On December 9th, a delegation from Thermo Fisher Scientific visited the Vilnius University Life Sciences Center (VU LSC) to deepen ties and explore new avenues of scientific collaboration.
The group was led by Pawan Singh, Vice President and General Manager for the company’s molecular biology business, who was accompanied by several representatives from Thermo Fisher Scientific Baltics: Justas Plankis, General Manager; Edita Šmergelienė, Director of Research and Development; Darius Mažeika, Director of Manufacturing; Diana Gaučytė, Head of Distribution; and Egidijus Jaseliūnas, Head of Communications.
The delegation met with the leadership of VU LSC, including Center Director Dr. Arvydas Lubys; Professor Eglė Lastauskienė, Advisor for International Relations and Director of the Institute of Biosciences; Dr. Kastis Krikštopaitis, Director of the Institute of Biochemistry; Julius Gagilas, Deputy Director for Business and Infrastructure and Kristina Černiauskienė, Head of Communications and Marketing.
Because Pawan Singh recently started in his position, the visit provided an opportunity to become acquainted with the center’s scientific environment and ongoing strategic cooperation between VU LSC and Thermo Fisher Scientific. Representatives of the Life Sciences Center presented core information about its research programs, academic activities, and technological capabilities. Both sides discussed potential opportunities for expanding their partnership, considering initiatives that would benefit scientific progress as well as increase the visibility of both organizations.
The visit concluded with a tour of several laboratories in VU LSC. Dr. Giedrė Tamulaitienė introduced the CryoEM facility, the core structural biology equipment. Prof. Linas Mažutis spoke about his team’s single-cell research technologies and their applications. Dr. John Cooper, representing Dr. Stephen Jones’s group at the EMBL Partnership Institute, highlighted their work in genome editing. Finally, members of the Vilnius-Lithuania iGEM team guided the guests through the student training laboratories, describing their project development process and discussing Thermo Fisher Scientific’s support for iGEM initiatives.
The visit underscored a shared commitment to strengthening scientific collaboration and fostering an environment where research, education, and industry can advance together.
