CV

Birth: 1947

Education:

• 1970 Eotvos University, Budapest (Hungary): Biology

Academic qualifications:

• 2007 Ordinary Member of Hungarian Academy of Sciences
• 2001 Corresponding Member of Hungarian Academy of Sciences
• 1990 DSc
• 1983 PhD

Present and previous positions:

• 2012 - Semmelweis University, Department of Genetics, Cell- and Immunobiology:  University Professor
• 1994 - 2012 Semmelweis University, Department of Genetics, Cell- and Immunobiology (earlier Department of Biology): Professor and Chairman
• 1975 - 1994 National Institute of Rheumatology and Physiotherapy, Depts. of Immunology and Molecular Biology

Professional visits:

• 1991 Inst. Klin. Immunologie, Inselspital, Bern, Switzerland (A. de Weck)
• 1989 Dept. Molec. Cell. Biol., Osaka University, Japan (T. Kishimoto)
• 1984 - 1986 Dept. Cell. Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, U.S.A. (H.R. Colten)
• 1980 - 1981: Inst. Med. Microbiology, Odense University, Odense, Denmark (S.-E. Svehag)

Activities in education:

• Lectures in immunology, genetics/genomics
• PhD courses
• Supervisor of PhD students
• 2005 - : lectures at Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Faculty of Information Technology
• 2010 - : lectures in Computational Biology and Medicine for American students at Aquincum Institute of Technology

Other activities at the university:

• Former head of the Scientific Committee of Semmelweis University
• 2001 - : Organizer of Semmelweis Genomic Network

Public activities:

• Hungarian Academy of Sciences: member of boards of Immunology (former head), Cell- and Developmental Biology, Medical Genetics
• Former member of Doctorial Board
• Vice-president of Society for Dissemination of Scientific Knowledge

Memberships: 

• Member of boards of Hungarian Immunological Society (formerly President), Genetists, Human Genetists, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology
• Member of Boards of European Histamine Research Society, American Society for Immunology, British Society for Immunology
• Scientific-Ethical Committee of Ministry of Health, vice president of Immunology Board, National Accreditation Committee, Searching Committe for Gene Technology
• Editor for Inflammation Research
• European Associate Editor for International Immunology
• Member of boards for Cellular Molecular Life Sciences, Medical Science Monitor, Journal of C. European Immunology, The Immunologist, Cell Biology International and Acta Biologica Hungarica

Honours and awards:

• 2008 Semmelweis award
• 2006 Széchenyi award from the President of Hungarian Republic
• 2006 János Neumann award
• 2001 „The Scientist of the Year" award
• 1998 Szentágothai Award of Arany János Foundation
• 1997 Széchenyi Professor fellowship
• 1996 Markusovszky award
• 1995 Academic award

Scientific interests:

• Medical genomics, histamine biology, allergy genomics, gene expression regulation, gene chip technology, bioinformatics

Research areas:

• 1994 - The role of histamine in immune response, tumor growth. Phenotype analysis of histamine-free transgenic mice
• 1989 - 1994 Inflammatory cytokines, IL-6- the role of histamine in immune response, tumor growth, phenotype studies of histamine-free mice
• 1984 - 1988 Complement genetics, histamine
• 1975 - 1984 Immune complexes, beta-2 mikroglobulin
• 1970 - 1975 Neurochemistry, neuroimmunology

Major results (from 1994):

• Histamine is one of the autocrine factor in tumor growth, the outcome of the effect is influenced by the number and ratio of the histamine receptors.
  Histamine shifts the immunoregulatory balance toward Th2, interferon and histamine reveal reciprocal inhibition.
• Major phenotypes of histidine decarboxylase knock-out (histamine free) mice:
  Th1-type shift in immunoregulation, low mast cell number with poor granulation, low eosinophil number, resistance to experimental asthma, lower local hyper-sensitivity, low HCl and elevated gastrin, decreased H2 receptor expression in many tissues, low IL-6 and IL-6 dependent acute phase protein, increased glucose intolerance, elevated androgen levels. Using microarray approach, many new, still not annotated genes were detected.

Languages:

• Hungarian (native)
• English (level B2)