Every year, roughly 1,200 university and college students in Lithuania receive life science specialisations. Some of them become members of exceptional academic research projects, contributing to the country’s movement forward. Others join internationally successful startups or start their own. Last year, the Vilnius iGEM team of students from Vilnius University won gold at an international synthetic biology competition, several other startups made their first steps at the Life Science Baltics forum and achieved outstanding success – Vittamed, Integrated Optics and Biomė. Therefore, there is a reason to say that Lithuania is getting on the map as a European and international centre of high-tech innovation.
 
Vilnius iGEM, a team of students from Vilnius University who found a way to stop bacterial reproduction, won the gold medal at the international synthetic biology competition held by iGEM Foundation in Boston. In the future, their discovery has potential to be applied when solving a global problem – the unstoppable spread of genetically altered organisms.
 
Seven students of molecular biology, biochemistry and genetics worked at the laboratory of Prof. Dr. Habil. Virginijus Šikšnys, a professor at Vilnius University's (VU) Institute of Biotechnology, to solve one of the most important problems in the synthetic biology field – bacterial immortality. The problem is that bacteria repeatedly reproduce regardless of the conditions surrounding them until they eventually become immortal – unlike aging human cells. At the synthetic biology competition held in the US, the team of students was one of the five winners out of more than 280 teams comprising over 3,000 people from the best universities in the world. Represented by Vilnius iGEM, Lithuania took another step into the international field. This year, a new team is being formed that will once again try to reach success at the international competition.
 
“The younger generation's interest shows that the potential for development in the life sciences in our country is indeed very good,” said Prof. Dr. Habil. V. Šikšnys, who had managed the team. This idea is also supported by the fact that Vilnius iGEM was not the only team of life science start-uppers who have attracted international attention.
 
The LSB forum reveals tomorrow's potential
 
Jonas Jonuška and Evaldas Pabrėža, the leaders of a laser-producing company called Integrated Optics, are convinced that a business must seek not only short-term objectives, but also long-term solutions to achieve business success. In 2012, the two men were noticed by non-profit governmental organization Enterprise Lithuania, which invited them to participate at the Life Sciences Baltics 2012 forum. At the Life Sciences Baltics 2012 Startup Programme, Integrated Optics, pitched its business plan to investors, won a prize by Enterprise Lithuania – a week-long trip to the Akron accelerator in the US. The visit to America ended with a great success – the laser built by the two young men was positively evaluated by NASA scientists, and at the end of last year, Integrated Optics presented its latest creation – the smallest diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) laser on the market. The laser producers will start the season by participating at one of the world's largest photonics exhibitions, SPIE Photonics West 2016 in San Francisco, which attracts more than 20,000 visitors every year.
 
The biomedical startup Biomė also in Akron presented an innovative production method for artificial bones. The innovative Cell'in bone substitute, which first saw the light at Kaunas University of Technology, is useful for patients awaiting tooth implants who will also need to have their jawbones restored. The bone implants are produced in 3D blocks, so surgeons can change their size and shape. The implant's porous structure allows new blood vessels to form, which will encourage the growth of natural bone. As the implant disappears, it will be replaced by newly-grown bone. Last year, Biomė, which was established in 2014, received a prestigious 2015 TiE50 award when it was chosen as one of the 50 most-innovative technology startups in the world. Mrs.Kristina Liesė, who heads Biomė, is certain that before creating or commercialising a product, one must first find out what customers and clients need and what problems can be solved by the technology. These questions are often asked by potential investors during startup sessions.
 
In the meantime, the neuro-diagnostic company Vittamed, considered one of the most successful startups in Lithuania, also participated in the Life Sciences Baltics 2012 forum. The non-invasive absolute intracranial pressure metre invented by professor Arminas Ragauskas, which is used to diagnose head traumas, attracted the interest of NASA scientists. The internationally successful invention is currently under manufacturing plans with Kaunas in consideration while the business end is managed by the office in Boston. In October 2015, Vittamed secured $10 mil. in financing offered by venture capital company Xeraya Capital Labuan Ltd. along with other investors through a venture round that was run by a special mechanism. These funds will be used to finance the product's expansion in Europe, Australia and other parts of the world.
 
The most important thing for startups is publicity
 
According to Donata Mauricaitė, the project manager at the Enterprise Lithuania who manages Life Sciences Baltics, the number of various academic institutions, laboratories, research projects and scientists has reached a positively critical levels, with potential to boost scientific and technological breakthrough.
About 15,000 researchers and scientists work in the academic research and development fields, making Lithuania 10th in the world, according to these numbers.
 
“Lithuania works together with Switzerland, Germany and the US, and large organisations like CERN, NASA and EMBL give us the opportunity to network and exchange,” said D. Mauricaitė. “More and more people are choosing the life sciences academic field, so we feel constant growth in interest in the field.”
 
The inventions offered by startup businesses are innovative, high-tech products that present completely new solutions, upgrades to existing processes, or unexpected implementation methods. Startup owners look for opportunities to present their companies publicly to deepen their knowledge and attract investments. These opportunities are offered by the startup programme held during Life Sciences Baltics.
 
“The startup program consists of three parts: Life Sciences Startups Entrepreneurship Course Pitch session, and, most importantly, the exchange of contacts and networking. The Cource, which is organised by a team from Harvard University, takes two days. The topics include with product creation, idea commercialisation, and advice on how to attract investments and prepare for pitch sessions that are held during the forum,” said D. Mauricaitė.
 
The two intense days of training are crowned by the startups' public pitch session during the second day of the Life Sciences Baltics forum. Not all of them can present, however – only the startups who've made the greatest progress are chosen. The main prize in 2012 was a trip to the Akron accelerator. In 2016 among key organizers is Remis Bistras, CEO of Vittamed, a neuro-diagnostic company.
 
“R. Bistras has personal experience with growing from a technology startup to a well-known international company. Vittamed recently attracted 10 mil. dollars in investments, which is the largest series A sum in the Baltics. Remis’ participation in the startup session is invaluable for start-uppers,” said D. Mauricaitė. “Besides, this year we will invite investors from various countries around the world who will participate in so-called 'B2B' meetings.”
 
Anyone who would like to see the final startup presentation is welcome Vilnius, Lithuania. The Enterprise Lithuania is currently preparing for the third international Life Sciences Baltics 2016 forum, which will be held on September 14-15. This event is the only global forum held in the Baltics that attracts biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical equipment representatives from around the world. Startup registration for the event has already started, and more information can be found here.