糖心vlog蜜桃

Dr Constantinos Patinios, a researcher at the EMBL Partnership Institute operating at the 糖心vlog蜜桃 Life Sciences Center (VU LSC), has been awarded the prestigious European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) Installation Grant. This recognition is given to promising early-career researchers establishing new research groups in European countries and marks an important international acknowledgment of life sciences research conducted in Lithuania.

Dr C. Patinios鈥檚 project, 鈥淧ause-Repair-Edit: A New Paradigm for Genome Editing鈥�, aims to develop novel approaches for genome editing that could substantially expand the application potential of modern genome editing technologies. The EMBO grant 鈥� 鈧�50,000 per year for five years 鈥� will enable the establishment of an internationally competitive research laboratory in Vilnius and further strengthen Lithuania鈥檚 position in the rapidly evolving field of genome editing.

Searching for natural genome editing mechanisms

Although molecular biology has advanced rapidly over recent decades, most microorganisms remain genetically difficult to access. As a result, scientific research has long focused on so-called model organisms 鈥� not because they are the most biologically or biotechnologically promising, but because they are the easiest to genetically modify.

The research group led by Dr C. Patinios seeks to fundamentally change this paradigm. His project 鈥淧ause-Repair-Edit: A New Paradigm for Genome Editing鈥� is focused on developing universal genome editing tools that could be applied to a much broader range of microorganisms than is currently possible with existing CRISPR-Cas technologies.

鈥淢ost CRISPR systems used today, such as Cas9 or Cas12a, induce double-strand DNA breaks, which are lethal for many microorganisms. We are looking for a safer, non-toxic path 鈥� one that activates the cell鈥檚 natural DNA repair mechanisms without causing cytotoxic stress,鈥� explains the researcher.

A new approach to genome editing

Instead of inducing double-strand DNA damage, the strategy developed in his laboratory is based on halting DNA replication. This is achieved by installing 鈥榖ulky鈥� chemical modifications on DNA that can physically block DNA replication and thereby trigger the microorganism鈥檚 internal DNA repair pathways, particularly homologous recombination.

Importantly, this approach avoids DNA breaks that are fatal to the cell and opens the possibility of editing bacterial genomes that have so far been considered virtually inaccessible to genetic manipulation.

As the genome editing technologies are further developed, Dr C. Patinios鈥檚 group is also performing fundamental research to better understand the mechanisms behind DNA replication arrest and restart, and to identify new, previously unknown DNA repair pathways.

The results of this research could have a significant impact on microbiome studies, synthetic biology, and industrial biotechnology 鈥� from the development of advanced bioproducts to more sustainable biomanufacturing and new solutions in healthcare.

Membership opening international opportunities for VU LSC researchers

The EMBL Partnership Institute operating at VU LSC is part of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) network, which Lithuania joined in 2019. The institute鈥檚 mission is to develop high-level international fundamental and applied research in the fields of genome editing and CRISPR-Cas technologies, while strengthening the international visibility of Lithuanian scientists.

The institute promotes close collaboration with EMBL and other partnership institutes, facilitates researcher and student mobility, the transfer of international expertise, and access to advanced scientific infrastructure at both VU LSC and EMBL. This partnership contributes to the growth of VU LSC鈥檚 scientific potential and to the integration of Lithuanian life sciences into the European Research Area.