9355516 Kagan Dr. V. Kagan is a faculty member at the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the University of Pittsburgh. He is a world recognized leader in the field of free radical and antioxidant research. His current research program includes extensive ESR studies of free radical mechanisms involved in the activation of Ca2+ release channels in sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes. Dr. V. Ritov is the Associate Research Professor of Biochemistry at the Department of Biology, State University of Moscow. With his systematic studies of Ca2+ transport and mechanisms of its regulation, he has gained an outstanding reputation as a biochemist. The presence of Dr. Ritov in Dr. Kagan's laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh on a daily basis will greatly facilitate the joint studies on the involvement of free radicals and antioxidants in fundamental physiologic mechanisms of functioning of Ca2+-release channel in sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes. Dr. V. Ritov will have access to unique ESR techniques for free radical studies developed in Dr. Kagan's laboratory which he will be able to use in his research upon his return to Russia. Dr. Ritov's visit to the US will enable him to interact with American scientists directly and will enhance his international scientific reputation that he deserves. The visit of Dr. V. Ritov to Dr. Kagan's laboratory will significantly strengthen the collaborative research in their laboratories both in the US and in Russia. ***
