Areas of Scientific Interest

Clinical research; Experimental surgery; Gastrointestinal oncology; Preclinical studies; Experimental models of gastrointestinal cancers.

Main Activities / Research Directions

Clinical studies in surgery and oncology:

• Randomized controlled trials.
• Longitudinal observational studies.
• Cohort and other studies.

Research on gut microbiota and bile acids:

• Analysis of the role of microbiota and bile acids in oncological disease pathogenesis.
• The impact of gut microbiota on oncological treatment efficacy.

Bidirectional studies on microbiota and gastrointestinal surgery:

• Assessment of surgical impact on microbiota.
• Research on microbiota influence on surgical outcomes.

Preclinical studies on gastrointestinal diseases:

• Organ transplantation models in small and large animals.
• Gastrointestinal tumor models in small animals.

Research

• Study on the impact of mechanical bowel preparation on gut microbiota.
• The significance of prehabilitation in the treatment of gastric cancer patients: a randomized controlled trial.
• Research on the pathogenesis of postoperative infections and the development of early complication biomarkers.
• High-pressure intraperitoneal chemotherapy with cisplatin and doxorubicin combined with FOLFOX chemotherapy as a first-line treatment for gastric cancer patients with peritoneal metastases (single-arm phase II study).
• Establishment of the Baltic Liver and Pancreas Registry.
• Liver 3D printing model project.
• A novel approach to the colorectal adenoma–carcinoma sequence: interaction between gut microbiota and the local immune system in normal and carcinogenesis processes.
• Bile acids and microbiota: potential new indicators for progression and diagnosis in colorectal carcinogenesis.
• „Microplastic and the Microbiome“ project.

Methods and Infrastructure Used

• Planning, execution, quality control and result analysis of various types of clinical studies.
• Rat model of colorectal liver metastases treated with systemic chemotherapy.
• Microbiota studies: biological sample collection, preparation, sequencing, and data analysis.
• Utilized infrastructure: VU MF MMC facilities and clinical partner infrastructures.

Projects

LRC-funded projects:

• „Development of a Small Animal Liver Perfusion Machine as a Treatment Platform“, starting January 2025, duration: 2 years.

Collaboration

• Medical University of Graz, Austria
• National Cancer Institute, Ukraine
• Heidelberg University, Germany
• University of Hamburg, Germany
• North Estonia Medical Centre, Estonia

List of Employees and Contacts