Zanda Daneberga

Zanda Daneberga serves as Deputy Director for Molecular Oncology at the Institute of Oncology and Molecular Genetics, Riga Stradins University, where she also holds the position of Professor in the Department of Biology and Microbiology. With over 42 publications and involvement in 12 research projects, her academic career spans molecular oncology, genetic testing, and biomarker research. She also maintains an external position as Laboratory Geneticist at Children's Clinical University Hospital since October 1998.

Her research interests focus on cancer cell biology, microRNA, metastatic colorectal cancer, breast cancer, biological markers, BRCA1, cohort studies, and progression-free survival. Daneberga's work significantly contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in basic medicine and biological sciences. She serves as an Expert for the Latvian Council of Science in 3.1 Basic Medicine (2025-2028, 2022-2025, 2019-2022) and previously in 1.6 Biological Sciences (2016-2019).

The analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on molecular diagnostics in cancer, particularly breast cancer and bladder cancer, with emphasis on biomarkers like microRNA and genetic mutations including BRCA1. Her research increasingly incorporates machine learning approaches for cancer diagnostics and spans from fundamental molecular mechanisms to clinical applications.

Daneberga has received media attention for her work on hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, CRISPR gene editing, and human genome interpretation. She actively participates in scientific conferences, having delivered oral presentations including 'Population BRCA1 and BRCA2 screening: a Latvian pilot' scheduled for June 2025.

Her current research projects include 'The gut microbiome as a neoadjuvant chemotherapy response affecting factor in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients' (2024-2028) where she serves as Supervisor, and 'Development of genetic testing strategies for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer risk prediction' (2024-2026) where she is a Leading Expert. She also contributes to the 'State research project in the field of biomedicine, medical technologies and pharmacy' (2022-2024) as a Leading Expert.