Laboratory of Morphology

The Laboratory of Morphology was established in 2002 at the initiative of prof. M. Pilmane when the need for complete immunohistological studies emerged. The main areas of laboratory work are providing support to the students, bachelor, master and doctoral students in preparation of morphological preparations, preservation of histological acquirements and the historical collection of stains and preparations, training of residents, doctoral students, training of participants of different projects in performance and visualisation of standard immunohistochemical reactions and modifications thereof, and routine demonstrations of preparation of preparations within the scope of histology and embryology courses.

As the laboratory developed, additional equipment was purchased, extending the spectrum of activity with preparation of frozen dissections and immunohistochemical staining, as well as introduction and improvement of the methodology of polishing of very hard tissues.

In the period from 2002 to 2016, two international projects, 22 national research programme or ERDF projects, 14 Latvian Council of Science projects and two market-oriented projects were implemented in the laboratory. Three foreign colleagues prepared their doctoral theses or parts thereof in the laboratory: Shahid Shahan from Uppsala University, Gineta Liutkiene and Anita Dabužinskiene from the Kaunas Medical Academy, but colleagues from the Uppsala, Örebro and Tartu Universities performed part of joint works on morphological reactions in the laboratory. Domestic doctoral students wrote 23 doctoral theses in the laboratory: three doctoral students were from the Latvia University of Agriculture, but 20 were from RSU, and morphological study of tissues was performed in the following areas: paediatric abdominal surgery, pulmonology, embryology and teratology, biomaterial biocompatibility searches, oral and maxillofacial surgery, intensive care medicine, obstetrics/gynaecology, orthodontics and dermatology. Doctoral students from the Latvia University of Agriculture R. Tamane and A. Valdovska, as well as colleague from RSU O. Volrāts, L. Smane, B. Krivicka-Užkurele, A. Miskova were involved in the AAI work for some time. M. Gržibovskis, A. Babjoniševa, A. Bārzdiņa, I. Kreicberga and E. Sidhoma have been involved in the AAI work for a long time.

Overall, 37 papers of students were written in the laboratory, of which 27 were awarded at different local and international student conferences! Students R. Veidemanis, M. Malzubris, A. Ivanovs became scholarship holders of Professor I. Lazovskis in 2005. In addition to the above-mentioned, five residents (three awards), five masters and two bachelor students wrote their papers using resources of the laboratory, and two qualification papers were written.

Data of the laboratory are included as a chapter in the monograph Neuromuscular Diseases edited by J. Bērziņš, which was issued in 2007 (author of the chapter: M. Pilmane), as well as individual data are included in the textbook on anatomy which is currently submitted to the RSU publishing house.

Professor M. Pilmane has been consulting on the laboratory work since its establishment; it was also led by Assistant Professor B. Kricivka-Užkurele, Acting Assistant L. Smane and Assistant Professor E. Sidhoma for a short period of time. The laboratory is currently led by Assistant Professor A. Junga.