Senior Researcher at State Research Institute Centre for Innovative Medicine (IMC).

Ilona Uzieliene (IU) is a biochemist/biologist with over 10 years of experience working in the field of stem cells and cartilage tissue regeneration. She accomplished her PhD at State Research Institute Centre for Innovative medicine (IMC) under dr. Eiva Bernotiene’s supervision and defended her thesis on 25^th of September, 2020.

The main field of IU research includes investigation of different types of human mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) and chondrocytes for cartilage tissue regeneration and treatment of osteoarthritis (OA). IU is experienced in working with various equipment and methodologies. She seeks to improve engineered cartilage tissue by culturing cells on 3D bioscaffolds, using mechanical compression system, electrical stimulation, hypoxic environment and more.

During her career, IU travelled to foreign institutions (Tokyo university, Taipei university, Oslo university, Conway institute) for improving her scientific competence. She travelled to Tokyo university for a two-month research using menstrual blood-derived MSCs, where she received additional knowledge of how to apply atelocollagen scaffolds with cells subcutaneously (mice model), and to induce OA in mice after injecting the cells into joint cavity for regenerative effects. Also, two years in a row she has visited Conway institute in Dublin, where she was trained with high-tech flow cytometers (CytoFlex) and improved her competence by learning how to isolate and characterize extracellular vesicles from human cells and apply them for different purposes.

In addition to that, IU came up with an idea of collecting menstrual blood-derived MSCs at IMC for cartilage tissue regeneration, as these cells are promising candidates due to their broad differentiation capability and of course, ease of access. IU introduced menstrual blood samples into IMC laboratory and established a platform for their collection to IMC biobank with a website for women: www.femalecells.com

IU has published 26 manuscripts in highly-rated journals (Clarivate Analytics Web of Science/SCOPUS), and participated in more than 45 international conferences worldwide, including ISSCR, OARSI, ICRS, LifeScienceBaltics, etc. where she presented her research results.

IU participate(s/ed) in eleven different research grants, including her PostDoc project, which she successfully implemented. Six of the projects IU is involved in are large scale, European Social fund supported grants and HORIZON2020 projects. IU has leading experience and led two of the projects herself, also she is a leader of a large-scale projects work package, according to HORIZON-WIDERA-2021-ACCESS-03 program: "Twinning for Promoting Excellence, Ability and Knowledge to develop novel approaches for targeting inflammatory and degenerative age-related joint diseases". Also, from 2022 IU is a member of COST actions (CA21110) as a researcher from Lithuania. COST action title: “Building an open European Network on OsteoArthritis research”.

IU successfully supervised 9 students during their Bachelor/Master degree thesis preparation and currently supervising 3 students. Also, IU is an active IMC member and is always happy organizing seminars and excursions to students and pupils, where she presents science/biology-related topics, laboratory equipment and more.

IU research has been evaluated and awarded by local Lithuanian Research Council, as well as World Federation of Scientists, where she was awarded with 9 scholarships/funding for traveling and poster awards. Moreover, in 2023 IU won ON/ICRS Translational Orthoregeneration Research Fellowship around Europe’s scientific institutions, which robustly boosted her career.

IU is a guest editorial board member at MDPI Bioengineering journals special issue „Osteoarthritis and cartilage repair“ (2023-03 until 2024-04).

IU is a member of the international cartilage research society (ICRS) Communication and Publication committee and belongs to International Regenerative Medicine Experts Society (IARMES) Scientific advisory board. Also, she has memberships in Lithuanian Arthritis Association; International Society of Stem Cell Research, ISSCR; Baltic Society for Extracellular Vesicles (BISEV); International Osteoarthritis Reseach Society (OARSI), as well is a volunteer at European Society for Clinical Cell Analysis (ESCCA).