighters of the Aidar battalion, founded their own company six months ago. The company develops reagents for clinical laboratories and scientific institutions. No similar products are available in Ukraine.
Unique biotech products
Ukrainian laboratories are constrained to either buy European reagents at a high price, or cheap Russian ones that are often of low quality and thus the possibility of an error during the test is high. “We base our activities on two principles – quality and affordability. We are aiming at supplying the clinical labs with quality world-class reagents,” explained Dmytro Syniuka, director of the Ukrainian Genetic Technologies company, combat veteran, at a press-briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center.
The company’s main work directions are diagnosing viral disease agents, nutraceuticals, and testing genetic predisposition. The company’s scientists not only borrow up-to-date technologies but also conduct their own research. They plan to develop a haplogroup test – a DNA test that allows analyzing the person’s ancestry and learn the regions of origin of the ancestors. “We are working in the framework of the existing methods. I would say metaphorically: we have not made up a new literary genre, but we do write new books. Firstly, it’s honest, secondly, it is what is interesting to us,” emphasized Bizhan Sharopov, the company’s chief biologist, combat veteran.
The companies Ukrainian Genetic Technologies and MyHelix signed a Memorandum on cooperation in the field of nutraceuticals. They will be developing genetic tests “My ration” and “My vegetarianism”. “Both tests are entirely created in Ukraine. We are proud of it and it is just the beginning,” emphasized Daria Loseva, director of MyHelix.
Without actually emphasizing that the business is of the veterans
Dmytro Lavrenchuk, the public relations manager at Ukrainian Genetic Technologies, said that they do not immediately inform their clients that the company was founded by war veterans. “We are of the opinion that there needs to be a certain quality level of the products. And only after our clients get quality products and conclude that they are of higher quality than the ones they used before, only then they will look at us more attentively and will learn that the business is that of the veterans. Veterans can be not only a ‘begging’ element in our society, but they can also contribute to the society,” he explained.
“It is a small model of the post-Maidan Ukraine. Each of us has to be extremely interested in their success. Each of us has a choice, they’ve made theirs,” said Gennadiy Kurochka, co-founder and board member at Ukraine Crisis Media Center.
