In 1885 Prince Oldenburgsky was in command of a guards regiment. In november 1885 an officer of the regiment got bitten by a rabid dog. In the late of the 19th century hydrophobia was not medically treated yet, but already the reports about the first vaccinations came from Paris laboratory of Louis Pasteur.
By the order of Oldenbyrgsky and to his expenses the officer was accompanied by doctor Krooglevsky to Pasteur, whom Prince personally knew. Krooglevsky also got the instuctions to learn the methods of preparation of "rabid vaccines".
Suffered officer had been cured. Doctor Krooglevsky returned to St-Petersburg with a present from Pasteur : 2 rabits, infected with 115 and 116 generations of rabies viruses.
With the same purpose of dissemination of a new method of treatment, Oldenburgsky ordered doctor Gelman to undertake experiments with the rabid-infected rabits. By the time of Krooglevsky's return to St-Petersburg from Paris in Gelman's laboratory there were 9 generations of rabies viruses. The special lab attached to the veterinary infirmary of house hold mounted regiment was organised. Passage of virus brought from Paris started June 13, 1886. One month later "The station of preventive treatment of hydrophobia by Pasteur's method" was officially opened.
Apart from medical consultations and vaccine-making, the scientific research started. For the first time in Russia systematic investigations of pathogenic microorganisms were carried out here, together with new means of medical treatment of infectious diseases. Unfortunately, the housing and staff of the lab were not sufficient (all came to the expenses of Prince Oldenburgsky) to scale up the research. In 1888 the Pasteur Institute was opened in Paris. Soon Hygienic Institute of Health was organized in Germany under the direction of R.Koch. Prince Oldenburgsky decided to establish the same institution in Russia. He addressed Alexander III, who gave his approval on November 2, 1888. The new institute "similar to the Pasteur's institute in Paris " was organized attached to the Nurse Community of St.Trinity ( to which he was a trustee).As the Tzar gave his purmission, but no money, Prince Alexander Petrovich bought a peace of land with several buildings on Aptekarsky island on his own means.
The main aim of the institute was to determine the causes of various infectious diseases and to work out new methods of their treatment. On December 8, 1890 the institute was consecrated and opened. It was given the name of "Imperial Institute of Experimental Medicine", Prince Oldenburgsky appointed a trustee.

In late 19 century the institute consisted of 6 departments : Physiology (head - I.P.Pavlov ); Chemistry (M.V.Nentsky); General Bacteriology (S.N.Vinogradsky); Pathologic Anatomy ( N.V.Uskov); Syphilidology (E.F.Shperk); Epizootology ( K.Ya.Gelman); Vaccination Department (V.A.Krayushkin) and Science Library (V.G.Ushakov).

During the next 110 years Institute of Experimental Medicine became one of the leading medico-biological research centres, uniting a lot of noted scientists, working in diverse fields of natural sciences, in different levels of biological study, from an organism to molecular. In 1944 the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences was founded. A considerable number of the institutes of the new Academy were organised on the base of IEM departments. St-Petersburg branch of IEM, as a part of the Academy, remained a separate institute with it's original name - Institute of Experimental Medicine.