Speakers

Mübeccel Akdis
Peter J. Barnes
Chris Baylis
Paolo Boffetta
Richard H. Casaburi
Piero Ceriana
Anna Csiszár
Uwe Heemann
Mir Ali Reza Hoda
Burkhard Ludewig
Nándor Marczin
Horst Olschewski
Olli Polo
Helmut Popper
Christopher W.G Redman
Matthias Salathe
Michael Schatz
Andreas Schmid
Jean-Paul Sculier
Adam Wanner
Wolfram Windisch

Balázs Antus
Péter Apor
András Bikov
Balázs Döme
Ildikó Horváth
Gábor Horváth
Kristóf Karlócai
Zsolt I. Komlósi
Gábor Kovács Jr.
György Lang
András Lorx
György Losonczy
József Lukácsovits
Judit Moldvay
Veronika Müller
János Rigó
Attila Somfay
Lilla Tamási
Miklós Tóth

Mübeccel Akdis

Head of Immunodermatology

Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF)

Obere Strasse 22

CH-7270 Davos

Switzerland

Tel: +4181 4100848

Fax: +4181 4100840

E-mail: akdism@siaf.unizh.ch

Dr Mubeccel Akdis-SIAF. Dr Akdis graduated in Medical faculty from Uludag University, Bursa in 1985. She was employed by the Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research in 1995 and received her PhD in Immunology. Thereafter, Dr Akdis was employed as a postdoctoral scientist at which time she became a group leader at SIAF, where she has established her own research group since 2003. Dr Akdis made her habilitation (Venia Legendi) in Zurich University Medical Faculty on Experimental Immunology in 2005. She has published 132 peer-reviewed research articles (total citations 7663; average citations; 44.2; h index 47, First and last author articles cited more than 100 times: 16). In addition, she has research grants and collaborative grants from the Swiss National Foundation and European Union (WP leader of 2 European projects). Dr Akdis has successfully mentored 7 PhD students and 8 MD fellows. She received numerous awards, including Ferdinand Wortman Prize, Professor Hans Storck Award, Sedat Simavi Medicine Award.

Relevant publications

1. Akdis M, Verhagen J, Taylor A, Karamloo F, Karagiannidis C, Crameri R, Thunberg S, Deniz G, Valenta R, Fiebig H, Kegel C, Disch R, Schmidt-Weber CB, Blaser K, Akdis CA. Healthy or allergic immune response characterized by fine balance between allergen-specific T regulatory 1 and T helper 2 cells. J. Exp. Med. 2004; 199: 1567-1575.

2. Meiler, F. Zumkehr, J, Klunker S, Rückert B, Akdis CA, Akdis M. In vivo switch to IL-10-secreting T regulatory cells in high dose allergen exposure. J. Exp. Med. 2008;205:2887-98.

3. Akdis M, Akdis CA. Therapeutic manipulation of immune tolerance in allergic disease.Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2009 Aug;8(8):645-60.

4. van de Veen W, Stanic B, Yaman G, Wawrzyniak M, Söllner S, Akdis DG, Rückert B, Akdis CA, Akdis M. IgG4 production is confined to human IL-10-producing regulatory B cells that suppress antigen-specific immune responses. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2013 Apr;131(4):1204-12.

5. Kücüksezer UC, Palomares O, Rückert B, Jartti T, Puhakka T, Nandy A, Gemicioğlu B, Fahrner HB, Jung A, Deniz G, Akdis CA, Akdis M. Triggering of specific Toll-like receptors and proinflammatory cytokines breaks allergen-specific T-cell tolerance in human tonsils and peripheral blood. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2013 Mar;131(3):875-885

Peter Barnes

Peter Barnes is Margaret-Turner Warwick Professor of Medicine at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Head of Respiratory Medicine at Imperial College and Honorary Consultant Physician at Royal Brompton Hospital, London.
He qualified at Cambridge and Oxford Universities (first class honours) and was appointed to his present post in 1987. He has published over 1000 peer-review papers on asthma, COPD and related topics (hindex 148) and has written or edited over 50 books. He is the 7thmost highly cited researcher in the world, has been the most highly cited clinical scientist in Europe and the most highly cited respiratory researcher in the world over the last 20 years.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2007, the first respiratory researcher for over 150 years. He is currently a member of the Scientific Committee of global guidelines on asthma (GINA) and COPD (GOLD). He also serves on the Editorial Board of over 30 journals and is currently an Associate Editor of American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Chest, Journal of COPD and respiratory Editor of PLoS Medicine. He has given several prestigious lectures, including the Amberson Lecture at the American Thoracic Society, the Sadoul Lecture at the European Respiratory Society and the Croonian Lecture at the Royal College of Physicians, London. He has been received honorary degrees from the Universities of Ferrara (Italy), Athens (Greece), Tampere (Finland), Leuven (Belgium) and Maastricht (Netherlands). He is a NIHR Senior Investigator and was elected a Master Fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians and a member of Academia Europaea in 2012. He is currently President of the European Respiratory Society. He co-founded an Imperial spin-out company RespiVert, which was acquired by Johnson & Johnson and has developed novel inhaled treatments for COPD and severe asthma.

Chris Baylis

Chris Baylis PhD, is Professor of Physiology and Medicine, and Director of the Hypertension Center at the University of Florida. She received her Ph.D. from Leeds University, UK and did her postdoctoral training with Dr Barry Brenner at UCSF and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston. She is well known for her work on maternal renal adaptations during normal and compromised pregnancy, and also her work on role of nitric oxide/oxidative stress in the control of normal renal function and in kidney disease. She has been continually funded by the NIH since 1982. She has a number of honors and awards, including the Hungarian Society of Nephrology, Koranyi Sandor award, the Gottschalk award from the Renal Section of the American Physiological Society and both the Louis K Dahl, and Harriet Dustan Awards, from the Council for High Blood Pressure Research, American Heart Association.

Publications:

1. Baylis C, Mitruka B, Deng A. Chronic blockade of nitric oxide synthesis in the rat produces systemic hypertension and glomerular damage. J. Clin. Invest. 90:278-281, 1992.

2. Sasser JM, Molnar M, Baylis C. Relaxin ameliorates hypertension and increases nitric oxide metabolite excretion in Angiotensin II but not L- NAME induced hypertensive rats. Hypertension. 58:197-204, 2011.

3. West C, Shaw S, Sasser J, Fekete A, Alexander T, Masilamani S, Baylis C. Chronic vasodilation increases collecting duct PDE5A and ∝ENaC through independent renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) pathways. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 305:R1133-40, 2013.

Paolo Boffetta

Paolo Boffetta is a chronic disease epidemiologist. He received a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Turin, Italy and a Master in Public Health from Columbia University. During 1990-2009 he worked at the International Agency for Research on Cancer, World Health Organization, in Lyon, France. Since 2010 he has been at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, NY, as Director of the Institute for Translational Epidemiology and Associate Director for Population Sciences of the Tisch Cancer Institute. He is Adjunct Professor at the Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, and at the Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health. He has edited 12 books and published over 1,000 peer-reviewed articles in the scientific literature.

Yip R, Henschke CI, Yankelevitz DF, Boffetta P, Smith JP; The International Early Lung Cancer Investigators. The impact of the regimen of screening on lung cancer cure: a comparison of I-ELCAP and NLST. Eur J Cancer Prev. 2014 Aug 2. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 25089376

Henschke CI, Boffetta P, Gorlova O, Yip R, Delancey J, Foy M. Assessment of lung-cancer mortality reduction from CT screening. Lung Cancer 2010;71:328-32. PMID: 21168236

Sisti J, Boffetta P. What proportion of lung cancer in never-smokers can be attributed to known risk factors? Int J Cancer 2012;131:265-75. PMID: 22322343

Richard Casaburi

Richard Casaburi is Professor of Medicine and Associate Chief for Research in the Division of Respiratory Medicine at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, California. He occupies the Grancell/Burns Chair in the Rehabilitative Sciences at Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute.

Dr. Casaburi completed his PhD in biomedical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Five years after joining the Harbor-UCLA faculty, he returned to school to earn his MD. He returned to Harbor-UCLA Respiratory Medicine faculty and became Division Chief in 1998, serving for 6 years.

Dr. Casaburi established the Rehabilitation Clinical Trials Center in 1999, a facility dedicated to COPD research. He has completed more than 75 clinical research studies, including 3 major NIH multicenter projects. He has published 260 papers and has presented over 500 invited lectures.

