Prof. Zivile Luksiene

Brief Biography:

My background is biophysics. This interdisciplinary education enable me to work in different fields of biomedical sciences. My doctoral thesis dealed with molecular mechanisms of photosynthesis. After I has been working in the field of oncology, developing novel cancer treatment therapies, such as photodynamic therapy, hyperthermia or ionizing radiation. I invesigated mechanisms of cancer cell suicide, trying to find ways to induce apoptosis in tumors. During this time (15 years) I published 15 international papers, worked as visitor in Norway 3 times (Radium Hospital, Inst. for cancer reserach), visited Leuwen Katholic university (dep. of pharmacology), Cambridge university(dep. of pharmacology), presented more than 20 presentations at international conferences.
The next 10 years I was concentrated on food safety issues, mostly on development of novel non-thermal food preservation technologies. Thermal treatments, as a role, cause  undesirable changes in food flavour, colour, texture and nutritional atributes such as protein and vitamin destruction. Non-thermal processing methods interest food scientists, manufacturers and consumers because they have a minimal impact on the nutritional and sensory properties of food, and extend shelf-life by inhibiting or killing microorganisms. Non-thermal food preservation processes are considered to be more energy efficient and to preserve better quality attributes than conventional processes. Moreover, non-thermal processes also meet industry needs by offering value-added products, new market opportunities and added safety margins. Our laboratory developed novel, ecologically friendly, cost-effective antibacterial technologies (photosensitization and high power pulsed light) which increase microbial food control. We published more than 20 international publications (impact factor about 2.0) on these issues. Recently we are involved in nanotechnologies for food safety. Our goal is to develope biodegradable and smart packaging, eatable biofilm in order to increase food safety without any necative impact on surrounding or human.
 Summarizing, the main activities are to develope new sustainable light-based technologies for different purposes and in different fields: begining from oncology (photodynamic therapy), ecology (ecologically friendly technologies to replace chemical pesticides), and food safety (antibacterial technologies to minimize food-borne diseases).
Combining knowledge and expertise in biophysics, photobiology, oncology, molecular biology, microbiology, nonlinear optics,  we are able further develope light technologies for applied sciences including food safety, medicine, veterinary and ecology.

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