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LATVIAN

BIOMEDICAL

RESEARCH AND STUDY CENTRE

RESEARCH AND EDUCATION IN BIOMEDICINE FROM GENES TO HUMAN

Molecular and functional genomics group (V. Rovīte lab)

The activities of our emerging research group are aimed to discover molecular markers and mechanisms of human disease development and progression to discover potentially actionable targets to improve diagnostics, prognostics and disease management. The studies conducted by our group are fully exploiting close connection to the Latvian national biobank – Genome Database of Latvian population (LGDB), Genome Centre sequencing unit and connection to largest hospitals and medical institutions that enable us to carry out a full cycle of research from patient-derived sample collection to omics analysis, functional studies and final data interpretation. The main projects in our group are related to research of neuroendocrine tumous and autoimmune disease to investigate the development mechanisms of these disease and to find prognostic factors that could help to improve treatment and management. Furthermore, a wide collaborative network in the field of medicine has prompted several collaboration projects in research areas of endocrinology and gastroenterology. Currently, our team is developing novel NGS approaches and building experience in functional studies to retain flexibility and openness to perform state-of-the-art research in the field of translational medicine.

Vita Rovīte, PhD

Vita Rovīte, PhD

Head of the scientific group, senior researcher

Personnel

Vita Rovīte, PhD, vita.rovite@biomed.lu.lv

Raitis Pečulis, PhD, raitis@biomed.lu.lv 

Ilona Mandrika, MSc. biol., ilona@biomed.lu.lv

Helvijs Niedra, MSc. biol., helvijs.niedra@biomed.lu.lv

 

Rihards Saksis, MSc. biol., rihards.saksis@biomed.lu.lv

Marija Simona Dombrovska, marija.dombrovska@biomed.lu.lv

Areas for searching partners

  • Neuroendocrine tumours and tumours of endocrine system
  • Autoimmune disease
  • Newest sequencing and omics methods and technologies

10 the most representative publications for the scientific group

  1. Saksis R, Silamikelis I, Laksa P, Megnis K, Peculis R, Mandrika I, Rogoza O, Petrovska R, Balcere I, Konrade I, Steina L, Stukens J, Breiksa A, Nazarovs J, Sokolovska J, Pirags V, Klovins J, Rovite V. Medication for Acromegaly Reduces Expression of MUC16, MACC1 and GRHL2 in Pituitary Neuroendocrine Tumour Tissue. Frontiers in Oncology. 2021 Feb. doi:10.3389/fonc.2020.593760
  2. Rogoza O, Megnis K, Kudrjavceva M, Gerina-Berzina A, Rovite V. Role of Somatostatin Signalling in Neuroendocrine Tumours. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Jan. doi:10.3390/ijms23031447
  3. Rihards Saksis, Olesja Rogoza, Helvijs Niedra, Kaspars Megnis, Ilona Mandrika, Inga Balcere, Liva Steina, Janis Stukens, Austra Breiksa, Jurijs Nazarovs, Jelizaveta Sokolovska, Ilze Konrade, Raitis Peculis, Vita Rovite. Transcriptome of GH-producing pituitary neuroendocrine tumours and models are significantly affected by somatostatin analogues. Cancer Cell Int. 2023 Feb. doi:10.1186/s12935-023-02863-4
  4. Niedra H, Peculis R, Litvina HD, Megnis K, Mandrika I, Balcere I, Romanovs M, Steina L, Stukens J, Breiksa A, Nazarovs J, Sokolovska J, Liutkeviciene R, Vilkevicute A, Konrade I, Rovite V. Genome wide analysis of circulating miRNAs in growth hormone secreting pituitary neuroendocrine tumor patients’ plasma. Front Oncol. 2022 Sep 9;12:894317. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2022.894317
  5. Niedra H, Peculis R, Konrade I, Balcere I, Romanovs M, Steina L, Stukens J, Sokolovska J, Klovins J, Rovite V. Case Report: Micro-RNAs in Plasma From Bilateral Inferior Petrosal Sinus Sampling and Peripheral Blood From Corticotroph Pituitary Neuroendocrine Tumors. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2022 Apr 22;13:748152. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2022.748152
  6. Peculis R, Rovite V, Megnis K, Balcere I, Breiksa A, Nazarovs J, Stukens J, Konrade I, Sokolovska J, Pirags V, Klovins J. Whole exome sequencing reveals novel risk genes of pituitary neuroendocrine tumors. PLoS One. 2022 Aug 26;17(8):e0265306. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265306
  7. Niedra H, Konrade I, Peculis R, Isajevs S, Saksis R, Skapars R, Sivins A, Daukste BE, Mezaka D, Rovite V. Solitary fibrous tumor with IGF-II-induced non-islet cell tumor hypoglycemia: a case report and molecular characterization by next-generation sequencing. Front Oncol. 2023 Jul 4;13:1188579. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1188579
  8. Bozena Smolkova, Agapi Kataki, Julie Earl, Ignacio Ruz-Caracuel, Marina Cihova, Maria Urbanova, Verona Buocikova, Sandra Tamargo, Vita Rovite, Helvijs Niedra, Joerg Schrader, Yvonne Kohl. Liquid biopsy and preclinical tools for advancing diagnosis and treatment of patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2022 Dec:180:103865.
  9. Raitis Peculis, Helvijs Niedra, Vita Rovite. Large Scale Molecular Studies of Pituitary Neuroendocrine Tumors: Novel Markers, Mechanisms and Translational Perspectives. Cancers (Basel). 2021 Mar 19;13(6):1395. doi: 10.3390/cancers13061395
  10. Alise Svandere, Signe Mežinska, Jekaterina Kaleja, Normunds Kante, Raitis Peculis, Olesja Rogoza, Vita Rovite. Citizen Science in Biomedicine: Attitudes, Motivation and Concerns of the General Public and Scientists in Latvia. Soc. Sci. 2023, 12(11), 620; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12110620