Dr. Casaburi serves as president of the Pulmonary Education and Research Foundation, an organization dedicated to advancing pulmonary rehabilitation.

Important publications

1. Casaburi, R., S. Bhasin, L. Cosentino, J. Porszasz, A. Somfay, M.I. Lewis, M. Fournier and T.W. Storer. Effects of testosterone replacement and resistance training in men with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 170:870-878,2004.

2. Casaburi, R., R. ZuWallack. Pulmonary rehabilitation for the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. New Engl. J. Med. 360:1329-1335,2009. (PMID:19321869)

3. Casaburi, R, J Porszasz, A Hecht, B Tiep, RK Albert, NR Anthonisen, WC Bailey, JE Connett, JA Cooper Jr, GJ Criner, J Curtis, M Dransfield, SC Lazarus, B Make, FJ Martinez, C McEvoy, DE Niewoehner, JJ Reilly, P Scanlon, SM Scharf, FC Sciurba, P Woodruff for the COPD Clinical Research Network. Influence of lightweight ambulatory oxygen on oxygen use and activity patterns of COPD patients receiving long-term oxygen therapy. J. COPD 9:3-11, 2012.

Anna Csiszar

Anna Csiszar is an Associate Professor and Donald W. Reynolds Endowed Chair at the Reynolds Oklahoma Center on Aging, University of Oklahoma. Csiszar’s research centers on age-related vascular alterations leading to cognitive impairment. She received her MD degree in 1998 from the Semmelweis University of Medicine in Budapest, Hungary. In 2002 she earned a PhD in Physiology from the same institution. After 3 years of post-doctoral fellowship she joined the faculty of New York Medical College, NY in 2004. Her mentor was Gabor Kaley, one of the leading scientists of the field of microvascular pathophysiology. In 2009 she was recruited by the University of Oklahoma. Her work focuses on the cardiovascular complications of aging. She elucidated molecular mechanisms responsible for oxidative stress and low-grade vascular inflammation in aging, by introducing novel approaches to aging research, such as tools of comparative biology. Her current research focuses on age related cerebrovascular alterations leading to mild cognitive impairment. In addition to numerous scientific articles, she is the author of several book chapters and she serves as a reviewer for scientific journals as well as for NIH, AHA and AFAR. She has received a Young Investigator Award in 2002 from the APS, in 2003 from the Eastern Hypertension Society. In 2007 she was awarded the 18th Annual Nathan W. Shock Lecture Award and in 2010 she was named a Beeson Scholar and College of Medicine Alumni Research Scholar of the University of Oklahoma. In 2012 she has received the Nathan W. Shock Young Investigator Award.

List of Recent/ Relevant Publications

1. Tucsek Z, Toth P, Tarantini S, Sosnowska D, Gautam T, Warrington JP, Giles CB, Wren JD, Koller A, Ballabh P, Sonntag WE, Ungvari Z, Csiszar A.: Aging Exacerbates Obesity-induced Cerebromicrovascular Rarefaction, Neurovascular Uncoupling, and Cognitive Decline in Mice. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2014 Jun 3. pi: glu080. [Epub ahead of print]

2. Tucsek Z, Toth P, Sosnowska D, Gautam T, Mitschelen M, Koller A, Szalai G, Sonntag WE, Ungvari Z, Csiszar A.: Obesity in aging exacerbates blood-brain barrier disruption, neuroinflammation, and oxidative stress in the mouse hippocampus: effects on expression of genes involved in Beta-amyloid generation and Alzheimer’s disease. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2014 Oct;69(10):1212-26

3. Csiszar A, Labinskyy N, Olson S, Pinto JT, Gupte S, Wu JM, Hu F, Ballabh P, Podlutsky A, Losonczy G, de Cabo R, Mathew R, Wolin MS, Ungvari Z. Resveratrol prevents monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension in rats. Hypertension. 2009 Sep;54(3):668-75.

Uwe Heemann

Uwe Heemann is head of the Department of Nephrology at the Technische Universität München, Klinikum rechts der Isar. He worked among other places at Harvard Medical School and obtained his PhD in Transplant Immunology. He won several awards, among them the Silver Plate Award of the Hungarian Kidney Foundation, an honarary thesis of the Semmelweis University and the Hans-U. Zollinger Medal of the Deutsche Nephrologische Gesellschaft. He served as President of the German Society of Transplantation and is currently chairing the Eurotransplant Kidney advisory committee.

Publications:

1. Microcirculatory marker for the prediction of renal end points: a prospective cohort study in patients with chronic kidney disease stage 2 to 4.Baumann M, Burkhardt K, Heemann U.Hypertension. 2014 Aug;64(2):338-46
   

2. Heemann U, Lutz J. Pathophysiology and treatment options of chronic renal allograft damage Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2013 Oct;28(10):2438-46
   Rusai K, Schmaderer C, Baumann M, Chmielewski S, Prókai A, Kis E, Szabó AJ, Leban J,

3. Doblhofer R, Ammendola A, Lutz J, Heemann U. Immunosuppression with 4SC-101, a novel inhibitor of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase, in a rat model of renal transplantation. Transplantation. 2012 Jun 15;93(11):1101-

Mir Ali Reza Hoda

Dr. Hoda specialises in thoracic surgical oncology at the Division of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University Vienna. He received his medical degree from the Medical University Vienna in 2006. From 2008 he started to focus his clinical and research activities on thoracic oncology with an emphasis on malignant pleural mesothelioma. Besides several national research grants, he has received the ACO-ASSO prize and the Georg Stumpf Stipendium from the Austrian Society of Surgical Oncology, the Wolfgang Denk prize from the Austria Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and a young investigator award from the Austrian Society of Hematology/Oncology. Dr. Hoda has authored and co-authored 40 publications in peer-reviewed journals and is a co-director of the Translational Thoracic Oncology Program at the Division of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University Vienna.

Key publications:

1. Schelch K*, Hoda MA*, Klikovits T, Münzker J, Ghanim B, Wagner C, Garay T, Laszlo V, Setinek U, Dome B, Filipits M, Pirker C, Heffeter P, Selzer E, Tovari J, Torok S, Kenessey I, Holzmann K, Grasl-Kraupp B, Marian B, Klepetko W, Berger W, Hegedus B, Grusch M. FGF Receptor Inhibition is Active Against Mesothelioma and Synergizes with Radio- and Chemotherapy. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2014; 190:763-72.*equal contribution

2. Hoda MA, Munzker J, Ghanim B, Schelch K, Klikovits T, Laszlo V, Sahin E, Bedeir A, Lackner A, Dome B, Setinek U, Filipits M, Eisenbauer M, Kenessey I, Torok S, Garay T, Hegedus B, Taghavi S, Klepetko W, Berger W, Grusch M. Suppression of Activin A Signals Inhibits Growth of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Cells. Br J Cancer 2012; 107:1978-86

3. Hoda MA, Mohamed A, Ghanim B, Filipits M, Hegedues B, Tamura M, Berta J, Kubista B, Dome B, Grusch M, Setinek U, Micksche M, Klepetko W, Berger W. Temsirolimus inhibits Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma growth in vitro and in vivo: Synergism with chemotherapy. J Thorac Oncol 2011; 6:852-63.

Burkhard Ludewig

Professor Burkhard Ludewig, DVM, is an Immunologist and acts currently as the head of the Medical Research Center and the Institute of Immunobiology at the Cantonal Hospital St. Gallen. His research interests are focused on the interaction of viruses with the innate and adaptive immune system and the role of stromal cells in lymphoid organ development. He is affiliated with the Science faculty of the University of Zürich and hold the academic position of a Titularprofessor in the field of immunopathology. Further academic activities include teaching of biology students of the ETH Zürich and the University of Zürich in immunology, and supervising PhD students from the Life Science Zürich Graduate School. Prof. Ludewig graduated in 1992 at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Free University (FU) Berlin, Germany, and received a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine in 1995 at the FU Berlin following a three year experimental work at the Robert-Koch Institute. Following two short postdoctoral positions at the Robert-Koch Institute and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, he has joined the Institute of Experimental Immunology at the University of Zürich in 1997. Since 2002, he is working at the Cantonal Hospital St. Gallen.

Publications:

1. Ludewig, B., A. Ochsenbein, B. Odermatt, D. Paulin, H. Hengartner, and R. M. Zinkernagel. 2000. Immunotherapy with dendritic cells directed against tumor antigens shared with normal host cells results in severe autoimmune disease. J.Exp.Med. 191:795-803.

