(Dr. Gábor Barna, Dr. Ágnes Márk, Dr. Gábor Szalóki, Dr. Csilla Kriston)
The research field of the group and main results:
The main aims of our research group are to develop the differential diagnosis of B-cell lymphomas, to study the interaction of the microenvironment and tumor cells by flow cytometry, by molecular and in vitro cell culture methods.
In our diagnostic laboratory, we do the immunophenotyping of lymphomas and leukemia by flow cytometry on peripheral blood and bone marrow aspirate samples. We link our research to our diagnostic work.
The number of patients with lymphoma and leukemia is growing year by year. Nowadays, these diseases are treated by targeted therapy. However, these therapies are often ineffective because of the interaction between lymphoma cells and the bone marrow or lymph nodes microenvironment, which promotes drug resistance and cancer cells’ survival.
In our research, we study the immunophenotype of lymphoma cells. We investigate the survival, the proliferation, and cytokine production of tumor cells – isolated from routine samples – in coculture with bone marrow stromal cells. We compare the in vitro results with the immunophenotype, various prognostic factors (detected by FISH), and mutations. With these data, we try to clear up the role of the microenvironment and the surface molecules of the tumor cells in the development and progression of these diseases.
Ongoing research studies:
Investigation of CD49f isoforms in B-cell acut lymphoblastic leukemia
MRD measurement in Multplex Myeloma with new generation flow cytometry
Investigation of CD180 expression in acute leukaemias
Changes in T cell subpopulations in patients with multiple myeloma treated with mesigdomide
The assessment of the efficacy of venetoclax-obinutuzumab therapy by flow cytometry in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).
The effect of medicine candidate drugs on FLT3-positive primary AML cell cultures.
Our instruments:
Navios (Beckman Coulter) – 2 lasers, 8 fluorescent parameters
FACSLyric (Becton Dickinson)– 3 lasers, 10 fluorescent parameters
DX Flex (Beckman Coulter) – 3 lasers, 13 fluorescent parameters
Publications:
- Barna G, Szalóki G, Márk Á, Hunyadi A, Kriston Cs,. CD86, the double agent: Significance of CD86 expression in B‐cell malignancies Int J Cancer. 2025 Nov 1;157(9):1772-1780. doi: 10.1002/ijc.70028. Epub 2025 Jul 10.
- Szalóki G, Szepesi Á, Tárkányi I, Márk Á, Kriston C, Hunyadi A, Mózes R, Barna G.Case Report: Flow cytometric differential diagnosis of a peripheral T-cell lymphoma, NOS with complete loss of CD45 and dim expression of CD3. Pathol Oncol Res. 2025 May 29;31:1612095. doi: 10.3389/pore.2025.1612095. eCollection 2025.
- Hunyadi A, Kriston Cs, Szalóki G., Péterffy B., Egyed B, Szepesi Á, Timár B, Erdélyi D, Csanádi K, Kutszegi N, Barna G. The significance of CD49f expression in pediatric B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PATHOLOGY 163 : 2 pp. 169-177. , 9 p. (2025)
- Czeti Á, Sashalmi S, Takács F, Szalóki G, Kriston C, Varga G, Farkas P, Hamed A, Márk Á, Barna G. Investigating the effect of immunomagnetic separation on the immunophenotype and viability of plasma cells in plasma cell disorders. Pathol Oncol Res. 2024 Oct 18;30:1611882. doi: 10.3389/pore.2024.1611882. eCollection 2024.
- Takács F, Kotmayer L, Czeti Á, Szalóki G, László T,Mikala G, Márk Á, Masszi A, Farkas P, Plander M, Weisinger J, Demeter J, Fekete S, Szerafin L, Deák BM, Szaleczky E, Sulák A, Borbényi Z, Barna G. Revealing a Phenotypical Appearance of Ibrutinib Resistance in Patients With Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia by Flow Cytometry. Pathol Oncol Res. 2022;28: 1610659. Published online 2022 Sep 21. doi: 10.3389/pore.2022.1610659
- Czeti Á, Szalóki G, Varga G, Szita VR, Komlósi ZI, Takács F, Márk Á, Timár B, Matolcsy A, Barna G. Limitations of VS38c labeling in the detection of plasma cell myeloma by flow cytometry. Cytometry A. 2022 Feb;101(2):159-166. doi: 10.1002/cyto.a.24488. Epub 2021 Jul 30.
- Kriston C, Hernádfői M, Plander M, Márk Á, Takács F, Czeti Á, Szalóki G, Szabó O, Matolcsy A, Barna G. Lenalidomide abrogates the survival effect of bone marrow stromal cells in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Hematol Oncol. 2021 Oct;39(4):513-520. doi: 10.1002/hon.2888. Epub 2021 May 20.
- Takács F, Tolnai-Kriston C, Hernádfői M, Szabó O, Szalóki G, Szepesi Á, Czeti Á, Matolcsy A, Barna G. The Effect of CD86 Expression on the Proliferation and the Survival of CLL Cells. Pathol Oncol Res. 2019 Apr;25(2):647-652. doi: 10.1007/s12253-018-0512-7. Epub 2018 Nov 8.
- Kriston C, Plander M, Márk Á, Sebestyén A, Bugyik E, Matolcsy A, Barna G. In contrast to high CD49d, low CXCR4 expression indicates the dependency of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells on the microenvironment. Ann Hematol. 2018 Jun 28. doi: 10.1007/s00277-018-3410-x.
- Márk Á, Varga G, Timár B, Kriston C, Szabó O, Deák L, Matolcsy A, Barna G. The effect of microenvironmental factors on the development of myeloma cells. Hematol Oncol. 2016 Oct 21. doi: 10.1002/hon.2354.
- Kriston C, Bödör C, Szenthe K, Bánáti F, Bánkuti B, Csernus B, Reiniger L, Csomor J, Matolcsy A, Barna G. Low CD23 expression correlates with high CD38 expression and the presence of trisomy 12 in CLL. Hematol Oncol. 2015 Jun 29. doi: 10.1002/hon.2244.
- Barna G, Mihalik R, Timár B, Tömböl J, Csende Z, Sebestyén A, Bödör C, Csernus B, Reiniger L, Peták I, Matolcsy A. ROR1 expression is not a unique marker of CLL. Hematol Oncol. 2011 Mar;29(1):17-21. doi: 10.1002/hon.948.
Members of the research group:
Dr. Gábor Barna, research advisor
Dr. Ágnes Márk, research fellow
Dr. Csilla Tolnai-Kriston, research fellow
Dr. Gábor Szalóki, research fellow
Dr. Anna Hunyadi, PhD student
Miklós Aranyás, biologist
Brigitta Jahoda, biologist
