Members
- Zoltán Prohászka, MD, DSc, Professor of Immunology
- György Sinkovits, MD, PhD, Research Fellow
- Lisa Hurler, PhD Student
- Andreea-Adela Icleanu, PhD Student
- Dénes Horánszky, Research Student
Profile of the working group
In the Research Laboratory, in parallel with the extensive diagnostics of thrombotic microangiopathies (TMA), research is also being carried out to better understand the pathophysiological background of these diseases.
One of our main research topics is to identify the causes of ADAMTS13 deficiency underlying thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). In the immune-mediated form of TTP, the deficiency is caused by autoantibodies produced against the von Willebrand factor (VWF)-cleaving enzyme ADAMTS13, and thus we are primarily interested in understanding the steps that lead to autoimmunity against the ADAMTS13 enzyme.
The other main focus of our research is the role of the complement system in thrombotic microangiopathies. The role of complement dysregulation in the complement-mediated form of atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) is well established, but our group has previously demonstrated a role for increased complement activation in the development of TTP and secondary forms of TMA.
We aim to provide new insights into the pathogenesis of TMAs by simultaneously investigating the ADAMTS13-VWF axis and the complement system and synthesizing these with clinical data. The basis for these investigations are our expertise and experience in the study of the complement system and the diagnosis of TMAs, as well as on the large number of patient data and samples that our laboratory has collected over the past decades.
Our studies are not limited to TMAs in the narrow sense, but also include pathological conditions that similarly involve the ADAMTS13-VWF axis and the complement system. These include the COVID-19 disease and its associated pathologies (MIS-C, long covid), which have been studied by our group since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.
Our laboratory is also part of international consortia investigating the role of the complement system in several diseases (CORVOS) and the mechanism of loss of tolerance against the ADAMTS13 enzyme together with novel therapeutic options in TTP (TOLERATE), in the framework of EU-funded projects.
Our group offers research and thesis opportunities in the above topics, mainly for general medical students and students of biology, pharmacy, bioengineering and others interested in the medical sciences.