The “Science Microphone” competition, organised by the Research Council of Lithuania, brought together students from across the country to present complex scientific ideas in an accessible and engaging way.
Participants had only a few minutes to turn complex science into an accessible and engaging story. This year’s winner was doctoral student at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Violeta Belickienė, who presented research on how molecular markers could open the way to personalised medicine for Parkinson’s disease.
Along with her victory, she earned the opportunity to take the stage at LOGIN 2026 on 29 May and present her research to an audience of thousands.
When I heard my name, for a few seconds I didn’t even understand what was happening. It was a huge joy, but also a sense of responsibility. This is not only recognition for me, but for the entire team working on this topic.
Violeta Belickienė, Doctoral student at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences
The main message of her talk was simple yet bold: blood can reveal far more about Parkinson’s disease than previously thought.
Molecular markers circulating in the bloodstream can reflect different symptoms of the disease, drug effectiveness, and even the need for surgical treatment. This opens the door to more precise, individualised disease monitoring.
Parkinson’s disease: a growing public health burden
As life expectancy increases, age-related diseases are becoming more common. Parkinson’s disease is one of them. Today, nearly 10 million people worldwide live with this neurodegenerative condition, and due to population ageing, this number could exceed 25 million by 2050.
The disease progresses differently from patient to patient: some remain independent for a long time, while others quickly develop motor impairments, shortened medication effectiveness, and eventually severe disability.
Since the disease is incurable, the main goal is to maintain quality of life for as long as possible. However, after diagnosis it is often unclear how quickly the condition will progress, how long a patient will remain independent, and which treatments will be most effective.
05.06.2026.
