RSU Prof. Maija Dambrova receives Latvian Academy of Sciences highest decoration

Photo: Jānis Brencis

At the Autumn General Assembly of the Latvian Academy of Sciences (LAS) on 21 November, Maija Dambrova, Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU), Lead Researcher at the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Head of the Pharmaceutical Pharmacology Laboratory, and LAS Academician, was awarded the LAS Grand Medal. This prestigious honour is the highest decoration given to both Latvian and international researchers for outstanding, creative achievements.

She was awarded the decoration for her contributions to studying mechanisms of action of new pharmaceutical substances and for educating a generation of pharmacologists in Latvia.

Prof. Dambrova is one of Latvia's most prominent scientists. She received her PhD in pharmacy from Uppsala University in Sweden, where she learned the methods for studying new mechanisms of action of pharmaceutical substances and developed the skills to translate scientific discoveries into practical applications. Over 20 years ago, recognising the young PhD student's talent, Ivars Kalviņš, the Director of the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis at the time, invited Dambrova to found and establish a new unit at the Institute – the Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Pharmacology.

The laboratory that Prof. Dambrova leads has made a major contribution to the study of the mechanisms of action of Latvia's most well-known export product, meldonium, and to the discovery of a new drug candidate. Over time, the laboratory has developed into a well-established platform, bringing together creative, hardworking scientists and doctoral candidates, and participates a wide range of research activities. It is involved in molecular pharmacology research in cardiovascular, metabolic, and central nervous system diseases, as well as cancer research.

‘I work close to medicine, but from a molecular perspective. I study what happens at the cellular level in diseases and search for cures for diseases that either have none or insufficient treatments.

It is incredibly exciting to be the first in the world to invent and understand new things, and this process of discovery is ongoing,’ says Dambrova.

Prof. Dambrova regularly speaks at scientific conferences and specialised seminars, actively publishes in leading global scientific journals, and has patented the results of her work.

Read more on the LAS website (in Latvian)

About the Grand Medal of the Latvian Academy of Sciences

The Grand Medal of the Latvian Academy of Sciences was first awarded in 1993. Prof. Maija Dambrova is one of nine women to have received this prestigious honour. Other recipients of the Grand Medal include Jānis Stradiņš, Elmārs Grēns, Imants Lancmanis, Ivars Kalviņš, Mārcis Auziņš, Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, and others.