Twelve researchers from the Vilnius University Life Sciences Center (VU LSC) were selected through international competitions. They will participate in the Research Council of Lithuania programme My First Research Team, building their first research teams and leading independent research projects across a broad range of life sciences – from cancer biology, neurobiology and infectious diseases to enzyme engineering and AI-driven drug discovery. In total, 89 young researchers from 18 Lithuanian research and higher education institutions were selected for the programme.
The successful project leaders from the Vilnius University Life Sciences Center are:
Agnė Petrošiūtė will establish a preclinical drug candidate testing platform at the Life Sciences Center for evaluating next-generation carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) inhibitors and other potential drug candidates. The project will help assess their efficacy and safety and contribute to the development of new approaches to cancer therapy and diagnostics.
Ugnė Kuliešiūtė will investigate the glycocalyx of human brain neurons and its links with neuronal network activity in epilepsy. The project is expected to provide a better understanding of the molecular changes occurring in the brains of people with epilepsy.
Milda Alksnė will investigate how extracellular vesicles released by cells resistant to oxidative stress could be used for bone tissue regeneration and the development of new regenerative medicine strategies.
Vytautas Petkevičius will focus on advanced engineering of non-heme iron monooxygenases. The project aims to develop more efficient biocatalytic systems that could be applied to the more sustainable synthesis of high-value compounds.
Dovilė Stravinskienė will develop antibody-modified vesicles for the targeted delivery of therapeutic molecules to cancer cells and for suppressing processes caused by oncogenic viruses. The research will combine cancer cell recognition with mRNA-based therapeutic strategies.
Martynas Talaikis will develop plasmonic substrates for detecting low-molecular-weight skin biomarkers using ultraviolet surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. The technology could contribute to the development of more sensitive bioanalytical methods.
Rokas Žalnėravičius will develop a wireless biosensor for the early detection of microbial biofilm formation in wounds. Such technology could help identify the risk of infection earlier and contribute to more effective wound monitoring.
Dorian Battivelli will investigate the interaction between the gut microbiota and the brain’s immune cells – microglia – and its role in shaping social dominance behaviour. The project will combine behavioural neurobiology, microbiota research, genomics, transcriptomics and electrophysiology.
Benjamin Cooper will seek to gain a deeper understanding of the structure of the outer membrane of Borrelia bacteria. The research is expected to provide new insights into the biology and protective mechanisms of bacteria that cause Lyme disease and other illnesses.
Giedrė Ratkevičiūtė-Cooper will investigate essential protein transporters in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Using cryo-electron microscopy and biophysical methods, the project will seek to understand how these transporters function and assess whether they could become new therapeutic targets.
Tomas Sabirovas will investigate how the lipid membrane environment affects the function of membrane redox enzymes. The project is expected to improve understanding of processes important for cellular energy metabolism and allow more reliable assessment of certain enzymes as potential targets for antimicrobial compounds.
Joana Smirnovienė will develop an experimental platform for AI-driven drug discovery. It will be based on standardised experimental data on protein–small molecule interactions that can be reliably used to develop and evaluate machine-learning models.
The My First Research Team programme, implemented by the Research Council of Lithuania, gives young researchers the opportunity to lead research projects independently for the first time and to build their own teams. These teams may include students, postdoctoral researchers, scientists from international research institutions and representatives of business organisations. The programme also provides opportunities for research visits, internships and joint activities with international partners, supporting researcher mobility and international collaboration. In this way, the programme aims to enable young researchers to build independent scientific careers in Lithuania, strengthen the country’s research potential and foster a new generation of scientific leaders.
