On Thursday (05.03) we will host Prof. Eiva Bernotiene (Department of Regenerative Medicine, State Research Institute Centre for Innovative Medicine, VilniusTech University, Vilnius, Lithuania). Her lecture will be entitled: "Regenerative Medicine and Biomarker-Based Technologies: Joint, Heart and Infertility". The lecture will take place at 3 p.m. in the CN lecture hall and it will be followed by a get together.

Abstract:

This seminar will present our current research on regenerative medicine approaches and biomarker discovery across three major therapeutic areas: joint diseases, cardiovascular pathologies and reproductive medicine.

Our work focuses on patient joint primary cells and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) of various origins.  Extracellular vesicles (EVs) of those cells may serve as potential therapeutic agents as well as biomarker sources in various pathogenetic conditions. We demonstrated in vitro that menstrual blood-derived mesenchymal stromal cell (MenSC) EVs can integrate into cartilage tissue and may stimulate regenerative effects in chondrocytes, leading to cartilage extracellular matrix synthesis. We also collaborate in developing biomimetic tissue-engineered joint models for drug testing, regeneration and mechanobiology studies.

Using human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes on electroactive polymer scaffolds, heart-on-chip models for cardiovascular drug screening was developed for evaluation of cellular maturation, electrophysiology measurements and drug testing.

Our research in reproductive medicine address infertility of unexplained reasons, we identified significantly altered proteins in menstrual blood EVs and in MenSC EVs from infertile women, using proteome analysis. These alterations affect cell adhesion, apoptosis, immune response, and decidualization—enabling patient stratification for personalized therapeutic approaches.

Extracellular vesicles are powerful tools for intercellular communication, biomarker discovery, and therapeutic intervention across multiple disease areas, supported by advanced tissue engineering and mechanobiology approaches.