Prof. A. Žvirblienė: “A. Śniadecki’s Lessons about the Universality of Natural Laws Stay Very Relevant”

Last week, a memorial plaque was unveiled on the wall of the Ministry of Education, Science, and Sports to professor Jędrzej Śniadecki, the pioneer of chemical science in Lithuania, a doctor, and teacher. In the building here, he founded the first Department of Chemistry at Vilnius University (VU), where he started the teaching of chemistry as a separate discipline, and headed the Department.

Professor Jędrzej Śniadecki – VU researcher of the end of 18th century and 19th century who came to Vilnius from Kraków. Considered by Lithuanians and Poles as the discoverer of the chemical element ruthenium, he was also a doctor, teacher, and orator - he taught chemistry to pharmacists and wrote books that attracted the attention of both contemporaries and later researchers.

The International J. Śniadecki’s Memorial Conference was organized on May 24-25, 2023 at the VU Life Sciences Center (LSC). The organizers of the Conference were the VU LSC, the Lithuanian and Polish Biochemical Societies. We talk about the Conference and the scientific activities of J. Śniadecki with the immunologist of the VU LSC, a member of the conference organizing committee, prof. Aurelija Žvirblienė.

This is already the second scientific conference dedicated to the memory of J. Śniadecki. What is special about this conference?

The first conference was held in Gardin (Belarus) in 2018, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the birth of J. Śniadecki. The first conference was attended by scientists from Belarus, Lithuania, and Poland. It was expected that such trilateral conferences would become traditional, and it was planned to organize the second conference in Vilnius within the next 2-3 years. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the changed political situation, it had to be postponed. We are very happy that we finally managed to implement the plans, albeit belatedly. This time the conference was changed from trilateral to bilateral, as Belarusian scientists are not welcome at international events due to their country's aggressive policy. In addition, on the initiative of scientists from Lithuania, Poland, and other countries, Russian and Belarusian biochemical societies have been excluded from the Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS). So, although J. Śniadecki is highly respected in Belarus, the researchers from this country have not been invited to the conference.

Why is the memory of J. Śniadecki alive in these three countries, and will it be possible to maintain the tradition if the international isolation of Belarus continues?

The biography of J. Śniadecki reflects the common history of our countries - he was born in the Polish town Żnin, studied in Krakow, spent his most creative years in Vilnius, had a homestead in the Ashmena district in Belarus, and was buried there in the village cemetery. Continuing the tradition, the third J. Śniadecki’s Memorial Conference will be organized in Poland in 2025. For now, this conference is planned without Belarusian scientists, unless the political situation changes drastically by then. As an alternative to Belarusian scientists, the possibility of inviting Ukrainian scientists is being considered, thus maintaining the format of the trilateral conference.

Prof. J. Śniadecki founded the VU Department of Chemistry. The link between chemistry and life sciences may not be immediately apparent to the general public. How important is the scientific heritage of J. Sniadecki for modern life sciences?

Two centuries separate us from the time of J. Śniadecki. During that period, there was a huge breakthrough in life sciences. At the time of J. Śniadecki, many things were not known - genes, DNA, RNA, proteins, amino acids, viruses, and even Darwin's theory of evolution had not yet been developed. Therefore, the famous work of J. Śniadecki "Theory of Organic Beings" is considered the first biochemistry textbook, which tried to explain the structure of the living world. J. Śniadecki was an erudite, a scientist, and a philosopher, who had a broad view of the surrounding world, and who saw certain universal patterns of nature - from the formation of volcanoes to human physiology. After studying chemistry and medicine, making important discoveries in the field of chemistry, and writing a textbook on chemistry, he was interested in many fields of science. This is a true example of interdisciplinary science. Unfortunately, modern science often lacks a broader approach - scientific research is becoming more and more specialized, working in its own narrow field. Therefore, J. Śniadecki's lessons about the universality of the laws of nature and the connections between the living and the inanimate world remain very relevant.

Do Lithuanian and Polish scientists collaborate in the field of life sciences?

Although the two countries have now become very close in the face of external threats, scientific cooperation is definitely insufficient and could be much more intensive. Poland is our neighbor with huge scientific potential, conducting high-level scientific research. Lithuania can also be proud of significant achievements in the field of life sciences and biotechnology. However, collaboration is mainly limited to individual scientific projects. The Lithuanian Research Council also allocates certain funding to such joint projects. Lithuanian researchers more often choose research centers in the United Kingdom or Germany, rather than Poland, for foreign internships. Therefore, events such as conferences dedicated to the memory of J. Śniadecki significantly contribute to the establishment and strengthening of scientific relations.

What are the responses from Polish colleagues, how do they see Lithuanian life sciences and their potential?

For most of the members of the Polish delegation, this was their first acquaintance with Vilnius University, and some of them visited Vilnius for the first time. Thus, it was very important for us, as the organizers of the conference, to reveal the wide range of research conducted in Lithuania and to show modern laboratories in order to assess the potential of scientific cooperation. Therefore, a tour of the VU LSC laboratories was organized for the guests, and the recently established Partnership Institute of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory ' (EMBL) was presented as an example of successful international cooperation. We are glad to have received excellent feedback from Polish colleagues and concrete proposals for strengthening scientific relations. We were also pleasantly surprised that the guests were interested not only in science but also in the cultural life of Vilnius, for example, they visited the MO Museum as they were aware of it.

How to strengthen the cooperation with Polish scientists?

Professor Adam Śzewczyk, the head of the Polish delegation and the chairman of the Polish Biochemical Society, presented a concrete action plan on how to strengthen cooperation between Lithuanian and Polish scientists. It is suggested to start with regular mutual visits, joint lectures, seminars, closer relations between Polish and Lithuanian biochemical societies, and participation in events organized by these societies. The current level of scientific cooperation should be assessed and a "map" should be drawn up describing the situation in the life sciences. It is likely that relations with Polish scientists will strengthen in the coming years.

We are talking at a time when students are entering graduate studies. Admission to undergraduate studies will begin soon. What would you wish for students and young researchers?

Life sciences are very dynamic, so I would like to wish an enthusiasm, curiosity, a desire for knowledge, and a broad view of science - everything that science has been based on since ancient times. The example of J. Śniadecki is truly inspiring for different generations of scientists. Everyone would do well to remember his lessons.