Miglė Janulaitienė has defended her thesis entitled "Virulence Factors of Vaginal Bacteria Gardnerella and their Association with Bacterial Vaginosis" for the degree of Doctor of Science in Chemical Engineering.

On 29 April, the Government of Japan announced that Professor Virginijus Šikšnys of the Vilnius University Life Sciences Center will be awarded the prestigious Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon. The award is granted in recognition of his contributions to promoting academic exchange and strengthening mutual understanding between Japan and Lithuania.

As the PANERIS project comes to an end, we are proud to reflect on a journey marked by collaboration, knowledge exchange, and meaningful impact across the European neuroscience community.

The Ambassador of the Republic of Turkiye to Lithuania, Esra Toplu, visited the Vilnius University Life Sciences Center (VU LSC), accompanied by Second Secretary Mehmet Bakıcı. During the visit, she met with the Director of VU LSC, Dr. Arvydas Lubys, Prof. Virginijus Šikšnys, and Head of Marketing and Communication Kristina Černiauskienė.

The human eye is an astounding tool, yet it is limited to a thin sliver of the electromagnetic spectrum. In our daily lives, we move through a world bathed in light that we cannot see – without the right tools, that is. Just beyond the deep red lies the “near-infrared” – a world of light much different from what we are used to.

On 22 April, we had the pleasure of welcoming a delegation from the InFLAMES Flagship, led by Prof. Sirpa Jalkanen, to the Department of Immunology at the Institute of Biotechnology, Vilnius University Life Sciences Center.

A new study by the Vilnius University Life Sciences Center (VU LSC) and an international team of researchers, published in the peer-reviewed journal Virus Evolution, has revealed that the coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic spread undetected for an extended period in Lithuania’s mink farms. The findings show that the virus was transmitted at least four times from mink to humans and 14 times from humans to mink in Lithuania. The results highlight the importance of monitoring viruses circulating in animal farms for public health and expose significant gaps in this area in Lithuania.

Art often seems like a self-evident part of human activity – it accompanies us in museums, cities, and on screens. Yet we rarely pause to ask: what is art, really, and why does it exist at all? On 30 April, the Vilnius University (VU) Discussion Club will host a conversation about art, approaching it as a cultural phenomenon, a form of thinking, and an experience that takes place in the brain.

Two projects by researchers from the Vilnius University Life Sciences Center (VU LSC) received the highest evaluation scores in the Research Council of Lithuania’s call for Technology Development Projects. Both focus on practical applications and address pressing public health challenges: developing solutions that make it easier and faster to assess the body’s condition, and using artificial intelligence to improve drug production technologies for greater efficiency.

From 12 to 19 July this year, Vilnius will host the 37th International Biology Olympiad, bringing together young biology enthusiasts from around the world. An event of this scale – expected to welcome up to 600 participants from 82 countries – is being organised in Lithuania for the first time in history.

In Lithuania, endometrial (uterine lining) cancer is diagnosed more often than in many other European countries. Based on incidence rates, the country ranks among the highest in the region, while neighbouring countries show significantly lower figures. What explains this difference?

A team of scientists from the Institute of Biochemistry, Bioanalysis Department, at the Vilnius University Life Sciences Center, led by Dr. Dalius Ratautas, has secured funding through one of the most competitive Lithuania–Japan bilateral research programmes [1]. Their project, Development of a Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Biosensor Based on DNA Nanotweezers, focuses on creating next-generation biosensors. The aim is to establish a fundamentally new principle for detecting genetic mutations, converting extremely small differences in DNA into a clearly measurable electrochemical signal.

On 2 April, the Vilnius University Life Sciences Center (VU LSC) hosted its annual community meeting, bringing together scientists, students, and partners to review the achievements of the past year and discuss future directions. This year, the event also held symbolic significance, marking the Center’s 10th anniversary.