2. Scandella, E., B. Bolinger, E. Lattmann, S. Miller, S. Favre, D.R. Littman, D. Finke, S. Luther, T.M. Junt, and B. Ludewig. 2008. Restoration of lymphoid organ integrity through interaction of lymphoid tissue inducer cells with stromal cells. Nature Immunology. 9:667-75.

3. Chai, Q., L. Onder, E. Scandella, C. Gil-Cruz, C. Perez-Shibayama, R. Danuser, T. Sparwasser, S. Luther, V. Thiel, T. Rülicke, J.V. Stein , T. Hehlgans, and B. Ludewig. 2013. Maturation of lymph node fibroblastic reticular cells from myofibroblastic precursors is critical for antiviral immunity. Immunity 38(5):1013-24.

Nandor Marczin

Dr Nandor Marczin is Clinical Senior Lecturer at Imperial College London and honorary consultant in Adult Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia at the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust. Dr Marczin currently chairs the subcommittee of the European Association of Cardiothoracic Anaesthetists on transplantation and long term mechanical assist.

He graduated from Pecs Medical University in 1987 in Hungary and started a residency in anaesthesiology and intensive care at the Pecs University Hospital. He then spent a fruitful postdoctoral and junior faculty period at the Department of Pharmacology at the Medical College of Georgia in the USA working in the field of vascular biology and pharmacology. After completing his residency training in Hungary, he took up further clinician scientist posts at the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals and at Imperial College London. He was the recipient of the prestigious Medical Research Council Clinician Scientists Fellowship. Dr Marczin’s research is focusing on molecular, cellular and physiological mechanisms of perioperative inflammation and metabolic derangements with a strong emphasis on real time molecular diagnostics at the bedside and novel therapies.

Selected recent publications:

1. Cristescu SM, Kiss R, Te Lintel Hekkert S, Dalby M, Harren FJ, Risby TH, Marczin N. Real-time monitoring of endogenous lipid peroxidation by exhaled ethylene in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2014 Aug 15.

2. Zych B, Popov AF, Stavri G, Bashford A, Bahrami T, Amrani M, De Robertis F, Carby M, Marczin N, Simon AR, Redmond KC. Early outcomes of bilateral sequential single lung transplantation after ex-vivo lung evaluation and reconditioning. J Heart Lung Transplant. 2012 Mar;31(3):274-81.

3. Potapov E, Meyer D, Swaminathan M, Ramsay M, El Banayosy A, Diehl C, Veynovich B, Gregoric ID, Kukucka M, Gromann TW, Marczin N, Chittuluru K, Baldassarre JS, Zucker MJ, Hetzer R. Inhaled nitric oxide after left ventricular assist device implantation: a prospective, randomized, double-blind, multicenter, placebo-controlled trial. J Heart Lung Transplant. 2011 Aug;30(8):870-8.

Horst Olschewski

Personal data
Date of birth: 21December1958
Place of Birth: Hünfeld, Germany
Nationality: German
Family Married, 1 child (Felix *2Feb2003)

University Education and professional experiences
1978-1984 Study of Human Medicine, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany
1985-1988 Research Fellow, Physiological Institute of the Medical Faculty, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen
1986 PhD thesis in Physiology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen
1988-1997 Resident in Internal Medicine and Pulmonology, Justus-Liebig-University Hospital Giessen
1993 Assistant Professor at the Justus-Liebig-University Giessen
1994 Board certification in Internal Medicine
1999 Board certification in Pulmonology
2000 Habilitation in Internal Medicine
2002 Board certification in Intensive Care Medicine
2008 Board certification in Infectious Diseases
2002-2004 Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen
Since 2005 Professor of Pulmonology and Director of the Division of Pulmonology, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Austria

Honors and Awards
1987 Carl-Oelemann-Award for the best Doctoral Thesis, State of Hessen, Germany
1999 Best Scientific Poster, Section Pulmonology. Internists Congress, Wiesbaden, Germany
2000 PHeV grant as Visiting Clinician at US centers of excellence for pulmonary hypertension
2004 Patent submission for a novel therapy for pulmonary hypertension
2007 Patent submission for non-invasive measurement of pulmonary arterial pressure by means of MRI
2012 Patent submission for non-invasive assessment of pulmonary hypertension by means of dynamic CT.

Career related activities
1996 Design and performance of a German multicenter study with inhaled iloprost for the treatment of severe pulmonary hypertension (investigator IND).
1998 Participant in the 2nd WHO Conference on Primary Pulmonary Hypertension in Evian, France.
1998 Co-Principle Investigator (with Prof. Seeger) in a Phase II study assessing long-term efficacy and safety of inhaled iloprost.
1998 Principle investigator in a German Phase II study with different inhalation devices for inhaled iloprost
1998-2004 International Steering Committee member of the AIR study
2004-2010 International Steering Committee member of the TRIUMPH study
2004-2008 International Steering Committee member of the ARIES study
1999-2009 Nucleus Member of the Working Group 12 „Pulmonary Hypertension and Right Ventricular Function“ and Member of the Task Force Pulmonary Hypertension of the European Society of Cardiology
2001-2007 Member of the Scientific Advisory Board (Scientific Leadership Counsel) of the Pulmonary Hypertension Association, USA
2002-2008 Chairman of the Working Group for Pulmonary Hypertension of the German Pneumologic Society and the German Cardiologic Society
2007-2013 Vice President, President and Past President of the Austrian Society of Pneumology (ASP)
2009-2013 Data Safety Monitoring Chair in 5 international studies on riociguat in pulmonary hypertension.
Since 2009 Data Safety Monitoring Board member for studies on imatinib in PAH
2010 Organization and Chair of the annual ASP Meeting in Graz
2010 Co-founder of the Ludwig-Boltzmann-Institute for Lung Vascular Research, Graz
Since 2011 Section Editor, Central European Journal of Medicine.
Memberships: Austrian Society of Pneumology (Past President), Austrian Society of Internal Medicine, German Society of Pneumology, Section cardiorespiratory interaction, German Society of Internal Medicine, German Society of Cardiology (Fellow), European Respiratory Society, assembly on pulmonary circulation, American Thoracic Society, American College of Chest Physicians (Fellow).

Polo, Olli Juhani

After receiving his MD degree at the University of Turku in 1984, Olli Polo continued his research work on sleep and breathing at the Guy de Chauliac Hospital (University of Montpellier, France) under supervision of Prof. Michel Billiard in 1985-1987. In 1992 he defended his PhD thesis on “Partial Upper Airway Obstruction during Sleep” at the University of Turku, Finland. In 1992-1994 he served as a postdoctoral research fellow at the David Read Laboratory in the Department of Medicine, University of Sydney, Australia headed by Prof. Colin Sullivan. In 2000 he finished his Pulmonary Specialist training and served as pulmonary specialist at Turku University Hospital. In 2004 he was elected as professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Tampere and head of the Pulmonary Division of Tampere University Hospital. Currently he is also head of Unesta Research Center in Tampere, specializing in sleep and breathing disorders including insomnia, restless legs, sleep apnea, snoring, breathing during menopause, control of breathing, chronic fatigue and COPD. He has supervised 12 PhD theses and published 124 peer reviewed articles or reviews. His long-lasting goal in research has been to advance our understanding of the autonomic nervous system control of sleep and vigilance, breathing and cardiovascular functions in health and disease.

Publications

1. SALMINEN AV, RIMPILÄ V, POLO O. Peripheral hypoxia in restless legs syndrome (Willis-Ekbom disease). Neurology. 2014; 82(21): 1856-61

2. ALLEN RP, CHEN C, GARCIA-BORREGUERO D, POLO O, DUBRAVA S, MICELI J, KNAPP L, WINKELMAN J. Comparison of Pregabalin with Pramipexole for Restless Legs Syndrome. N Engl J Med 2014; 370:621-31.

