Expo opened on 85th anniversary of Professor Viktor Vinter
The Museum of History of Kazan University opened the exhibition “Looking only forward…” to the 85th anniversary of the birth of biochemist Viktor Vinter (1939-2005). Its first visitors were the professor’s students and relatives. The exhibition is organized by the museum together with the Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology.
Victor Vinter was the founder of the study of the biological role of nuclear DNase and features of nucleic acid metabolism in normal and tumor cells at KFU, author of advanced scientific works in tumor growth biochemistry, enzymology, immunology, Chair of the Department of Biochemistry of Kazan University (1994-2005), Professor, Honored Worker of Higher School of the Republic of Tatarstan.
“The creation of such an exhibition was an initiative of his students. It also became possible due to the fact that the Museum of History of Kazan University keeps a rather large collection of Victor Vinter’s items,” said Svetlana Frolova, Director of KFU’s Directorate of Museums. “The most important thing is that the memory of a person is alive as long as his students, if we are talking about a scientist, remember him first of all.”
The exposition presents Vinter’s personal items: documents of academic degrees, diploma of the university prize of the second degree and the title of laureate (1973), library card of the Lobachevsky Scientific Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences, trade union card, and others. In addition, most of the exhibition tells about the professor’s scientific achievements – for example, his thesis, textbook “Methods of Genetic Engineering” (1997). There are photos with colleagues, as well as personal belongings – a pen and a pointer with which the scientist went to lectures.
Zinaida Abramova, Vinter’s student, Professor of the Department of Biochemistry, Biotechnology and Pharmacology, told the first guests of the exhibition about his biography, his scientific developments, achievements and discoveries, and interesting facts from the biochemist’s life. The Museum of History expresses its gratitude to Abramova for her assistance in creating the exhibition.
At the age of 25, as a graduate student at Kazan University, Vinter explained the significance of microRNAs and became the author of the first available scientific source in this field. Prominent university scientists at the end of the bygone century foresaw a number of significant scientific discoveries in both natural and technical sciences. They anticipated the scientific achievements of scientists from other countries of the world, which is another proof of the significant discoveries of the Kazan scientific school. However, in those years, due to the absence of the World Wide Web, as well as an insignificant number of scientific journals in English, the results of Vinter’s works could not be recognized worldwide. And the title of Nobel laureates in physiology and medicine in this particular sub-field was awarded only in 2024 – to American scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun, who found out that cells and tissues are not able to develop normally without microRNAs, and their abnormal regulation can cause cancer.
“Everything that the global community was talking about (referring to the awarding of the Nobel Prize to V. Ambros and G. Ravkan – ed.) was described in the abstract of Vinter’s PhD thesis,” Abramova emphasized, referring to his discovery.
The presentation of the exhibition was attended by Alla Kondratyeva, granddaughter of Victor Vinter, an alumna of Kazan University, deputy chairman of the council of the regional branch of the All-Russian Movement of the First in the Republic of Tatarstan. In an interview, she said that the history of their family is imbued with the spirit of science.
“His life was impossible without science,” Kondratyeva shared. “The pursuit of knowledge is what my grandfather’s history teaches, and he himself taught us. It is especially pleasant that Kazan University remembers those who worked for a long time for the benefit of national science, and it is encouraging that such an exhibition is organized – many students will be able to learn the history of both the department and Russian science. Those who can make scientific discoveries lived and live nearby, and perhaps the next discoveries are ahead for some of the current students.”
Vinter’s labors are reflected in modern scientific research as well.
“It’s very gratifying that many of those who are now faculty members remember the contributions of their mentors. It is interesting that the research of the guys who are still students is based on the scientific works of Victor Vinter. This really confirms the importance of the discoveries made at Kazan Federal University,” said the granddaughter of the outstanding biochemist.
The conference on Biochemistry as the Basis of Life Sciences started at KFU on 7 November, also dedicated to the memory of Professor Vinter.
Vinter was also a successful teacher. Starting in 1969, he read lectures on microbiology, virology, and electronic microscopy. He authored many guidebooks on nucleic acids and genetic engineering.
Applying great organizing efforts, he refurbished some facilities in the Main Building’s east wing, procured research equipment, and recruited talented educators and researchers.