{"id":19586,"date":"2019-11-19T18:23:20","date_gmt":"2019-11-19T17:23:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/?p=19586"},"modified":"2019-11-21T20:04:30","modified_gmt":"2019-11-21T19:04:30","slug":"dr-botond-roska-receives-this-years-semmelweis-budapest-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/2019\/11\/dr-botond-roska-receives-this-years-semmelweis-budapest-award\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Botond Roska receives this year\u2019s Semmelweis Budapest Award"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Semmelweis Budapest Award, the most prestigious international recognition of Semmelweis University was awarded this year by the Senate to Dr. Botond Roska, professor of the University of Basel and the founder of the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel. The recognition was presented by rector Dr. B\u00e9la Merkely at a ceremony held at the Department of Ophthalmology, where Dr. Roska was also awarded the title of visiting professor. In his presentation, the awardee talked about one of his main fields of research, vision restoring gene therapies, while the Switzerland-based professor\u2019s three Hungarian cooperating partners \u2013 two of them from Semmelweis University \u2013 also presented their work. At the beginning of the event, 12 people were awarded the titles of professors emerita and emeritus.<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>This is the 10th occasion that Semmelweis University, which is celebrating its 250th anniversary this year, is presenting its most prestigious international recognition, the Semmelweis Budapest Award, said rector Dr. B\u00e9la Merkely in is opening speech. He pointed put that the award, established in 2009, is awarded to internationally renowned scientists working in the area of natural science whose achievements provide new perspectives and serve the benefit of humanity. The first recipient of the Semmelweis Budapest Award in 2010 was Dr. Jeremy K. Nicholson, who was followed by Sir George Radda, Dr. P\u00e9ter Somogyi, Dr. Gy\u00f6rgy Ol\u00e1h, Dr. Gy\u00f6rgy Klein, Dr. Tomas H\u00f6kfelt, Dr. Stefan W. Hell, Sir Ravinder N. Maini and Dr. Petr Widimsky. All of them are exemplary, highly renowned scientists in their fields who achieved results that provide answers to global health problems, the rector noted. He announced that the 2019 Semmelweis Budapest Award was awarded by the Senate to an outstanding research doctor whose alma mater is Semmelweis University. Dr. Botond Roska\u2019s pioneering gene therapy experiments for restoring vision and his academic work not only provide hope for a new quality of life for patients, but also contribute to increasing the recognition and good name of Hungary and Semmelweis University both at home and abroad. \u201cHis work embodies the translational approach that is the future and which is the leading strategic priority of our university,\u201d the rector added.<\/p>\n

The ceremony began with 12 retiring professors of the university being awarded titles of professors emerita and emeritus, based on a decision of the Senate made in honor of the current anniversary year. The certificates were presented by rector Dr. B\u00e9la Merkely to Dr. Dezs\u0151n\u00e9 Horv\u00e1th, Kahlichn\u00e9 Dr. M\u00e1rta Simon, Dr. \u00c9va Sz\u0151ke, Dr. Erzs\u00e9bet Temesv\u00e1ri, Dr. Dezs\u0151 Frang, Dr. B\u00e9la G\u00f6m\u00f6r, Dr. Zsolt Kelemen, Dr. Endre Ludwig, Dr. Tam\u00e1s Machay, Dr. J\u00e1nos Mih\u00e1ly Papp, Dr. Gy\u00f6rgy Salacz and Dr. Tibor Vereb\u00e9ly.<\/p>\n

This was followed by three Hungarian experts \u2013 including two from Semmelweis University \u2013 holding presentations, on their close collaboration with Dr. Botond Roska in certain segments of their common research.<\/p>\n

Dr. Bal\u00e1zs R\u00f3zsa, group leader at the MTA Institute of Experimental Medicine and the P\u00e1zm\u00e1ny P\u00e9ter Catholic University, and the founder and director of Femtonics, has been working together with Dr. Roska for more than ten years on developing various imaging technologies. In his presentation, he talked about human brain interfaces and how they can be used in restoring vision, noting that these machine interfaces serve to replace certain lost brain functions. He compared the goal of the project \u2013 projecting a virtual reality into the brain \u2013 to what moviegoers saw in the movie Matrix<\/em>.<\/p>\n