3. RIMPILÄ, V, SAARESRANTA T, HUHTALA H, VIRKKI A, SALMINEN AV, POLO O. Transcutaneous CO2-Plateau as Set-Point for Respiratory Drive during Upper Airway Flow-Limitation. Respir Physiol Neurobiol. 2014; 191:44-51

Helmut H Popper

Helmut H Popper: Interstitial lung diseases – can pathologists arrive at an etiology-based diagnosis? A critical update. Virchows Archiv Jan;462(1):1-26

Mairinger Fabian, Vollbrecht Claudia, Halbwedl Iris, Hatz Martina, Stacher Elvira, Gülly Christian, Quehenberger Franz, Stephan-Falkenau Susann, Kohlmeier Jens, Roth Andreas, Mairinger Thomas, Popper Helmut: Reduced Folate Carrier and Folylpolyglutamate Synthetase, but not Thymidylate Synthase Predict Survival in Pemetrexed-Treated Patients Suffering from Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma. JTO 2013; 8(5):644-653

Monica Musteanu1, Leander Blaas1, Rainer Zenz1, Thomas Hoffmann1, Beatrice Grabner1, Daniel Schramek2, Hans-Peter Kantner1, Mathias Mueller3, Thomas Kolbe4,5, Thomas Rülicke4, Richard Moriggl1, Lukas Kenner1,6, Dagmar Stoiber1,7, Josef Penninger2, Helmut Popper8, Emilio Casanova1 and Robert Eferl1#: A mouse model to identify cooperating signaling pathways in cancer. Nature Methods, 2012 Sep;9(9):897-900

Chris Redman, BioSketch

Pre-eclampsia Research

Professor Redman retired in 2009, after 39 years researching all aspects of pre-eclampsia. He started and directed the Maternal Medicine Service in Oxford in 1976. He developed new approaches to treating and preventing pre-eclampsia. He has published on its pathogenesis, with particular reference to involvement of the maternal innate immune system and the placenta. He is an ex-President of the International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy and recipient of its Chesley Award. He received the Barnes Award of the International Society of Obstetric Medicine and the Senior Investigator’s Award of the International Federation of the Placental Associations. Now, he is a co-Investigator for the Gates’ Global Pregnancy CoLaboratory and, with Prof Sargent, a Co-Investigator for a research programme investigating trophoblast derived extracellular vesicles in relation to normal and pre-eclamptic pregnancies.

Three publications

1. Redman CW, Sargent IL, Staff AC. IFPA Senior Award Lecture: Making sense of pre-eclampsia – Two placental causes of preeclampsia? Placenta 2014 (in press).

2. Staff AC, Benton SJ, von Dadelszen P, Roberts JM, Taylor RN, Powers RW, Charnock-Jones DS, Redman CW. Redefining preeclampsia using placental-derived biomarkers. Hypertension. 2013 May;61(5):932-42

3. Redman, CWG, Sargent IL. Latest Advances in Understanding Preeclampsia. Science 2005;308:1592-1594

Matthias Salathe

Dr. Salathe studies basic aspects of airway diseases. He was instrumental in developing programs and microscope setups to measure different physiological signals simultaneously in the same single, live cell. Together with collaborators, he established a biorepository of airway epithelial cells used for air-liquid interface (ALI) cultures and of airway samples from patients with airway diseases. Recently, measurements of ion transport activities in ALI cultures revealed novel pathways of maintaining airway surface liquid volume, opening the novel ways to address mucociliary dysfunction. Dr. Salathe also successfully built a clinical trial environment around the themes of cystic fibrosis and bronchiectasis.

Publications:

1. Quittner A., Marciel K., Salathe M., O’Donnell A., Gotfried M., Ilowite J., Metersky M., Flume P., Lewis S., McKevitt M., Montgomery A.B., O’Riordan T., Barker A. A Preliminary Quality of Life Questionnaire-Bronchiectasis: A patient-reported outcome measure for bronchiectasis. Chest 2014; 146: 437-48.

2. Manzanares D., Gonzalez C., Ivonnet P., Cheng R.S., Valencia-Gattas M., Conner G.E., Larsson H.P., Salathe M. Functional apical BK channels are required for maintenance of airway surface liquid volume. J Biol Chem. 2011; 286: 19830-9 (Epub Mar 31). PMCID: PMC3103360

3. Schmid A, Sutto Z, Schmid N, Novak L, Ivonnet P, Horvath G, Conner G, Fregien N, Salathe M. Decreased soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC) activity in cystic fibrosis is related to defective apical bicarbonate exchange and affects ciliary beat frequency regulation. J. Biol. Chem. 2010; 285: 29998-30007 (Epub Jul 16). PMCID: PMC2943327

MICHAEL SCHATZ

Dr. Schatz has been a Staff Allergist at Kaiser-Permanente Medical Center in San Diego since 1977, where he served as Chief of the Allergy Department from 2000 through 2011. Dr. Schatz is also a Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. He was a member of the 1993 and 2004 National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) Working Groups on Asthma and Pregnancy and a member of the NAEPP Asthma Third Expert Panel (2007). Dr. Schatz is a Past President of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI) and currently serves as the AAAAI Principal Investigator for the Vaccines and Medications in Pregnancy Surveillance System (VAMPSS). Dr. Schatz has published 275 articles and edited three books in the field of Allergy-Immunology, and is currently Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice.

Publications:

1. 1. Schatz M, Zeiger RS, Hoffman CP, et. al.: Perinatal outcomes in the pregnancies of asthmatic women: A prospective analysis. Am J Resp Crit Care Med 151:1170, 1995

2. 2. Schatz M, Dombrowski MP, Wise R, et al. Spirometry is related to perinatal outcomes in pregnant asthmatic women. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2006; 194:120

3. 3. Schatz M, Dombrowski MP. Asthma in pregnancy. NEJM 2009; 360: 1862

Schmid Andreas

I was born in Switzerland, were I studied medicine in Basel from 1991 to 1998. After getting my board certification for Internal Medicine in Switzerland, I had the opportunity to do a fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Miami from 2003 to 2006. During that time I got involved in the research lab from Dr. Salathe. In 2008 I joined the Pulmonary Faculty at UM where I work since then. My clinical interest is the treatment of patient with bronchiectasis and Non Tuberculous Mycobacterium infections. My research focuses on different elements of mucociliary clearance including regulation of ciliary beat and apical ion transport as well as the differentiation of the ciliated cell population during airway epithelial repair.

Publications

• Schmid A., Bai G., Schmid N., Zaccolo M., Ostrowski L.E., Conner G.E. Fregien N., and Salathe M. Real-time analysis of cAMP-mediated regulation of ciliary motility in single primary human airway epithelial cells. Journal of Cell Science, 119: 4176-4186, 2006

• Schmid A., Sutto Z., Nlend M.C., Horvath G., Schmid N., Buck J., Levin L.R., Conner G.E., Fregien N., and Salathe M. Soluble adenylyl cyclase is localized to cilia and contributes to ciliary beat frequency regulation via production of cAMP. Journal of General Physiology 130 (1): 99-109, 2007

• Schmid A, Sutto Z, Schmid N, Novak L, Ivonnet P, Horvath G, Conner G, Fregien N, Salathe M. Decreased soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC) activity in cystic fibrosis is related to defective apical bicarbonate exchange and affects ciliary beat frequency regulation. J. Biol Chem, 285 (39): 29998-30007, 2010

Jean-Paul Sculier

J.P. Sculier, MD, PhD, is currently chief of the service of oncological intensive care and emergencies & thoracic oncology at the Institute Jules Bordet (ULB, Brussels, Belgium). He is professor (Professeur ordinaire) of internal medicine at the University (Université Libre de Bruxelles), chair of the special master for thoracic oncology subspecialty and chair of the university certificate in evidence-based medicine. He has been promoter of 3 PhD theses dealing with thoracic oncology. He is member of the integrity board of the University.
He is President of the European Lung Cancer Working Party and co-ordinator of the clinical trials of this cooperative group, secretary for EU affairs of the European Respiratory Society (and thus member of the ERS executive committee and of the steering committee), and member of the IASLC (International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer) staging project (chair of the subcommittee for prognostic factors).
JP Sculier is the author of multiple publications with a special expertise in thoracic oncology. So far, he has published 6 books, been (co)author of more than 50 book chapters, 300 articles in international journals and 100 articles in national journals. He has presented more than 300 communications in international meetings and be coauthor (usually last author) of more than 400 abstracts.

Main publications (1-4) Reference List

1. Sculier JP, Paesmans M, Markiewicz E, Berghmans T. Scoring systems in cancer patients admitted for an acute complication in a medical intensive care unit. Crit Care Med 2000; 28(8):2786-2792.

