RSU and RAKUS researchers present Latvian lung disease research at the ERS Congress in Barcelona

From 5 to 9 September 2026, researchers from Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) and Rīga East University Hospital (RAKUS) participated in the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress in Barcelona, where they presented findings from research conducted in Latvia across several key areas of respiratory medicine and learned about the latest developments in the field.

The ERS Congress is Europe’s largest scientific meeting in respiratory medicine, bringing together more than 22,000 physicians, researchers and other healthcare professionals from around the world. Dr Anna Saliņa, Head of the Lung Diseases Clinic at RAKUS and RSU researcher, together with her team, presented four research studies at the congress. Dr Saliņa also contributed to the congress scientific programme by chairing an international scientific session and moderating an expert discussion on the latest research in bronchiectasis, respiratory infections, microbiology and biomarkers.

Dr. Anna Saliņa: “It is important that we can present our data at Europe’s largest respiratory medicine congress and raise questions that are relevant not only to our patients but also to the international respiratory medicine community. It is particularly rewarding to see our early-career doctors presenting their research internationally as well. Discussions with leading experts in the field allow us to evaluate our findings, build international collaboration and develop new research projects.”

One of the research areas presented at the congress focused on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) following tuberculosis. COPD is a long-term lung disease that restricts airflow through the airways and can cause shortness of breath, coughing and other respiratory symptoms. The first results from a prospective Latvian cohort study were presented, characterising airway obstruction, structural lung damage and microbiological changes following tuberculosis treatment. The study is led by RSU Professor Iveta Ozere and is conducted within the Fundamental and Applied Research Programme (FLPP) project TRACE COPD (No. lzp-2024/1-0582).

In her doctoral research at RSU, conducted under the supervision of Prof. Daiana Stolz, Dr Anna Saliņa analysed changes in the small airways of symptomatic smokers who did not yet have COPD detectable by standard lung function testing (spirometry). The findings show that changes in the small airways can be identified before COPD becomes detectable by spirometry. The research was supported by the Rīga Stradiņš University Doctoral Grants project, No. 1.1.1.8/1/24/I/005.

Research conducted by early-career doctors under Dr Anna Saliņa’s supervision was also presented at the congress. Dr Viktorija Lodeikina and her team investigated resistance of Mycoplasma pneumoniae to macrolide antibiotics. In Latvia, macrolide resistance was detected in nearly one quarter of the patients studied. Dr Anna Janičeva presented findings from a Latvian study of patients with small-cell lung cancer, characterising their clinical features and survival.

The research involved RSU and RAKUS researchers and their collaborators: Viktorija Lodeikina, Inese Muceniece, Anna Janičeva, Tīna Sparāne, Linda Mundesciema, Huberts Zimackis, Agita Melbārde-Kelmere, Valters Vīksne, Nityanand Jain, Elīna Valtere-Avotiņa, Anda Vīksna, Diāna Ērgle, Līga Kukša, Iveta Ozere, Daiana Stolz and Anna Saliņa.

Markers of lung damage in tuberculosis-associated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (TRACE COPD), Project No. lzp-2024/1-0582, is funded by the Latvian Council of Science.