The scientific seminar organized within the SPRINGBOARD project has been held on August 23, 2023. Thanks to the extension of the project until May 31, 2024, an additional event could be scheduled.

The event took place at Hotel Wellton Riverside in the city centre. The event featured topics closely aligned with the latest advancements in the field of antibacterial drug discovery. More than 35 participants attended the lectures given by the experts, representatives of partner institutions and Advisory Board member organizations. The face-to-face meeting format was well-received by all participants, providing a valuable opportunity for interaction.  Among the attendees, more than 68% were early-stage researchers from various institutions, including the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis (LIOS), local universities, and partner institutions.

The seminar was opened with an introductory address by the project coordinator, Prof. Raivis Žalubovskis. He provided a brief overview of the project’s subject, its ongoing activities and forthcoming events.

In alignment with the seminar agenda, the following speakers delivered exceptional presentations:

• Linda De Vooght, PhD, University of Antwerp, “Strategies for evaluating novel targets against bacterial respiratory infections”;
• Prof. Jean-Yves Winum, University of Montpellier, “Boron-containing carbonic anhydrase inhibitors”;
• Paula Kiuru, PhD, University of Helsinki, “Antibacterial Compounds from Marine Sources”;
• Prof. Fabrizio Carta, University of Florence, “The carbonic anhydrases as targets for the development of new class of antiinfectives”;
• Prof. Angelika Krūmiņa, Riga Stradiņš University, “Viral infection diseases (HBV, HCV and HPV) in human - trends and challenges”;
• Gints Kalniņš, PhD, Biomedical Research and Study Center “Trimethylamine-producing bacterial enzymes and their suppression”;
• Prof. Marianna Patrauchan, Oklahoma State University (via ZOOM ) “β- and λ- Carbonic anhydrases as potential antimicrobial targets”.

The primary objective of the event was to acquaint early-stage researchers at the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis with the contemporary landscape of antibiotic discovery within the field.

Upon analyzing the feedback survey, it was observed that more than 85% of respondents expressed complete satisfaction or satisfaction with the seminar. Many of them highlighted the program's valuable, informative, and appealing topics, which served as a source of inspiration for their future research endeavours.

Published on 01/09/2023