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Scientific research groups and projects of the Department

Leader: Dr. Edit Buzás, University Professor

One of the major research areas of the Extracellular Vesicle Research Group is the role of post-synthetic protein- and lipid modifications (e.g. glycosylation, citrullination and oxidation) in the development of (auto)immune response (with special focus on rheumatoid arthritis). The other major research field of the group is the investigation of cell-derived membrane vesicles (exosomes, microvesicles and apoptotic bodies). We primarily focus on the role of membrane vesicles in autoimmunity and fetomaternal communication as well as on their stem cell biology and tumor immunology aspects.  The Inflammation Immunology/Membrane Vesicle Research Group participates in the Standardization of Pre-Analytical Variables of Plasma Microparticle Determination Workshop. The infrastructural background of membrane vesicle isolation is supported by Baross Gábor Infrastructural Development Program.

Leader: Dr. Edit Buzás, University Professor

Research topic of the MTA-SE Immunproteogenomics Extracellular Vesicle Research Group:

Extracellular vesicle-focused studies on i) basic aspects of extracellular vesicle biogenesis, ii) in silico genomics of extracellular vesicle secretion, iii) immunological studies, iv twin studies and v) studies on circulating extracellular vesicles in patients with graft versus host disease.

 

Leader: Dr. Edit Buzás, University Professor

The Extracellular Vesicle Research Group of the Hungarian Center of Excellence Molecular Medicine (H-CEMM aims at gaining a mechanistic insight into the importance of the association of LDL (low-density lipoprotein) and extracellular vesicles (EVs) by using genetically engineered cell lines and transgenic mice. Our main goal is to develop a novel gene therapy tool for cardiovascular diseases. The proposed system combines the advantages of viruses and the shielding effect of EVs against neutralizing antiviral antibodies and complement. The project will use the proposed gene therapy to target genes to reduce circulating LDL levels in mice. The project is expected not only to provide important basic understanding on the functional significance of the association of LDL to EVs in cardiovascular disease, but also to develop a novel gene therapy tool to normalize the high serum cholesterol levels of mice. Ultimately, the project may represent a major step towards safe and broadly available gene therapy to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Leader: Dr. Edit Buzás, University Professor

Research topics within the National Heart Program:

  • the characterization of extracellular vesicle-mediated intercellular communication within the pericardial space
  • the biological impact of the association of lipoproteins with extracellular vesicles
  • the identification of cardiomyocyte-derived circulating extracellular vesicle biomarkers

 

Leader: Dr. Zoltán Wiener, Associate Professor

The mission of the Molecular Cancer Biology Research Group is to identify novel communication mechanisms between tumor cells and the stroma that can form the basis of future therapeutic interventions in colorectal cancer. Furthermore, we aim at identifying novel early biomarkers for lung and pancreatic cancers. We partially focus on the extracellular vesicles that represent a novel form of cell-to-cell communication.

 

Leader: Dr. Csaba Szalai, University professor

The Medical Genomics Research Group investigates the genomic and pharmacogenomic background and pathomechanism of the following multifactorial diseases: asthma, allergy and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. For our researches we use our asthma and childhood leukemia bio- and databanks, which are registered in the Hungarian NEKIFUT as strategic research infrastructures. In collaboration with the Department of Measurement and Information Systems of Budapest University of Technology and Economics, the group also participates in developing bioinformatic tools important for our researches.

 

Leader: Dr. László Kőhidai, Associate Professor

Main research fields investigated in Chemotaxis Research Group are
(i) research on cell adhesion, chemotaxis and other basic cell physiological responses;
(ii) phylogeny of cell signaling - studies in ciliated model cells;
(iii) characterization of 'Chemotaxome', the novel category of systems biology.
An underlined, ongoing project of the Research Group is to develop conjugates of drug-targeting available for different kinds of molecular delivery (chemotactic drug targeting) in tumors, atherosclerosis etc. The most significant models are unicellular eukaryotes (Tetrahymena pyriformis) as well as several mammalian tumor cell lines. The Research Group is the host of the core facility of impedance based cell analytical research infrastructure (ECIS, xCELLignece) qualified as SKI by NEKIFUT/NKTH.

 

Leader: Dr. Zoltán Pós, Associate Professor

The Experimental and Translational Immunomics Research Group, established in July 2012, conducts multidisciplinary research in the fields of immunology and genomics, with most of its efforts focused on the analysis CD8+ T cell activity in distinct tissue environments. The group investigates these questions using automated isolation of organ-resident T cells, genomic scale description of their organ-specific characteristics, and tracking in vivo T cell activity and movement, using both transgenic mouse models and human clinical samples. 

Leader: Dr. György Nagy, University Professor

Research topics of the Experimental Rheumatology Research Group:

  • Investigation of factors affecting Th17 lymphocyte differentiation and activation
  • Effect of extracellular vesicles on the differentiation and function of osteoclast cells
  • Investigation of Src-like adapter protein (SLAP) expression in lymphocytes

 

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