BIOMARKER project

Biomarkers play an important role in biomedical innovation, especially in (cost) effective diagnostics and therapy.

Project Overview

The project’s aim: To enhance the effectiveness and the safety of patient care and therapies.

Procedure: The application of biomarkers for (personalised) medicine research, development and therapies; the formulation of illness-specific biomarkers; diagnostic and analytic methodology development; clinical integration.

The project’s main focuses:

  • the development of already known biomakers and the effective determination of new ones
  • the development of diagnostic protocols
  • the study of pathomechanisms
  • the establishment and the validation of an expert system taking the aspects of personalised therapy in consideration
  • the preparation and validation of POC (by the sickbed) diagnostics platform

Participants: Semmelweis University, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Laboratory Medicine (Barna Vásárhelyi), Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Organic Chemistry (Gellért Karvaly, Péter Mátyus).

Microperimetry: Clinical System Integration project

Microperimetry is a new method in ophthalmology to carry out targeted examinations of the retina’s functional sensitivity. The method enables the reliable and accurate examination of the retina’s sensitivity in the macular area by evaluating the patient’s reactions to flashes of light.

Project Overview

The project’s aim: The exploration and development of the microperimeter’s possible areas of application and its complete integration into the Hungarian health care system. With the application of the microperimetry program the weak fixation observed in the degenerative diseases of the retina can be improved, such as in case of age-related macula degeneration or hereditary retina dystrophy (eg. retinitis pigmentosa).

The project’s main focuses: The research group is planning to prepare further studies to better understand and take advantage of the device’s potential. In case of visually impaired patients, the preferred areas of the retina are evaluated, and based on the results personalised practice programs with follow-up examinations are set up.

Participants: Semmelweis University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology (János Németh), Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Faculty of Information Technology and Bionics (Ákos Kusnyerik).

Lab-on-a-chip project (Human microbiology)

The quick identification of bacteria in microbiological diagnostics is extremely important. The early identification of the type of the bacterium determines the empiric antibiotics therapy as well. However, the speciation of bacteria from human samples require at least a day, which is followed by the identification and the determination of the antibiotics sensitivity.

Project Overview

The project’s aim: The unmarked detection of bacteria from body fluids with the help of lab-on-a-chip methods. 

The project’s main focuses: The development and adaption of lab-on-a-chip methods that provide quick and unmarked identification of various bacteria, and therefore significantly shorten the diagnostic process. The applicability of the system is first tested with the Escherichia coli bacterium, which is a species of great significance in human medicine and is often used for research purposes. Later on, the testing of other bacteria as well as sterile and artificially infected human samples (blood, urine) will be carried out too.

Participants: MTA Biological Research Centre, Institute of Biophysics (András Dér, Sándor Valkai). Semmelweis University, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Medical Microbiology (Dóra Szabó).

Medical Bionics project

With the expansion of the cost-efficient next-generation sequencing technologies in the field of diagnostics and pathomechanism studies the importance of molecular genetic diagnostics is growing due to its better availability and its predictive nature.

Project Overview

The project’s aim: The introduction and enlargement of DNA based diagnostics in clinical practice, in particular, the introduction of quick and cost-efficient sequencing technologies, the study of pathomechanisms in diseases and the development of efficient therapies. 

The project’s main focuses: The molecular genetic study of monogenetic diseases is carried out by next-generation sequencing at the different research locations with the involvement of Hungarian and international participants.

Participants: Semmelweis University, Faculty of Medicine, the Molecular Genetic Laboratory of the 1st Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research (Ilona Kovalszky), The Endocrine Genetic Laboratory of the 2nd Department of Internal Medicine (Attila Patócs).