2. Sculier JP, Chansky K, Crowley JJ, Van Meerbeeck J., Goldstraw P. The impact of additional prognostic factors on survival and their relationship with the anatomical extent of disease expressed by the 6th Edition of the TNM Classification of Malignant Tumors and the proposals for the 7th Edition. J Thorac Oncol 2008; 3(5):457-466.

3. Blum TG, Rich A, Baldwin D, Beckett P, De RD, Faivre-Finn C et al. The European initiative for quality management in lung cancer care. Eur Respir J 2014; 43(5):1254-1277.

4. Sculier JP, Vansteenkiste J, Schonfeld N, Scherpereel A. Thoracic oncology in Europe: the ERS action plan by the Thoracic Oncology Assembly. Eur Respir J 2010; 36(6):1227-1228.

Adam Wanner

Dr. Wanner is the Joseph Weintraub Professor of Medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He previously was Chief of the Division of Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine and Vice-Chair for Research in the Department of Medicine. He has served as Scientific Director of the Alpha-1 Foundation since 2006.

Throughout his research career, he has been interested in airway biology, especially the regulation of airway secreations and their clearance from the airways. However, Dr. Wanner’s most recent work has focused on airway blood flow and its dysregulation in asthma and COPD. By combining in vitro studies using human bronchial vascular smooth muscle cells with a newly developed non-invasive technique to measure bronchial blood flow in humans, he has made novel observations on the hormonal regulation of bronchial blood flow and has demonstrated the important role of the airway circulation in the physiopathology of asthma and COPD. His studies have also shown that inhaled glucocorticoids and adrenergic agonists have independent and interactive vascular effects in the airway, and that the responses are altered in patients with asthma.

Dr. Wanner has published over 250 original research papers and has written over 45 book chapters and review articles. He continues to be active in the laboratory where he interacts with other independent investigators and mentors research fellows and junior faculty.

Long active in the American Thoracic Society, Dr. Wanner was President of ATS in 2001-2002. He has been active on a number of editorial boards, and has served on and chaired several NIH study sections. He has chaired the VA Merit Review Board for Pulmonary Diseases and had uninterrupted federal grant support for 30 years. He directs the American Lung Association’s Asthma Clinical Research Centers’ UM/USF site.

261. Mendes ES, Rebolledo P, Hurwitz B, Wanner A. Airway and extrapulmonary endothelial function in healthy smokers: effect of an inhaled glucocorticosteroid. Chest 2013; 143:1733-1739
241. Mendes ES, Campos MA, Wanner A. Acute effect of a glucocorticosteroid on beta adrenergic airway and airway smooth muscle reactivity in patients with mild asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2008; 121:700-704
231. Wanner A, Mendes ES, Atkins ND. A simplified non-invasive method to measure airway blood flow in humans. J Appl Physiol 2006; 100: 1674-8.

Wolfram Windisch

Prof. Dr. Wolfram Windisch is the medical director of the Department of Pneumology, Lung Center of Cologne Merheim Hospital, at the University of Witten/Herdecke, Germany, which is specifically dedicated for ICU medicine, prolonged weaning, home mechanical ventilation, and sleep medicine. Prof. Dr. Windisch’s research interests include respiratory physiology, all aspects of mechanical ventilation, and health-related quality of life. He has chaired the German Interdisciplinary Society of Home Mechanical Ventilation, the group Noninvasive Ventilatory Support of the European Respiratory Society, and the section ICU of the German Society of Pneumology and Ventilation. Prof. Dr. Windisch also serves as the responsible author for the German Guidelines for home mechanical ventilation and has organized several symposia and conferences on mechanical ventilation.

Balazs Antus

Balazs Antus is Head of the Department of Pathophysiology at National Koranyi Institute of TB and Pulmonology in Budapest, Hungary. He spent two years as a PhD fellow at University Hospital Essen, Germany, before he specialized in respiratory medicine. His main research interests are COPD, airway biomarkers of inflammation and lung transplantation. Balazs Antus has over 50 peer-reviewed publications and has received funding from the Hungarian Respiratory Society, the Hungarian National Scientific Foundation and others. He is a recipient of the Bolyai Janos Scholarship from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and received the Kovats Ferenc Award from the Hungarian Respiratory Society. He is a reviewer for many respiratory journals including, and is a member of the several scientific societies including the ATS and the ERS. Additionally, he is a member of the Executive Committee of the Hungarian Respiratory Society.

Major publications

1. Antus B, Barta I, Horvath I, Csiszer E. Relationship between exhaled nitric oxide and treatment response in COPD patients with exacerbations. Respirology 15: 472-7, 2010

2. Antus B, Barta I, Kullmann T, Lazar Z, Valyon M, Horvath I, Csiszer E. Assessment of exhaled breath condensate pH in exacerbations of asthma and COPD: a longitudinal study. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 182: 1492-7, 2010

3. Antus B, Harnasi G, Drozdovszky O, Barta I. Monitoring oxidative stress during COPD exacerbations using malondialdehyde. Respirology 19: 74-9, 2014

Apor Péter

András Bikov

Dr. Andras Bikov graduated as medical doctor at Semmelweis University in 2009. In 2005, he joined the research group led by Professor Ildiko Horvath and focused on the non-invasive assessment of chronic airway diseases. Particularly, his main interest was about the methodological and physiological factors which may influence exhaled breath measurements. He defended his PhD thesis on this topic in 2014. Between 2011 and 2012 he was a recipient of a European Respiratory Society (ERS) long range training fellowship in London, National Heart and Lung Institute and was honorary clinical research fellow at Royal Brompton Hospital. Since 2012, he is a trainee in respiratory medicine at the Department of Pulmonology, Semmelweis University. In 2014, he received the prestigious Semmelweis University Merit Award. Dr. Bikov is an active member of the Hungarian and European Respiratory Societies, and currently participates in the ERS Task Force on exhaled breath measurements.

Publications:

1. Bikov A, Galffy G, Tamasi L, Bartusek D, Antus B, Losonczy G, Horvath I. Exhaled breath condensate pH decreases during exercise-induced bronchoconstriction. Respirology. 2014 May;19(4):563-9.

2. Bikov A, Pako J, Kovacs D, Tamasi L, Lazar Z, Rigo J, Losonczy G, Horvath I. Exhaled breath volatile alterations in pregnancy assessed with electronic nose. Biomarkers. 2011 Sep;16(6):476-84.

3. Bikov A, Gajdócsi R, Huszár É, Szili B, Lázár Z, Antus B, Losonczy G, Horváth I. Exercise increases exhaled breath condensate cysteinyl leukotriene concentration in asthmatic patients. J Asthma. 2010 Nov;47(9):1057-62.

Ildiko Horvath

Ildiko Horvath is the Strategic Director of National Koranyi Institute for Pulmonology and professor at the Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary. She graduated at the Semmelweis with Jahn Ferenc Award for Excellence; board certified in pulmonology, public administration and holds a BSc in Health Management. She was a Fogarthy fellow at the NIH, Bethesda, US and an ERS Fellow at the National Heart and Lung Institute, London, UK. She has an internationally well recognised research activity with more than 200 scientific publications and an H-index of 32. Professor Horvath is a founding board member of J Breath Research and a reviewer for many scientific journals including the New England J Medicine and was invited to lead or participate in major international expert panels in medicine and health policy. Professor Horvath received several awards for her scientific achievements including the Simonyi Award of Hungarian Academy of Sciencies and the UNESCO-LOREAL Hungary Award for Best Female Scientists.

Publications:

1. I. Horváth, N.T. Sándor, Z. Ruttner, and A. McLaughlin: Role of nitric oxide in regulating cerebrocortical oxygen consumption and blood flow during hypercapnia. J Cereb Blood Flow Metabol 1994; 14: 503-509.

2. Horvath I., Donnelly L.E., Kiss A. SA Kharitonov, PJ Barnes: Raised levels of exhaled carbon monoxide are associated with an increased expression of heme oxygenase-1 in airway macrophages in asthma: a new marker of oxidative stress. Thorax 1998; 53: 668-672.

3. Lázár Z, Cervenak L, Orosz M, Gálffy G, Komlósi ZI, Bikov A, Losonczy G, Horváth I. Adenosine triphosphate concentration of exhaled breath condensate in asthma. Chest. 2010;138:536-42.

