RSU and LSIWC Scientific Lunch – a Bridge of Ideas Between Scientists

Embraced by mycelium, startled by bacteria, inspired by polyurethane foam, pampered with innovative Pickering creams, and enchanted by lignin – our esteemed guests and colleagues from Riga Stradiņš University have just left the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry.

Today, the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry hosted a Scientific Lunch – an informal yet content-rich meeting where researchers in biomedicine and bioresources exchanged ideas, research directions, and visions for future collaboration.

Our guests were welcomed in the laboratories by:

• In the Polymer Laboratory – balancing foam structures and moods with equal precision – Mg.sc.ing. Laima Vēvere, whose research spans cryogenic insulation and the transformation of lignin into polyurethane. She doesn’t just feel the material – she sees its future.
• In the Cellulose Laboratory – where fiber structure meets bioimplant vision – Dr.chem. Laura Andže, creator of birch-based bone implants, and Dr.biol. Ilze Irbe, who explores mycelium as a collaborator and the fungal kingdom as an invisible architectural force in wood. With microscope-sharp vision, they reveal the aesthetics of biopolymers.
• In the Lignin Chemistry Laboratory – where lignin smells like warmth and the future – Mg.chem. Matīss Pāls, a lignin alchemist who deciphers one of nature’s most complex polymers and assigns it new purpose.
• In the Wood Degradation and Protection Laboratory – where microorganisms are both tamed and restrained – Dr.sc.ing. Dace Cīrule, guardian of wood who studies its aging, protects its dignity, and identifies its species even in deep time.
• In the Bioengineering Laboratory – where life meets technology – Dr.sc.ing. Oskars Grīgs, a microbial strategist cultivating living systems for sustainable bio-based solutions in forestry and agriculture.
• In the Pilot Equipment Hangar – amid steam, noise, and scale-up dreams – Dr.sc.ing. Aigars Pāže, who extracts betulin with a birch soul and seeks its use in cosmetics and industry, and Dr.sc.ing. Jānis Rižikovs, a master of thermal processes turning birch bark into functional materials, closing the biological loop from forest to product.

The event also featured presentations by Ph.D. Līga Pētersone, head of the RSU Faculty of Pharmacy Research Group, and Professor Ivars Vanadziņš, director of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Environmental Health at RSU, who shared insights into workplace environment, pollution, and health risk research.

LSIWC researcher Laura Andže presented her project OsteoWood, focusing on next-generation birch-based bone implants, and also showcased Ph.D. Mārtiņš Andžs’ project BrewBiotics, which explores the production of functional prebiotics from brewery residues. Both projects are submitted to the BioPhoT platform call.

We hope the seeds of collaboration planted today will soon flourish in new joint projects and publications.