In 1996, the associates of International Center received two international grants according to the CRDF program. Coordination of scientific activity of those Ukrainian scientists, who provisionally is working abroad, constitutes an important aspect of activity of the International Center.

Mutual visits of scientists who are directly engaged in the experimental studies, as well as permanent discussions of the obtained results, are the factors promoting the investigations. Among the most important joint studies are the following:

1. Study of local topography of rising in the calcium level in synaptic terminals and neurosecretory cells and interaction of Ca²⁺ ions with calcium-binding proteins (Prof. E. Neher, Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Gettingen, Germany, and Prof. A. Dolphin, Department of Physiology, Royal Free Hospital, London, Great Britain).
2. Determination of the rate of Ca²⁺ release from nerve and secretory cells by the use of a microdroplet technique (Prof. O. Petersen, Department of Physiology, Liverpool University, Great Britain).
3. Investigation of the mechanisms of long-lasting modifications in the process of synaptic transmission under the influence of glutamate (Prof. R.-M. Grantyn, Laboratory of Development Neurobiology, Max Plank Institute of Neurology and Psychiatry, Berlin, Germany).
4. Study of the structure and functions of adenosine receptors and their role in modulation of calcium channel activity (Dr. M. Miras-Portugal, Department of Physiology, Veterinary Faculty, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain, and Prof. M. Klee, Department of Neurophysiology, Max Plank Institute for Brain Studies, Frankfurt, Germany).
5. Investigation of the endogenous mechanisms of modulation of intracellular calcium stores by cyclic ADP-ribose (Dr. G. Isenberg, Department of Physiology, Medical Faculty of Martin Luter University, Halle, Germany).
6. Determination of the mechanisms of calcium homeostasis in glial cells (Prof. H. Kettenmann, Max Delbruk Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany).
7. Study of the mechanisms of b-adrenergic control of sodium/calcium exchanger in cardiomyocytes by their functional expression in Xenopus oocytes (Prof. M. Morad, Department of Pharmacology, Georgetown University, Washington, USA).
8. Investigation of the properties of IP3- and caffeine-sensitive calcium stores in smooth muscle cells of the coronary arteries (Prof. G. Isenberg, Department of Physiology, Medical Faculty of Martin Luter University, Halle, Germany). The study was sponsored by the DFG Foundation.

Joint investigations supplied with grants were also carried out in the following laboratories:

1. Department of Molecular Studies of the Cells (Prof. V. Almers, Max Plank Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg, Germany).
2. Department of Medical Biophysics of Medical Faculty (Dr. A. D. Toledo, Seville, Spain).
3. Laboratory of Physiology of the Oxford University (Prof. F. Ashcroft, Oxford, Great Britain).
4. Laboratory of Biophysics of Synaptic Processes of the Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry (Prof. L. G. Magazanik, St. Petersburg, Russia).

The Dnepropetrovsk Division of the International Center continued its activities in 1996. This Division receives long-term sponsoring from AC "Debyut-Fidav". National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) of France positively decided the question on realization of a common Ukrainian-French project in 1997-1998. The Department of Cellular Neurocybernetics of CNRS (France) is involved in this project. Two agreements for common research activities were reached in 1996 with Dnepropetrovsk State University and Scientific-Industrial Company BIOTEK. Within the framework of the Days for science and culture of France in Ukraine, the Conference "Conceptual Progress in the Studies of a Neuron" was carried out.

In 1996, joint investigations were sponsored by the State Committee for the Problems of Science, Technology, and Industrial Policy of Ukraine and the Ministry of Science and Technology of Germany.

In addition, interchange of scientific information is being continued that provides support of constant scientific contacts and initiation of new common projects and grants. The following laboratories are involved in such interchange:

1. Department of Pharmacology of London University, Great Britain (Prof. D. Brown).
2. Department of Physiology and Biophysics of Lund University, Sweden (Prof. P. Hilstrand).
3. Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology of Pennsylvania University Medical College, USA (Prof. M. Nowycky).
4. Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic (Prof. P. Mares).

In 1996, the International Center organized International Seminar and Symposium. The Symposium ``Calcium Signaling'' was carried out in September in Max Delbruk Center for Molecular Medicine (Berlin, Germany). In this symposium, Ukraine was represented by P. G. Kostyuk, O. A. Kryshtal, E. A. Lukyanetz, and N.A. Lozovaya, while Germany was represented by D. Svandula, A. Konnert, and J. Dudel. International Seminar "Expression and Function of Potassium Channels" was carried out in December by International Center for Molecular Physiology (Kiev, Ukraine). German researches V.Fleischman and D.Heschler presented their data for this Seminar.

In 1996, 44 papers were published in international scientific journals, such as European Journal of Developmental Neuroscience, Biophysical Journal, Neuroscience, and Journal of Neurophysiology. These papers described the results of studies, carried out in accordance with the scientific plans of International Center for Molecular Physiology. In addition, 16 summaries were published in proceedings of international scientific meetings. Among these meetings, the most important events were Annual Conference of Physiological Society (April 15-19, 1996, London, Great Britain), International Conference "Low-Threshold T-Type Calcium Channels" (November, 1996, Montpelier, France), the Second European Neuroscience Meeting (September, 1996, Strasbourg, France), Annual Meeting of Society for Experimental Biology of Lancaster University "An Animal and an Animal Cell" (March, 1996, Lancaster, Great Britain), the 40th Annual Conference (February 17-21, 1996, Baltimore, Maryland, USA), and the 26th Annual Symposium of Neuroscience Society (November, 1996, Washington, USA).