Team – Neurobiology and Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group

THIS IS US!

Karolina Pircs, PhD – Group Leader, Assistant Professor

phone: +36 1 459 15 00/60168

Ágnes Varga, PhD – Researcher

phone: +36 1 459-1500/60369

mobile: +36 30 016 4787

Ági is a Researcher in our lab. She graduated as a biologist, specializing in molecular biology, genetics at Eötvös Loránd Science University. Ági obtained her PhD in the field of cell biology, focusing on the autophagic degradation system of Drosophila melanogaster. She has experience in a wide variety of molecular biological tools, cell culturing and microscopy. Previously she was the coordinator of the Semmelweis Onkobank, an oncologic tissue repository. She is the head of our FACS and Viral Vector Core Facilities. In her free time she likes to hike with her family, practice yoga and sewing.

Lea Danics, PharmD, PhD – Researcher

e-mail: danics.lea@semmelweis.hu

Lea is a Researcher in our lab, who investigates post-transcriptional regulation of induced neurons derived from Huntington’s disease patients and is also interested in studying immunological and stress tolerance mechanisms during ageing and age-related neurodegenerative diseases by using the iN model. Lea obtained her PhD at the doctoral school of Theoretical and Translational Medicine Semmelweis University in cancer research, focusing on tumor immunity and stress tolerance-related surviving mechanism. Her background and further plans are opening new perspectives in the research group. As a pharmacist, she is particularly interested in identifying new therapeutic targets for treating neurodegenerative diseases. Outside of the work, she likes to spend time in the nature with her dog and making potteries as a hobby ceramist.

Kinga Vörös, MSc – PhD student

e-mail: kinga.voros@semmelweis.hu

phone: +36 1 459-1500/60168

Kinga is PhD student in our lab. She graduated from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics in 2018 as a pharmaceutical engineer with a master’s degree. She is especially interested in drug development, due to her focus on helping people. Kinga has experience in working with cancer cells and neuronal cultures. Besides cell culturing, she has a lot of experience in toxicological measurements and gene expression. Her favourite work field is immunostaining, where we can detect the amazing world of cells. Her project focuses on drug repurposing in Huntington’s disease. In her free time, she likes gardening and traveling.

Anna Abbas, MSc – KDP-PhD student

e-mail: abbas.anna@semmelweis.hu

phone: +36 1 459-1500/60369

Anna is a PhD student in our laboratory. She graduated from BME (Budapest University of Technology and Economics) in 2021 as a bioengineer with a masters degree. Anna has experience in working with adenoviruses and she is also skilled in virus diagnostics. Anna is interested in virus vector related genetic modification. Her research focuses on establishing and testing a new drug screening strategy for age-related cognitive disorders using induced neurons directly reprogrammed from patient’s fibroblasts and to study how neuronal autophagy declines during physiological healthy ageing. Her future goal is to use gene therapy in an effort to treat or halt diseases. Her hobbies are painting and hiking in the nature.

Balázs Kis, MSc – KDP-PhD student

e-mail: kis.balazs@semmelweis.hu

phone: +36 1 459-1500/60369

Balázs is a PhD student in our laboratory. He graduated as a bioengineer and later chose Info-bionics engineering for his MSc degree. Balázs studied a wide range of subjects from neurobiology to spin wave based computing during his studies. He has experience in cell culturing, magnetic simulations and with analytical chemistry. His current project focuses on the pathophysiological effects of age-related neurodegenerative diseases in induced neurons on autophagy and his goal is to provide a solid foundation to novel treatment strategies concerning these diseases.

Melinda E. Gazdik, MSc – PhD student

Melinda is a PhD student in the lab. She graduated from Eötvös Loránd University. During her BSc, she studied general Biology and after that, she specialized in Neurobiology and Human Biology during her MSc. Melinda continued her studies at the ELTE Doctoral School of Biology, where she is working on the functional characterization of genetically modified human neurons with electrophysiological techniques. She has experience in whole-cell patch clamp measurements on acute brain slices and also on different cell cultures.

Roland Zsoldos, MSc – PhD student

e-mail: zsoldos.roland@semmelweis.hu

Roland recently finished his MSc as a biologist at ELTE and continued his journey now as a PhD student in our lab. He specialized in molecular biology. He is specifically interested in the molecular aspects of neurobiology and age-related diseases. His project focuses on neuronal autophagy during physiological ageing using CRISPRi gene editing in induced neurons. In his free time, he likes to cycle and to play video games.

Zsófia Koltai, BSc – MSc student

Zsófi is an MSc student in our laboratory. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from SZTE and is now continuing her studies at ELTE. During her BSc, she investigated how physical activity influences brain health using a mouse model, which sparked her keen interest in neurobiology and neurodegenerative diseases. Her current research focuses on age-related impairments in autophagy. In her free time, Zsófi enjoys swimming, walking, reading, painting, and playing board games.

Ali Dadawalla – Fulbright visiting research student

Ali is a visiting Fulbright research student in our laboratory. He graduated from California State University, Fresno in the United States. He is extending his neuroscience studies by pursuing molecular neurobiology methods to explore cellular dysfunction associated with age-related neurodegenerative diseases. His project aims to contribute towards healthy aging solutions through investigation of autophagy in induced astrocytes. During his free time, Ali likes hiking and photography.

Bendegúz Sramkó – Medical student

e-mail: sramko.bendeguz@stud.semmelweis.hu

Bendegúz is a medical student at Semmelweis University. He was awarded with a 6-year Scholarship from NTA (National Academy of Scientists Education), which provides him with an opportunity to do research during his studies as a medical doctor. His project focuses on direct neuronal reprogramming using dental pulp cells. In the future, Bendegúz would like to be a medical doctor with special interest in precision medicine and neurology. His hobbies are canoeing and making ethnographical trips.

Vivien Pillár – Research assistant

Vivien graduated from Eötvös Loránd University with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Biology, specializing in Neuroscience and Human Biology. Early on, she knew she wanted to understand how the brain works. To pursue this passion, she joined a research group and spent six years conducting mouse experiments. Over time, her interest shifted increasingly towards the humanities, leading her to join our group, where she found the opportunity to explore this new direction. In her free time, she enjoys baking, cooking, crafting, and spending time with her family.

Pálma Zsolnai – Research assistant

e-mail: zsolnai.palma@semmelweis.hu

phone: +36 1 459-1500/60369

mobile: +36 30 016-4491

Pálma is a lab assistant in our team. She graduated as a biologist, specializing in microbiology and received her Master’s degree from ELTE in 2015. Pálma is performing a wide variety of duties to help the lab running, and also ensures all errands connected to the new Viral Vector Core facility. In her free time she likes to hike and play board games.

Manka – Lab dog

Alumni:

Mateusz Skawski, MS – assistant research fellow

Dorina Jamniczky – Master student

Kinga Sándor-Bajusz – Guest researcher

Ármin Sőth, MSc – Assistant research fellow