The beginning of September is always special at the Saulėtekis student campus – the university streets and courtyards fill with bustle, lecture halls come alive, and a new wave of young people appears, ready to embark on their own academic journey. Already during the summer, newcomers had the chance to feel what it means to be part of the Vilnius University Life Sciences Center (LSC) community – at the traditional camp organized by the Student Representation, first-year students tackled their first challenges and, with humor, noise, and student spirit, became part of the LSC family. But only today – on September 1 – did everything become official.

Raimonda Mažylytė defended her thesis entitled "Influence of soil microbiome composition and functionality on plants' vegetative processes" for the degree of Doctor of Science in Biology.

Rimantė Gaižauskaitė defended her thesis entitled "Links between sex, women's hormonal status and spatial abilities: interplay of cognitive, neurophysiological, social, and emotional factors“ for the degree of Doctor of Science in Biophysics.

Monika Grubliauskaitė defended her thesis entitled "Development of reproductive tissue transplantation in vivo and maturation in vitro methods" for the degree of Doctor of Science in Biology.

Viktorija Preitakaitė defended her thesis entitled "Exploration of anticancer compounds and enzyme-prodrug systems" for the degree of Doctor of Science in Biochemistry.

Margarita Žvirblė defended her thesis entitled "Investigation of Molecular Biomarkers in Prostate Cancer for Prognosis and Treatment Prediction" for the degree of Doctor of Science in Biology.

On 1–3 September, Sir Richard John Roberts – Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, molecular biologist, and pioneer of bioinformatics – will visit Vilnius University (VU). His visit is part of a series of events to celebrate the 50th anniversary of modern biotechnology in Lithuania.

Laurita Klimkaitė defended her thesis entitled "Virulence strategies for the opportunistic pathogen Stenotrophomonas maltophilia" for the degree of Doctor of Science in Biochemistry.

Miglė Kalvaitytė-Repečkė has defended her thesis entitled "Development and Application of Genetic Tools to Investigate the Role of Tcf21 in Heart Regeneration" for the degree of Doctor of Science in Biology.

On August 19, Karen Feinberg, an international expert in innovation and entrepreneurship, developing global partnerships and capacity-building initiatives, visited the Vilnius University Life Sciences Center (VU LSC). She was welcomed by Julius Gagilas, Deputy Director for Business Cooperation and Infrastructure.

Vilnius University (VU) has acquired two large remote solar power plants and installed rooftop photovoltaic systems on 19 university-owned buildings in Vilnius and Šiauliai. These VU-operated solar power plants will generate up to 5,600 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity annually, covering about one-third of the university’s yearly electricity consumption. Along with the green electricity that VU has been purchasing from an independent supplier for the past five years, this step contributes to implementing the university’s strategic climate neutrality plan.

Modified nucleotides enable the creation of more stable, precise, and effective genetic tools, such as CRISPR systems or mRNA vaccines. These compounds not only improve molecular performance but also reduce immune responses in the body, making them highly valuable in medicine and pharmaceuticals.

Genome editing is one of the fastest-growing areas of modern biotechnology. Its capabilities are already transforming medicine and agriculture, and even enabling the revival of extinct animal species. However, effective and safe genome editing requires careful verification of the 'gene scissors' being used.