Horváth Gábor

Dr. Horvath studied medicine at the Semmelweis University. After his training in pulmonary medicine, he joined the pulmonary research group of Prof. Adam Wanner at University of Miami in 1999. Although he returned to the Dept. of Pulmonology of the Semmelweis University in 2004, he split his time between the research labs in Budapest and Miami for many years. His main clinical interest is the inhaled pharmacotherapy of obstructive airway diseases. His recent research focuses on the mechanisms of pulmonary drug absorption and elimination, including the involved cellular drug transport processes and the role of airway circulation.

Publications

1. Horvath G, Schmid N, Fragoso MA, Schmid A, Conner G, Salathe M, Wanner A. Epithelial organic cation transporters ensure pH-dependent drug absorption in the airway. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol, 36 (1): 53-60, 2007

2. Horvath G, Mendes ES, Schmid N, Schmid A, Conner GE, Salathe M, Wanner A. The effect of corticosteroids on the disposal of long-acting beta2-agonists by airway smooth muscle cells. J Allergy Clin Immunol, 120 (5): 1103-1109, 2007

3. Horvath G, Wanner A. Bronchial arterial circulation in the human. In: Yuan JX, Garcia JG, Hales CA, Archer SL, Rich S, West JB (ed.) Textbook of pulmonary vascular disease. New York: Springer Science & Busines Media, Inc., pp. 439-452, 2011

Karlócai, Kristóf

Personal data

Education

Employment, responsibilities

Publications:

1. Visontai Z, Lénárd Z, Karlocai K, Kollai M.: Assessment of the viscosity of the pulmonary artery wall. Eur Respir J. 2000 Dec;16(6):1134-41.

2. Karlocai K, Jokkel G, Kollai M.: Changes in left ventricular contractility with the phase of respiration. J Auton Nerv Syst. 1998 Nov 10;73(2-3):86-92.

3. Simonneau G, Torbicki A, Hoeper MM, Delcroix M, Karlócai K, Galiè N, Degano B, Bonderman D, Kurzyna M, Efficace M, Giorgino R, Lang IM.: Selexipag: an oral, selective prostacyclin receptor agonist for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Eur Respir J. 2012 Oct;40(4):874-80.

Gabor Kovacs

Dr. Gabor Kovacs graduated at the medical faculty of the Semmelweis University in Budapest in 2002. Since 2005 he has been working at the Medical University of Graz as a pulmonologist. He has been also performing clinical research since that time in the group of Prof. Horst Olschewski. His main scientific interest is the non-invasive and early diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension and the early therapy of the disease. Since 2010 he is the leader of the clinical program-line of the newly formed Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Lung Vascular Research. He is member of the Executive Committee of the Austrian Society of Pulmonology and as national delegate he represents Austria within the European Respiratory Society. He received twice the Poster Award of the Austrian Society of Pulmonology, the Poster Award of the International Pulmonary Hypertension Forum, the Pfizer Young Researcher Award, the Rene Baumgart Award and the Michael Neumann Award.

1. Kovacs G, Avian A, Pienn M, Naeije R, Olschewski H. Reading pulmonary vascular pressure tracings. How to handle the problems of zero leveling and respiratory swings. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2014;190:252-257.

2. Kovacs G, Avian A, Olschewski A, Olschewski H. Zero reference level for right heart catheterisation. Eur Respir J 2013;42:1586-1594.

3. Kovacs G, Olschewski A, Berghold A, Olschewski H. Pulmonary vascular resistances during exercise in normal subjects: a systematic review. Eur Respir J 2012;39:319-328.

Dr. Zsolt István Komlósi

Dr. Zsolt István Komlósi is an assistant professor at the Department of Pulmonology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary. He has been the head of the Diagnostic Laboratory since 2013. He graduated as an MD in 2000, gets his PhD in 2008 and became a specialist of Medical Laboratory Diagnostics in 2009, all under the auspices of Semmelweis University. In 2010 he won the Long Term Research Fellowship of the European Respiratory Society and spent 12 month as a research fellow, and 16 month as a postdoc researcher in the Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research, Davos, Switzerland. His Supervisor was Prof. Cezmi A. Akdis. Dr. Komlósi’s research activity is mainly focused on the mechanisms of the glucocorticoid resistance in animal models of asthma; and currently on the immunoregulatory role of the innate lymphoid cells.

3 most important publications:

1. Lazar Z, Cervenak L, Orosz M, Galffy G, Komlosi ZI, Bikov A Losonczy G, Horváth I. Adenosine triphosphate concentration of exhaled breath condensate in asthma. Chest 2010;138(3):536.

2. Tolgyesi G, Molnar V, Semsei AF, Kiszel P, Ungvari I, Pocza P, Wiener Z, Komlosi ZI, Kunos L, Galffy G, Losonczy G, Seres I, Falus A, Szalai C. Gene expression profiling of experimental asthma reveals a possible role of paraoxonase-1 in the disease. Int Immunol 2009; 21(8):967-75.

3. Komlosi ZI, Pozsonyi E, Tabi T, Szoko E, Nagy A, Bartos B, Kozma GT, Tamasi L, Orosz M, Magyar P and Losonczy G. Lipopolysaccharide exposure makes allergic airway inflammation and hyper-responsiveness less responsive to dexamethasone and inhibition of iNOS. Clin Exp Allergy 2006; 36:951-9.

György Lang

Dr. Lang works as Associate Professor of Surgery at the Division of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University Vienna & Vienna General Hospital in Vienna, and is the head of the Department of Thoracic Surgery at the Semmelweis University in Budapest. He received his MD in 1987 in Budapest. After specialisation for emergency medicine, general surgery, and thoracic surgery he earned the Francis Fontan prize of the European Association of Cardiothoracic Surgery in 2004, and started with experimental and clinical research projects on primary graft dysfunction after lung transplantation at the Medical University of Vienna. After completing his clinical training in lung transplantation under the mentorship of Professor Walter Klepetko he became a staff surgeon in the Division of Thoracic Surgery at the Vienna Medical University, and completed his PhD in 2011. Main fields of clinical and research interests include lung transplantation, ECMO techniques, surgery of thoracic malignancies, lung metastasis, chest wall reconstruction, laser surgery, and endobronchial stent techniques. Dr. Lang is Member of the Board at the Austrian Society for Transplantation, Transfusion and Genetics, Member of the Thoracic Advisory Board of Eurotransplant and President of the Advisory Board of Thoracic Surgery in Hungary.

Main Publications:

1. Lang G, Aigner C, Winkler G, Shkirdladze K, Wisser W, Dekan G, Tamura M, Heinze G, Van Raemdonck D, Klepetko W. Prolonged venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation after transplantation restores functional integrity of severely injured lung allografts and prevents the development of pulmonary graft failure in a pig model. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2009;137:1493-1498.

2. Lang G, Taghavi S, Aigner C, Jaksch P, Matilla JR, Rényi-Vámos F, Klepetko W Primary LuTX after bridge with ECMO: A plea for a shift in our paradigms for indications. Transplantation. 2012 Apr 15;93(7):729-36.

3. Lang G, Kim D, Aigner C, Matilla J, Taghavi S, Jaksch P, Muraközi G, Klepetko W.. Outcome of awake ECMO/ILA® bridging in patients undergoing lung re-transplantation for BOS equals that of elective re-transplantation. J Heart Lung Transplant. 2014 Jul 17. doi:10.1016/j.healun.2014.07.009. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 25169957.

Lorx András

Lorx András MD Ph.D. works as associate professor at Semmelweis University, dept. of Anesthesiology and Intensive Therapy (AITK), and is the head of the Respiratory ICU and Non-invasive Respiratory Unit of the dept. of Pulmonology, which was the first dedicated non-invasive unit in Hungary. Establishing and adapting non-invasive respiratory unit into the Hungarian healthcare system made non-invasive ventilation widely available in acute and chronic therapy. The two wards with the cooperation of the dept. of Pulmonology and the AITK serve as a centrum for patients with respiratory insufficiency ranging from the most acute cases to the chronic ones, from the home invasive and non-invasive ventilation to the special rescue techniques of the ICU and also a centrum for education. The scientific interests includes respiratory physiology, all forms of mechanical ventilation and the oscillatory mechanics of the respiratory system.

Publications:

1. András Lorx, Barna Szabó, Magdolna Hercsuth, István Pénzes, Zoltán Hantos Low-frequency assessment of airway and tissue mechanics in ventilated COPD patients. J Appl Physiol, October 15, 2009. 107(6): p. 1884-92.

