26.05.2025
Europe’s largest biotechnology city is being developed in Lithuania. Last year, the first gene therapy centre in the Baltic states, Celltechna, was opened in Vilnius, thus completing the second phase of Europe’s largest Bio City project.
- Lithuania’s life sciences industry continues to grow, and its contribution to the country’s economy already reaches 2.6% of GDP.
- The goal by 2030 is to reach 5% of GDP. Lithuania ranks 3rd among OECD countries in terms of investment volume in biotechnology research and development.
- 92% of pharmaceutical and health products produced in Lithuania are exported to more than 100 countries, including the USA, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
The global biotechnology market currently exceeds €1,130 billion and could reach more than €2,775 billion by 2030. Lithuania holds a strong position in this market — it is listed among the Top 35 countries in biotechnology innovation by the Scientific American Worldview ranking.
Billions invested in Bio City
The Bio City area, spanning the size of 10 football fields, will include six biotechnology complexes with production facilities and research centres. Northway Healthcare Group is investing €7 billion in the project. Politicians are proud of the country’s capacity to develop its pharmaceutical industry.
Speaking about Bio City, President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda emphasized the synergy of entrepreneurs and scientists:
“A science-based economy, supported by bright minds and intelligent entrepreneurs, is the foundation for Lithuania’s long-term economic prosperity. In the past, our growth was constrained by a lack of fossil resources, but today, we are boldly moving forward, relying on modern technologies. The new biotechnology hub embodies the direction of Lithuania’s innovative economy. It also promises new inventions that will enable people with serious illnesses to become full members of society, thereby reducing exclusion,”
said the President of the Republic of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda.
This complex will include laboratories for gene therapy, virology, stem cell research, and 3D bioprinting, as well as the Baltic region’s first gene therapy center, Celltechna, already completed with a €50 million investment. Professor Vladas Algirdas Bumelis, founder and head of Northway Biotech and Celltechna, emphasized Lithuania’s high reputation in the global biotechnology field.
The country has a vibrant start-up ecosystem with over 120 companies. For example, the company Biomatter develops new enzymes for medicine and agriculture with the help of AI, while Ligence develops AI solutions for heart ultrasound analysis. Significant achievements have also been made by companies such as Atrandi Biosciences and Sentante, which have attracted several million euros for the development of innovative technologies.
Heading to space
Delta Biosciences, which develops solutions for space medicine in Lithuania, will launch a mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA) to test radioprotective pharmaceuticals and radio-resistant additives (excipients) that extend the shelf-life of other medicines. The goal is to extend the shelf life of various medicines.
This long-term mission is set to begin in early 2026 and will last nearly three years, collecting data on how space radiation affects different substances.
It will be a major milestone both for Lithuania’s rapidly growing space industry and the global field of space medicine, as it is the first industrial life sciences mission of its kind, according to the company’s press statement.
“This mission reinforces Lithuania’s ambition to become a leader in deep tech and innovation. Such cooperation creates significant added value and strengthens Lithuania’s position as an advanced country in the global market. It once again proves that investments in science, talent, and the innovation ecosystem in Lithuania are delivering real results,”
says Minister of Economy and Innovation, Lukas Savickas.
ESA sees this mission as a critical step toward ensuring pharmaceutical stability in extreme environments. ESA’s Chief Exploration Scientist Dr. Anzhelika van Ombergen emphasized that such research activities are essential for enabling human spaceflight:
We must constantly push the boundaries of research that offers the opportunity to support our astronauts and advance medical knowledge. Experiments assessing how medication is impacted by the space environment are limited so far, and this experiment will provide new insights for ESA and the wider space community into how we can protect astronauts and extend the shelf life of medications in space, a key requirement for long-term missions beyond Low Earth Orbit.”
The experiment will test dozens of carefully selected molecules in two distinct locations on the International Space Station, each with different radiation levels. By collecting samples every eight months and comparing them with control samples on Earth, the team will create a uniquely detailed degradation profile of these compounds under real space conditions.
Radioprotective drugs are essential for mitigating damage caused by radiation, but their long-term stability in space conditions remains poorly researched.
Dr. Donatas Žmuidinavičius, Chief Technology Officer at Delta Biosciences, highlighted the importance of this study:
“We are exposing a diverse selection of medicinal compounds to the real space radiation aboard the ISS for an extended period of time. The data we gather will validate our own countermeasures and will also guide the development of other pharmaceuticals that can last longer in extreme environments, including remote areas on Earth. Because of the mission’s importance, we’ve extended partnership invitations to notable radiation and space medicine researchers worldwide, including centers in Europe, the United States, and Japan.”
SOURCES
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https://www.deltabiosciences.com/
Photo: BIO CITY project announcement ceremony: Vladas Algirdas Bumelis (left); President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanos Nausėda (centre); Speaker of the Seimas Viktorija Čmilitė-Nielsen (right) – 16 November 2023.
Freepik; Daina Le Lardic @EP
