In the footsteps of a biochemical luminary: the scientific legacy of Yakub Parnas

The article is dedicated to commemorating Yakub Karol Parnas, an eminent figure in biochemistry and a professor in the Department of Physiological (Biological) Chemistry at Lviv Medical University. It underscores the profound impact of Yakub Parnas on Ukrainian biochemistry, shedding light on intriguing facets­ of his personality during his highly productive two decades at Lviv University. His research significantly contributed to the unveiling of anaerobic glucose metabolism, later acknowledged as the Embden-Meyerhoff-Parnas pathway. Professor Yakub Parnas and his Lviv school conducted pivotal studies on enzymatic transformations associated with anaerobic muscle function and alcoholic fermentation, glycogen phosphorolysis, revelation of ATP synthesis within glycolysis, pioneering use of radioactively labeled phosphorus in biological experiments.