On April 21, 2026, the public defense of the doctoral dissertation of Dr. Zoltán Giricz, research professor and Deputy Director responsible for scientific infrastructure at our institute, took place. The dissertation is titled “Cardioprotection against acute ischemia/reperfusion injury: the role of metabolic comorbidities and extracellular vesicles.” The event was organized by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and held in Budapest, in the main hall of the Research Centre for the Humanities.
The dissertation focuses on the mechanisms of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury and cardioprotective interventions against it. The research places particular emphasis on the effects of metabolic comorbidities—such as hyperglycemia or hypercholesterolemia—which can significantly worsen the outcome of cardiac injury and influence the effectiveness of protective mechanisms.
A novel aspect of the work is the investigation of the role of extracellular vesicles (EVs). These are important mediators of intercellular communication, and according to the findings, they may serve as potential therapeutic targets in reducing ischemic cardiac damage. The studies demonstrated that under certain conditions EVs are capable of mitigating oxidative stress and contributing to the protection of the myocardium.
The dissertation also analyzes various cardioprotective approaches in preclinical models, such as different forms of ischemic conditioning, and their effectiveness under different metabolic conditions. The results may contribute to the development of new therapeutic strategies aimed at reducing damage caused by myocardial infarction and improving patients’ life expectancy.
Dr. Zoltán Giricz’s research work focuses on cardiovascular pharmacology and biochemistry, with special regard to the development of therapies against myocardial infarction and the mechanisms of endogenous cardioprotection.
The public defense was successfully conducted and, with significant interest, provided an overview of one of the most important and rapidly developing areas of cardiovascular research.
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