The Lithuanian Society for Immunology 

The Lithuanian Society for Immunology (LSI) unites researchers and clinicians working in the field of immunology.  

LSI maintains the international contacts with the scientists from abroad, especially with our neighbours – the immunologists from Latvia and Estonia.  

LSI is a member of the joined society of Baltic immunological societies (BaIS) and a member of the European Federation of Immunological Societies (EFIS).   

Brief history  

LSI was founded in 1991 by the efforts of professors V. A. Tamosiunas and B. Padegimas, assoc. prof. E. Razgauskas and others.  

LSI prepared the Statute that was registered at the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Lithuania.  

After its establishing, LSI organized Summer Schools for Young Immunologists in different Lithuanian towns: Birštonas (1992), Palanga (1993), Trakai (1995), Nida (1997) to promote the activities in the field of immunology. In the schedule of these Summer schools, the prominent immunologists from Lithuania and foreign countries (Germany, Sweden, Poland, UK) presented lectures and seminars. In later Summer schools, the reports were also made by the former Summer school attendees, who studied abroad.   

Activities  

LSI elects the Society Board and the Revision Committee as well as determines the annual membership fee.  

At the annual meetings that usually take place in December, LSI foresees and plans the activities for the coming year, i. e. the seminars, conferences and participation in the conferences or the internship abroad.  

LSI also organizes the annual conferences on the Day of Immunology (April 29) that has been announced by EFIS and is celebrated worldwide since 2005. The programs of the conferences can be found here: 

https://www.efis.org/home.html#anc424

Contacts  

email: info@imunologai.lt

LSI president

Aurelija Žvirblienė, 

aurelija.zvirbliene@bti.vu.lt

LSI secretary

Dovilė Stravinskienė,

dovile.stravinskiene@gmc.vu.lt

News

2023-06-21

ABC7 summer school in Tallinn: about autoimmunity and more

Participants of the summer school ABC7 in the open-air museum of Estonia (photo by Tamara Vorobjova, University of Tartu).

On June 14-16, 2023, members of the Lithuanian Society for Immunology (LSI) participated in the 7th international summer school "ABC7: Autoimmunity, B cell and Complement" organized by the Estonian Society for Immunology and Allergology (EIAS), The European Federation of Immunological Societies (EFIS) and the Nordic Complement Committee (NCC). Attendees heard exclusive presentations by renowned scientists on the cutting edge of the immune system in the fields of autoimmune response, B cells and the complement system, starting with keynote lectures by Seppo Meri (University of Helsinki, Finland) and Burkhard Becher (University of Zurich, Switzerland).

The target groups of the summer school were doctoral students, medical residents, early career researchers. They had the opportunity to present their work by oral and poster presentations, and participate in career development workshops. LSI member dr. Asta Lučiūnaitė presented her oral presentation on the research of macrophage activation by the immune complexes. During the career development workshop, LSI president prof. A. Žvirblienė presented what opportunities and challenges arise in the field of immunology research in Lithuania. During the discussion, the personal experiences of both experienced and young scientists were heard of their career path. Secretary of LSI and the representative of the EFIS Gender and Diversity Task Force Dr. D. Stravinskienė invited a more active discussion on the issues of gender equality and underrepresented groups, and former EFIS General Secretary Pablo Engel (University of Barcelona, Spain) reminded young researchers about EFIS funding opportunities for travels and internships. Also prof. Maciej Kurpisz, president of the Polish Society for Fundamental and Clinical Immunology, was pleased about the opportunities for cooperation and invited everyone to come to the immunology school in Poland next year.

Summer school organizer dr. Kai Kisand (University of Tartu), prof. Maciej Kurpisz (President of the Polish Society for Fundamental and Clinical Immunology), LSI President Prof. A. Žvirblienė (photo by Tamara Vorobjova).

Dr. Asta Lučiūnaitė presented her work at the session of young scientists. (Photo: D. Stravinskienė).

During the meeting dinner, the participants visited the Estonian open-air museum, which presents the country's rural architecture and lifestyle. This conference brought together scientists from the Baltic and Scandinavian regions, helped young scientists discover new connections, and encouraged international cooperation. LSI members are invited to participate in future regional immunology schools and conferences, where they can improve their knowledge about basic and clinical autoimmunology, exchange information on new trends in autoimmunity diagnostics, and to cooperate in autoimmunity-related research.

2023-06-19

The visit of the Honorary member of LSI, professor H. H. Peter in Lithuania

On June 13th, 2023, the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences (LAS) together with the Lithuanian Society for Immunology (LSI) organized the scientific conference „Current achievements in immunology“ with the participation of the Honorary member of LSI and foreign member of the LAS, former President of German Society for Immunology, professor Hans Hartmut Peter who presented the lecture on IgG4-related diseases. Other presentations were given by VU professor Laura Malinauskienė and doctor Goda Filipavičienė from the University of Health Sciences. After the conference, there was an informal discussion with prof. H. H. Peter. The participants of the discussion reminded that prof. H. H. Peter was the main organizer of the international Summer Schools of Immunology that significantly contributed to the development of immunology research in Lithuania in the first years after restoring its independence (1992-2005). Former president of the LSI prof. V. A. Tamošiūnas presented his autobiographic book and the book of a famous Vilnius University professor of XIX century J. Sniadecki „Theory of organic beings“. Former LSI member prof. S. Gendvilis also shared his memories, as he has a long-year personal relation with H. H. Peter and contributed to organizing his current visit.