2. András Lorx, Béla Suki, Magdolna Hercsuth, Barna Szabó, Krisztina Boda, István Pénzes, Zoltán Hantos. Airway and tissue mechanics in ventilated patients with pneumonia. Respir Physiol Neurobiol, 2010. 171(2): p. 101-9.

3. Pénzes I., Lorx A., (ed.): A lélegeztetés elmélete és gyakorlata Medicina 2004.

György Losonczy

Medical doctor (Semmelweis University 1977), teaching pathophysiology and research on the pathophysiology of acute renal failure and hypertension in pregnancy (1978-1998). Fogarty and Fulbright scholarships at US universities (total length 7 years). Candidate of science (Ph.D.) 1987, doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (2002). Fellow of respiratory medicine from 1999, professor and chairman of the Department of Pulmonology at Semmelweis University (2007). Specialties: respiratory medicine, clinical oncology, clinical pharmacology and laboratory medicine. Head of the Ph.D. program „Respiratory diseases”. Cumulative impact 220, independent citations over 1000. Author of 60 textbook chapters, co-editor of the Hungarian Textbook of Pulmonology (A pulmonológia kézikönyve, Medicina 2012). Editor of Medicina Thoracalis (official journal of the Hungarian Pulmonological Society, 2006-2014). Areas of original publications: acute renal failure, vascular reactivity during pregnancy, immunology of asthma during pregnancy, cisplatin nephropathy.

Major publications:

1. Losonczy G, Brown G, Venuto RC. Increased peripheral resistance during reduced uterine perfusion pressure hypertension in pregnant rabbits. Am J Med Sci 303:(4) pp. 233-240. (1992)

2. Komlosi ZI, Pozsonyi E, Tabi T, Szoko E, Nagy A, Bartos B, Kozma GT, Tamasi L, Orosz M, Magyar P, Losonczy G. Lipopolysaccharide exposure makes allergic airway inflammation and hyper-responsiveness less responsive to dexamethasone and inhibition of iNOS. Clin Exp Allerg 36:(7) pp. 951-959 (2006)

3. Mathe C, Bohacs A, Duffek L, Lukacsovits J, Komlosi ZI, Szondy K, Horvath I, Muller V, Losonczy G. Cisplatin nephrotoxicity aggravated by cardiovascular disease and diabetes in lung cancer patients. Eur Resp J 37:(4) pp. 888-894. (2011)

Lukácsovits József

Personal information

Surname / First name: Dr. Lukácsovits József

E-mail: beppe66@freemail.hu

Nationality: hungarian

Date of birth: 1966.10.10.

Gender: man

Work experience

2000-2005 general practitioner: Semmelweis University Budapest Clinic of Pulmonology

2006-2009 Pulmonologyst ( specialist ): Semmelweis University Budapest Clinic of Pulmonology ICU

01.2010-12.2010 researcher: Fondazione Salvatore Maugeri Pavia (Italy)

2011-2014 Pulmonologyst ( specialist ): Semmelweis University Budapest

Education and training

1988-1993 mechanical engineer: Szent István University Gödöllő

1994-2000 general practitioner: Semmelweis University of Budapest

02. 2006. Specialist examination in pulmonology: Semmelweis University of Budapest

01.2010-12.2010 One year reseach fellowship: Fondazione Salvatore Maugeri Pavia (Italy)

03.2014. Ph.D degreee: Semmelweis University School of Ph.D. studies

Publications:

1. Lukácsovits J, Carlucci A, Hill N, Ceriana P, Pisani L, Schreiber A, Pierucci P, Losonczy G, Nava S. Physiological changes during low and high „intensity ” noninvasive ventilation. Eur Respir J. 39:(4) pp. 869-875. (2012)

2. Gál K, Cseh A, Szalay B, Rusai K, Vannay A, Lukácsovits J, Heemann U, Szabó AJ, Losonczy G, Tamási L, Müller V. Cell Stress Chaperones. Effect of cigarette smoke and dexamethasone on Hsp72 system of alveolar epithelial cells. CELL STRESS & CHAPERONES 16:(4) pp. 369-378. (2011)

3. K. Szondy, K. Rusai, A.J Szabó, A. Nagy, K. Gal, A. Fekete, Zs. Kovats, Gy. Losonczy, J.Lukacsovits, V. Müller: Tumor cell expression of heat shock protein (HSP) 72 is influenced by HSP72 (HSPA1B A(1267)G) polymorphism and predicts survival in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients. Cancer Investigation 30:(4) pp.317-322. (2012)

Judit Moldvay

Judit Moldvay received her M.D. from the Semmelweis University and then worked in the Ist Institute of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research. She spent two years in Paris in an INSERM Research Laboratory, where she learned molecular biological techniques. She became a clinician in 1993 and worked at the Department of Bronchology, National Korányi Institute of Pulmonology. She is a specialist in pathology, pulmonology, and clinical oncology. 2006-2014 she was an Associate Professor at the Department of Pulmonology, Semmelweis University and habilitated in 2008. She obtained her European Diploma in Respiratory Medicine in 2008. At present she works again in the National Korányi Institute of Pulmonology where she aims to establish a translational lung cancer research group and to facilitate active collaborations at both national and international levels. Her special field of interest is prognostic and predictive factors of lung cancer.

Publications:

1. J. Moldvay, P. Deny, S. Pol, C. Brechot, E. Lamas Detection of Hepatitis C Virus RNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of infected patients by in situ hybridization Blood 83 (1): 269-273 (1994) IF: 8.279

2. J. Moldvay, P. Scheid, P. Wild, K. Nabil, J. Siat, J. Borrelly, B. Marie, G. Farré, T. Labib, G. Pottier, R. Sesboüé, C. Bronner, J-M. Vignaud, Y. Martinet, N. Martinet Predictive survival markers in patients with surgically resected non-small cell lung carcinoma Clin Cancer Res 6:1125-1134 (2000) IF: 4.643

3. J. Moldvay, M. Jäckel, Cs. Páska, I. Soltész, Zs. Schaff, A. Kiss. Distinct Claudin Expression Profile in Histologic Subtypes of Lung Cancer Lung Cancer 57:159-167 (2007) IF: 3.455

Veronika Müller

Veronika Müller graduated from Semmelweis Medical School. In 1995-97 and 2001-2002 she worked as a postdoctoral fellow at professor Heemann’s and professor Baylis’s laboratory focusing on chronic allograft dysfunction in animal models. In 1999 she started clinical work at the Department of Pulmonology Semmelweis University and specialized in clinical laboratory medicine, respiratory medicine and clinical oncology. She is involved into the work of the Hungarian Respiratory Society, is member of several Hungarian Societies and ERS. Work with students and mentoring of respiratory specialists is one of her main interest, and she is involved into the work of EBAP. Professor Müller is a leading clinician for interstitial lung diseases, lung transplantation care, obstructive lung diseases and lung cancer.

Publications:

1. Vincze K, Kovats Z, Cseh A, Pasti K, Kiss E, Polgar A, Vasarhelyi B, Szabo AJ, Bohacs A, Tamasi L, Losonczy G, Müller V. Peripheral CD4+ cell prevalence and pleuropulmonary manifestations in systemic lupus erythematosus patients. Respir Med. 2014 May;108(5):766-74. doi: 10.1016/j.rmed.2014.02.006. Epub 2014 Feb 18. PubMed PMID: 24613209.

2. Gál K, Cseh A, Szalay B, Rusai K, Vannay A, Lukácsovits J, Heemann U, Szabó AJ, Losonczy G, Tamási L, Müller V. Effect of cigarette smoke and dexamethasone on Hsp72 system of alveolar epithelial cells. Cell Stress Chaperones. 2011 Jul;16(4):369-78. doi: 10.1007/s12192-010-0249-z. Epub 2010 Dec 28. PubMed PMID: 21188663; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3118827.

3. Muller V, Szabo AJ, Erdely A, Tain YL, Baylis C. Sex differences in response to cyclosporine immunosuppression in experimental kidney transplantation. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 2008 May;35(5-6):574-9. Epub 2007 Dec 7. PubMed PMID: 18070141; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2757285.

Professor János Rigó Jr

Professor János Rigó Jr, MD, PhD, DSc is chairman of the First Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary. He is member of the Hungarian College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Medical Research Council Scientific and Ethical Committee of Ministry of Human Resources. His primary area of research interest is maternal-fetal medicine, especially hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. He is member of Hungarian and international scientific societies and journal editorial board. He is member of the International Council of the International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy. He received Virginia Apgar Award in Hungary for his achievements in perinatal medicine. He published 160 papers in peer-reviewed international journals. His impact factor is 300, the number of his independent citations is 1600.

