The aim: The purpose of this literature review is to shed light on the development of biochemical knowledge in the Lviv region and on prominent figures in the development of biochemistry during the Second World War.
Materials and methods: Review of literature published before 2020. We searched the literature using the search terms ‘biochemists’, ‘ Lviv National Medical University’, ‘second World War’.
Conclusions: The development of biological research in Lviv can be divided into two historical stages: 1) from the beginning of the founding of Lviv University in 1661 to the First World War; 2) between the First and Second World Wars and after the Second World War. Biochemical research was initiated at the Medical Faculty of Lviv University. In 1939, the Lviv State Medical Institute was established on the basis of the Medical Faculty of the University, where a powerful department of biochemistry functioned, which was headed by a worldclass biochemist – Jakub Parnas.