Prof. H. H. Peter and his wife spent over a week in Lithuania - they visited not only Vilnius, but also Nida.  Prof. H.H Peter noticed significant changes in Lithuania during the last 20 years. He not only reminded the joint events organized by German and Baltic Societies for Immunology, but also was interested in current international activities of the LSI. He encouraged the participation of LSI members in EFIS activities and LSI efforts to establish closer collaborations with Estonian, Latvian, Polish and German immunologists.
Photos from the conference organized by LAS and LSI are here

2023-05-18

Immunologists from all over the world discussed in Vilnius at the CITIM-2023 conference

On April 24-27 2023, the 7th International Conference "Cancer immunotherapy and immunomonitoring (CITIM-2023 Vilnius)" took place in Vilnius. The conference was jointly organized by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the Lithuanian Society for Immunology (LSI). The achievements in cancer immunology and the possibilities of applying new technologies in the clinic were shared by prominent immunology authorities from Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Richmond (USA), Santiago (Chile), Heidelberg, Essen, Mannheim, Tübingen (Germany), London (UK), Prague (Czech Republic), Milan (Italy), participants from Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Beer-Sheva (Israel), Stockholm (Sweden), the delegation from Kyiv and Rivne (Ukraine).
"Every two years, the CITIM conference is held in a different European country. We took over the organizers' baton from Goergia. We feel the responsibility, but at the same time we also appreciate the work of Lithuanian immunologists, because CITIM raises its flags in countries having a potential for cancer immunology research, - said the head of the National Organizing Committee, prof. Vita Pašukonienė. - Due to the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, the preparation for the CITIM-Vilnius conference took even four years - twice as much time as usual. In this period, many undiscussed topics and unshared results accumulated, so it was a difficult task to rearrange the program, to invite guest lecturers and sponsors to this traditional European event, which brings together specialists from all over the world".

The conference was warmly welcomed by dr. Karolis Ažukaitis, the Vice-Dean for Science and Innovations of the Faculty of Medicine of Vilnius University. The elected member of the Vilnius Council Aurimas Navys (picture on the right) compared cancer with an occupier, and the immunotherapy technologies presented by the conference participants - to the latest warfare technologies.
At the CITIM-2023 Vilnius conference, 150 participants discussed for 4 days, giving 46 oral presentations and 34 poster presentations, from which 8 best presentations of young researchers were selected. Among them, the presentation of Emilija Paberalė, a PhD student of the Laboratory of Immunology at NCI, was awarded.
Lithuania was represented by 5 oral presentations, four of which were from the NCI. Dr. Jan Krasko, Dr. Agata Mlynska, Dr. Marius Strioga presented the results of their research. The first results of the joint Lithuanian-Ukrainian project were presented by Dr. Olga Karaman, a researcher from Kyiv who transferred her research to NCI due to the war in Ukraine. Poster presentations were presented by the Laboratories of Molecular Oncology and Immunology of NCI.

Emilija Paberalė, a PhD student of the Laboratory of Immunology at NCI

Dr. Agata Mlynska, the Laboratory of Immunology at NCI

The participation of the Ukrainian delegation in the conference also had a strong ideological meaning. Through the combined efforts of the International and National Organizing Committees, all participation costs of the Ukrainian delegation were fully reimbursed. Moreover, in solidarity with a country defending its independence, it was decided that the next CITIM meeting should be held in Lviv, Ukraine, in two years. "I wish this angel created by Lithuanian folk artists will protect your country. It is difficult to expect that he will help to organize the CITIM conference, but this will be a guarantee that we all will join our efforts to do THAT" - Prof. V. Pašukonienė said at the end of the conference, presenting a wooden stylized angel created by Lithuanian folk artists to the head of the Ukrainian delegation dr. For Rostyslav Bilyy.

Pictures from the CITIM-2023 conference in the gallery.

New LSI president, LSI vice-president and LSI board members started their  5-year term on the 4th of January, 2023

Upcoming events

EFIS Gender and Diversity Taskforce LUNCH INTERVIEW

Join the EFIS Gender & Diversity Task Force on Tuesday, September 12, at 11:00 am (CET) for an exciting online lunch seminar addressing the long-standing issue of gender imbalance in science, crucial for the future of immunology. Hear from EFIS President Federica Sallusto and President-elect Bojan Polić as they discuss these issues and how EFIS takes action. Register here now and be part of the conversation!

Past events

Dear Colleagues,

You are most welcome to attend the ABC7: Autoimmunity, B cells and Complement summer school organised by EFIS, EIAS, and NCC. The summer school will be held at the Sokos Hotel Viru conference centre in Tallinn, Estonia, on June 14-16, 2023. This is already the seventh international ABC meeting.
Attendees will hear exceptional presentations by renowned speakers on the immune system's cutting-edge findings in the fields of autoimmunity, B cells, and the complement system, starting with the keynote lecture from Burkhard Becher. Young scientists will have the opportunity to present their work in oral and poster presentations, and participate in a career development workshop.
Abstract submission is now open and the deadline is March 31st. Registration for the meeting will be open until June 1st. For more information, please visit the ABC7 website.
Dates to remember:
March 31st, 2023: Abstract submission deadline
March 31st, 2023: EFIS and NCC grant application deadline
June 1st, 2023: Final registration deadline
We are looking forward to seeing you in Tallinn in June 2023!
---
Kai Kisand, MD, PhD
Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine
University of Tartu

7th international conference Cancer Immunotherapy and Immunomonitoring (CITIM-2023) will be held on April 24-27, 2023 in Conference Room and Conference Hall of Crowne Plaza Vilnius Hotel, which is located in the center of Vilnius, Lithuania.
All information about registration, program and accommodation can be found here: https://www.canceritim.org/

The international Jędrzej Sniadecki Memorial Conference Frontiers in Molecular Life Sciences (JSMC2023) will be held on May 23-25, 2023. The conference will be hosted by Vilnius university and is organized by the joint committee of the Lithuanian Biochemical Society and Polish Biochemical Society.

More information in the links:
Conference announcement
2nd conference announcement