From Biological Cells to Vilnius

The Life Sciences Center (GMC) at Vilnius University (VU), located on Saulėtekio Alley, is considered one of the most modern life sciences research hubs in the Baltic region. It brings together some of the country’s most talented scientists and brightest minds, including CRISPR pioneer Prof. Virginijus Šikšnys and renowned neuroscientists Dr Urtė Neniškytė and Dr Rasa Budvytytė. The GMC stands out in the field of synthetic biology – a discipline that goes beyond traditional genetic engineering by designing cells to perform precise functions, such as producing medicines in the body only when they are needed. The centre fosters a culture of open science and hosts public events, lectures, and excursions. Here, the doors open onto a vision of ethical, sustainable, and socially accessible science of the future.

This is one of Vilnius’s most distinctive natural areas, home to rolling hills, rich biological diversity, and habitats for rare species. The park’s administration nurtures connections between people and the environment through educational hikes, ecology lessons, and exhibitions. It is also a space for reflecting on the interactions between ecology and synthetic biology: how nature inspires the creation of new biological systems, yet simultaneously, it reminds us of the challenge to harmonise such systems with the natural world. In this sense, the park becomes an open-air laboratory, where observing natural processes – from symbiosis to decomposition – helps us imagine and model the possibilities of artificial life.

‘Miesto Labatorija’ (‘City Lab’) is an urban space where the community experiments with sustainable living, engages in environmental education, and even explores microbiology. Practical workshops are often held here, ranging from fermentation to the production of natural dyes from plants, while the city garden outside the window turns into a living laboratory. Here, biology and life processes can be explored independently, without the need for expensive equipment – making science both hands-on and accessible. This centre perfectly embodies the idea of synthetic biology: a fusion of science and creativity that is accessible to everyone, especially those striving for a better environment and a more conscious society. It is like an ‘open laboratory’ model in the truest sense – a hub for experiments and ideas where science, community, and nature meet.

This park is a living example of the synthesis of history and nature. Commissioned by the noble Sapiega family in the 17th century, it was once a luxuriously grand manor with a Baroque garden, which has now become an open green space for all Vilnius residents. The vegetation, ranging from old linden trees to lush shrubs, provides an excellent opportunity to talk about vegetative reproduction, which occurs when plants reproduce without seeds and create their own genetic clones. These natural processes have inspired scientists to develop artificial biological copies, the very objects of synthetic biology. As you walk beneath the hundred-year-old trees, the park becomes a space to reflect on how deeply life relies on repetition, copying, and transmitting information – whether in a plant or a cell inside a laboratory.

The old Psychiatric Ward on Sapiegų Street, within the grounds of Antakalnis Hospital, is one of the oldest medical buildings in Vilnius. In the 19th century, hospitals operated here and anatomical collections were assembled, preserving organs, tissues, and even embryos, stored in formaldehyde or alcohol for educational and research purposes. These collections bear witness to humanity’s long quest to understand life by breaking it down to the molecular level. We can also talk about the history of antibiotics here: at the beginning of the 20th century, a natural mould compound, penicillin, was discovered and became a breakthrough in the fight against infections. Over time, it began to be synthesised, and later microorganisms were genetically modified to produce this substance themselves. This is one of the first steps towards synthetic biology, where living organisms become purposefully controlled molecular ‘factories’. Standing here, we can reflect on how we have moved from anatomical specimens in jars to laboratories where cells can be programmed.

This hill on the edge of Antakalnis is not only a quiet green spot offering refuge – it is a great vantage point over the city, as if looking out from the nucleus of a cell to its wider environment. The symbolism echoes the idea stemming from synthetic biology that life is inseparable from information and its processing. The hill also reminds us of the importance of context and changes in the environmental conditions: light, humidity, and temperature, all of which determine the reactions of living organisms. It is precisely these processes that scientists are trying to understand and model using synthetic biology. The landscape itself becomes a prompt to pause momentarily, observe, and reflect on our place in nature – not only as its observers, but also as its creators.

This bronze sculpture is dedicated to the Lithuanian national dog breed, the Lithuanian Hound. It commemorates the importance of these loyal hunting dogs in culture and reminds us of the millennia-long interaction between humans and animals. Hounds (skalikai) are a living example of how humanity has changed the genetic code of organisms through artificial selection, selection across generations, and conscious mating. Such selection is the first step towards synthetic biology – the conscious, purposeful creation of life. Looking at the sculpture, visitors can reflect on how modern science is taking these ancient practices and transferring them to laboratories, where genes are now modified not through mating but using molecular tools.

Although it is a centre for the humanities, the Faculty of Philology offers striking parallels with the world of the life sciences. In both language and DNA, information is transmitted using symbolic sequences, which is why they are often referred to as codes. DNA can be seen as a biological text that scientists today are able to read, edit, and even rewrite. Just as philologists analyse grammar, syntax, and meaning, synthetic biologists work with the molecular structures of life. This place makes us think about the synthesis of knowledge – where literature and science intersect, and scientific progress sparks new cultural narratives.

Literatų Street in Vilnius symbolises the creative connection between art and science. Here, writers and poets are commemorated, yet biology also quietly weaves its way into the story as an essential theme. Biological terms often become metaphors in literature: DNA, for example, is imagined as a spiral that protects and guards human secrets. Poets, such as Alis Balbierius, play with biological concepts, depicting humans as information systems or genetic codes. Synthetic biology, in turn, can be seen as a creative language that constructs life using biological vocabulary, where life becomes text and text becomes life. One might even consider whether synthetic biology is a contemporary creative tradition, written in chains of DNA rather than ink. Both forms – the material word and the living code – seek to understand the world, convey experience, and generate new variants, offering a distinct form of expression. In this way, literature and biology converge to create art and science that uncover new forms of life or reimagine our understanding of ourselves.