Publications:

1. Rigó J.,Nagy B., Finto L., Tany J., Beke A., Karádi I., Papp Z.
   Maternal and neonatal outcome of preeclamptic pregnancies: the potential roles of Factor V Leiden mutation and 5,10 methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase
   Hypertension in Pregnancy 2000. 19: 163-172.

2. Rigó J., Bőze R., Derzsy Z., Derzbach L., Treszl A., Lázár L., Sobel G., Vásárhelyi B.
   Family history of early-onset cardiovascular disorders is associated with a higher risk of severe preeclampsia
   European Journal of Obstetrics Gynecology and Reproductive Biology 2006. 128: 148-151.

3. Rigó J., Csákány Gy., Laky M., Nagy B., Horváth E., Joó JG.
   Trends in maternal mortality in Hungary between 1978 and 2010
   European Journal of Obstetrics Gynecology and Reproductive Biology 2014. 173: 29-33.

Attila Somfay

D.O.B.: 29.09.1954.

Citizenship: Hungarian

Diploma: University of Szeged, Faculty of Medicine, „summa cum laude”, 1978, Szeged, Hungary

Board exams: clinical chemistry (1982), internal medicine (1986), cardiology (1990), pulmonolgy (1993), pulmonary rehabilitation (2007)

Language exams: English (1981), German (1992)

PhD thesis: Effect of oxygen on exercise capacity in patients with COPD, „summa cum laude”, Semmelweis University, Budapest, 2002

Office:

• Dept. Pathophysiology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary, 1978-1982

• Dept. Cardiac Rehabilitation, County Chest Hospital, Deszk, Hungary, 1982-1990

• Dept. Clinical Chemitry and Respiratory Lab, County Chest Hospital, Deszk, Hungary, 1990 –

• Dept. Pulmonology, County Chest Hospital, Deszk, Hungary, 1990-2003

• Dept. Pulmonology, University of Szeged, Deszk, Hungary, chair, assoc.prof. 2003-2008, chair, prof. 2009-

Fellowship:

• Rechts der Isar University, Munich, Germany, 1991

• Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark, 1992

• Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA, 1995

• Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA, 1999-2001

Invited lectures:

• „2nd European Practicum on Clinical Exercise Testing”, Balatonfüred, Hungary, 1998

• „California Society of Pulmonary Rehabilitation”, San Diego, CA, USA, 2006

• „New horizons in COPD”, Prague, Chech Republic, 2007

• Hungarian Physiological Society, 73rd Annual Meeting, Budapest, Hungary, 2009

• Cardiopulmonary exercise symposium, Timisoara, Romania, 2009

• Romanian Respiratory Society, Annual Meeting, Bucharest, Romania, 2010

• Croatian Respiratory Society, Annual Meeting, Dubrovnik, Croatia,2010

• „Current and future challenges in asthma and COPD management – what can make a difference?” stand alone meeting, Vienna, Austira, 2014

Award, professional acknowledgement:

• Markusovszky-medal: 1991

• Kováts Ferenc-medal: 1994

• Medicina Thoracalis award: 2002, 2004

• 22nd Southern California Pulmonary and Critical Care Research Conference, „Best clinical presentation”, Palm Springs, CA, USA, 19-20 February, 2001

• GOLD 2006 update refers two publicatons (Eur Respir J 2001; 18:77-84. and Chest 2002; 121:393-400.) as „Evidence-A” for the effect of oxygen on exercise capacitiy in COPD.

• Honorary Member, Victor Babes Universitiy, Timisoara, Romania, 2009

• Korányi-medal: 2012

Committees:

• Hungarian Respiratory Society (HRS), Member of Presidency, 1992-

• HRS, juniors’ leader, 1992-1998

• HRS, leader of Scientific Committe, 2004-2006

• HRS, Secretary General, 2006-2008

• HRS, President, 2008-2010

• European Respiratory Society: national delegate, 2007-2010

• Medicina Thoracalis, editor, 2004-2014

• Családorvosi Fórum, editor 2009-

• Medicina Thoracalis: editor-in-chief: 2014-

Lilla Tamási

Lilla Tamási graduated as medical doctor at Semmelweis Medical University, Budapest, Hungary in 1997, and has been working in the Department of Pulmonology since then, currently as associate professor. She is a specialist of respiratory medicine, allergy and clinical immunology, and clinical oncology. After accomplishing Ph.D. degree in 2006, she continued active research together with the routine clinical work in the outpatient and inpatient departments of the institution. The major fields of her research and publication are asthma, asthmatic airway inflammation, and immune changes accompanying asthmatic pregnancy. She has 105 publications with a cumulative impact factor of 75.7 and 333 citations.

Dr. Tamási participates in graduate training of medical students as a practice leader and lecturer of pulmonology in both Hungarian and English languages, and works also as an examiner of pulmonology. In postgradual training she educates respiratory medicine, clinical oncology and clinical immunology fellows. Dr. Tamási is the secretary of the Allergy and Respiratory Pathology Assembly of Hungarian Respiratory Society.

Three relevant publications:

1. Ivancso I, Toldi G, Bohacs A, Eszes N, Muller V, Rigo J Jr, Vasarhelyi B, Losonczy G, Tamasi L. Relationship of Circulating Soluble Urokinase Plasminogen Activator Receptor (suPAR) Levels to Disease Control in Asthma and Asthmatic Pregnancy. PLOS ONE 8:(4) p. e60697. (2013)

2. Toldi G, Molvarec A, Stenczer B, Muller V, Eszes N, Bohacs A, Bikov A, Rigo J Jr, Vasarhelyi B, Losonczy G, Tamasi L. Peripheral Th1/Th2/Th17/regulatory T-cell balance in asthmatic pregnancy INTERNATIONAL IMMUNOLOGY 23:(11) pp. 669-677. (2011)

3. Eszes N, Toldi G, Bohács A, Ivancsó I, Müller V, Rigó J Jr, Losonczy G, Vásárhelyi B, Tamási L. Relationship of circulating hyaluronic acid levels to disease control in asthma and asthmatic pregnancy. PLOS ONE 15;9(4):e94678. (2014)

Mikós Tóth

Doctor of general medicine: Semmelweis Medical University (1986) and Ruprecht-Karls University at Heidelberg (1989). Candidate of medical sciences (1995), doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (2002). Specialties: internal medicine and sports medicine. Specialty of economics (2001). Scientific secretary of the Department of Medical Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Science (1991-2009). Winner of the Eötvös Fellowship and Széchenyi Professorship. Scientific director of Szentágothai Knowledge Center and the Semmelweis Research University project. Vice rector for scientific affairs at Semmelweis University (2009-2011). Professor and chairman of Health Sciences and Sports Medicine at Semmelweis University (2007-). Vice president of the Hungarian Olympic Committee. Member of the Presidiums of the International College of Sport Sciences and Physical Education and the European Initiative of Exercise in Medicine. Number of scientific publications 121, cumulative impact 310, number of independent citations 1840, Hirsch-index 26. Tutor of 10 successful Ph.D. students.

Major publications

1. Lakó-Futó Z, Szokodi I, Sármán B, Földes G, Tokola H, Ilves M, Leskinen H, Vuolteenaho O, Skoumal R, deChatel R, Ruskoaho H, Tóth M. Evidence for a Functional Role of angiotensin II type 2 receptor in the cardiac hypertrophic process in vivo in the rat heart. Circulation 2003, 108(19):2414-22 IF: 11,164

2. Szokodi I, Kerkela R, Kubin AM, Sármán B, Pikkarainen S, Kónyi A, Horváth IG, Papp L, Tóth M, Skloumal R, Ruskoaho H. Functionally opposing roles of extracellular signal-regulated kinase ½ and p38 mitogen activated protein kinase in the regulation of cardiac contractility. Circulation. 2008 Oct 14;118(16):1651- 8 IF.: 14.595

3. Vágó H, Tóth A, Apor A, Maurovich-Horvat P, Tóth M, Merkely B. Images in cardiovascular medicine. Cardiac contusion in a professional soccer player: visualization of acute and late pathological changes in the myocardium with magnetic resonance imaging. Circulation. 2010 Jun 8;121(22):2456-61 IF.: 14.595