Gerontology, Institute of

(full name, Institute of Gerontology of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR), the largest scientific research institute in Europe studying the problem of longevity.

The Institute of Gerontology was organized in Kiev in 1958 as a coordinating center for the scientific and practical research institutions in the USSR that deal with the various problems of gerontology and geriatrics. The institute, having at its disposal both experimental laboratories and clinics, conducts research on the human aging process in an effort to discover the mechanisms of aging and the possibilities of its prevention. The Institute of Gerontology serves as the basic institution of the World Health Organization for arranging courses on the social and medical questions of gerontology. It has issued the yearly journal Gerontology and Geriatrics since 1959.