Areas of Scientific Interest
- Biomarkers of Psychosocial Stress.
- Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Diseases.
- Application of Innovative Analytical Methods in Biomarke.
- Research High-density lipoproteins composition and function.
- Separation and isolation techniques for lipoproteins and extracellular vesicles.
- Characterization of extracellular vesicles.
- Composition of fatty acids in cell membranes and adipose tissue in human and animal models.
Main Activities / Research Directions
- Search and investigation of novel biomarkers of psychosocial stress.
- Evaluation of stress biomarkers in assessing cardiovascular disease risk.
- Implementation of high-performance liquid chromatography and other analytical methods for evaluating steroid hormone and endocannabinoid concentrations.
- Investigation of high-density lipoprotein composition and function.
- Ultracentrifugation and density gradient centrifugation for particle separation from human samples.
- Investigation of fatty acid composition in cell membranes and adipose tissue.
- Assessment of fatty acid profile changes in response to physiological and pathological conditions.
Research
Research on Psychosocial Stress Biomarkers:
- Investigation of steroid hormones and endocannabinoids in saliva and hair samples.
- The significance of psychosocial stress in assessing cardiovascular disease risk.
- Application of stress biomarkers for evaluating the effectiveness of stress management programs and other interventions.
Application of Innovative Sample Preparation and Analytical Methods in Biomarker Research:
- Adaptation of various extraction methods based on matrix and analyte relevance and sensitivity: stepwise liquid-liquid extraction, dispersive solid-phase extraction, or solid-phase extraction (SPE) with liquids.
- Determination of malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a fluorescence detector for detecting the MDA-thiobarbituric acid complex.
- Quantification of 25-hydroxyergocalciferol and 25-hydroxycholecalciferol concentrations in blood serum using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) .
- Determination of steroid hormone and endocannabinoid concentrations in saliva and hair using high-performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS).
Research on high-density lipoprotein and extracellular vesicle separation:
- Separation and fractionation of high-density lipoproteins and extracellular vesicles from human blood plasma using density gradient centrifugation.
- Lipid, protein, and other biomarker identification and evaluation in high-density lipoproteins and extracellular vesicles.
Research on adipose tissue and cell membrane fatty acid composition:
- Investigation of phospholipid fatty acid composition in cell membranes and adipose tissue in both human and animal models.
- Evaluation of adipose tissue lipid composition and cell membrane fatty acid composition in response to environmental factors such as stress, dietary intake, and disease progression (metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular diseases.
Methods and Infrastructure Used
- Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) with UV-Vis and fluorescence detection.
- Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS).
- Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS).
- Fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) analysis.
- Flow cytometry.
- Density Gradient centrifugation (DGC) and ultracentrifugation (UC).
- Western Blot method.
- Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) methods.
Projects
Project in collaboration with VU Life Sciences Center (GMC) and VU Faculty of Philosophy – „Investigation of the Interactions Between Steroid Hormones, the Endocannabinoid System, and Emotion Regulation in a Male Sample“. The study is funded by the VU Research Promotion Fund. Project code: MSF-JM-12/2024.
Project in collaboration with VU Life Sciences Center (GMC) and VU Faculty of Philosophy – „Supporting Teachers: Application of Mindfulness-Based Interventions to Reduce Teacher Stress and Burnout and Improve Work Quality“. The project is funded by the Lithuanian Research Council. Project code: P-EDU-23-23.
Collaboration
Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Clinics, Lithuania.
Vilnius University, Life Sciences Center, Lithuania.
Vilnius University, Faculty of Philosophy, Lithuania.
General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania.
Centre for Innovative Medicine, Department of Preclinical Research, Lithuania.
CJS Pulsetto, Lithuania.
CJS Human Studies Center, Lithuania.
Fraunhofer IZI, Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Leipzig, Germany.
List of Employees and Contacts
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Academic degree |
Name |
Memberships in societies |
Contacts |
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MD, PhD |
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BAS (Board member); LLMD (Board member); LIKSMA (Board member); EFLM; IFCC; EAS.
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MD, PhD |
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LLMD; EFLM; EAS.
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inga.bikulciene@mf.vu.ltinga.bikulciene@mf.vu.lt
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Dr.
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ausra.linkeviciute@mf.vu.ltausra.linkeviciute@mf.vu.lt
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Dr.
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LLMD; EFLM; EAS.
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egle.mazgelyte@mf.vu.ltegle.mazgelyte@mf.vu.lt
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MSc, PhD candidate
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EAS; LLMD.
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linas.cerniauskas@mf.vu.ltlinas.cerniauskas@mf.vu.lt
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MSc, PhD candidate
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Goda Aleknavičiūtė
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EFLM; LLMD; ISTH; BSEV; ISEV. |
goda.aleknaviciute-valiene@mf.vu.ltgoda.aleknaviciute-valiene@mf.vu.lt
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