Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology

Research, workgroups
     In 2001 Professor Gáspár, as the head of the department, organized the new structure of the department based on research groups which have been functional ever since. These include the research groups of lymphocyte electrophysiology (leader: György Panyi, Rezső Gáspár), membrane dynamics (leader: László Mátyus), cell biology (leader: Gábor Szabó) and cell analysis (leader: János Szöllősi). The main field of research of the immuno-electrophysiological workgroup is the molecular pharmacology of voltage-gated Kv1.3 K+ ion channels, the investigation of the correlation between the distribution of these ion channels on the cell surface and the activity of immunological synapses, and the study of the connections between the structure and function of ion channels. The membrane dynamics research group is primarily interested in the biophysical investigation of dynamics and topology of cell surface proteins, especially MHC-I (major histocompatibility complex class I) glycoproteins. Their research methods include different fluorescent techniques and modern microscopic approaches. The main focus of interest of the cell biology group is the conformational and topological conditions of the P-glycoprotein, and the structural properties of the higher structure of chromatin. Their experimental projects include the development of high throughput flow cytometric microbead assays for molecular genetic testing, and the application of special cyclodextrins for targeted drug delivery. One of the main focuses of interest of the cell analysis research group is the ErbB2 receptor tyrosine kinase, which plays a pivotal role in the development and progression of breast cancer and a number of other tumors. Trastuzumab (Herceptin®), an anti-ErbB2 monoclonal antibody, is a potent and effective anti-cancer agent in itself, but unfortunately, not every ErbB2 positive patient responds well to trastuzumab treatment. The molecular and biophysical background of trastuzumab resistance is studied with comparative analysis of trastuzumab sensitive and resistant cell lines.

     The cell biophysics research group, supported by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (HAS), was established in 1996 by Professor Sándor Damjanovich and it has functioned as an integral part of the Cell Biology and Signal Transduction Research Group (HAS and University of Debrecen), led by Professor Pál Gergely, since 2007. This academic workgroup forms an inseparable functional unit with the department both in terms of research and education. The investigation of the nature, dynamics and biological role of protein-protein interactions mainly by modern biophysical methods is at the center of the research interest of the HAS-UD group. The main fields of their research include the investigation of cell surface distributions and molecular interactions of proteins that play a significant role in the initiation and regulation of T cell immune responses, as well as the investigation of interactions between nuclear receptors and transcription factors.

     Although the scientific workgroups have independent research profiles, they share the research infrastructure of the department. They rely on each other’s professional competence and results, and they work in exemplary cooperation which is manifested in successful joint applications and scientific publications. These research groups form an integral part of the Research Centre for Molecular Medicine (RCMM), established in 2002, with the active participation and cooperation of several other research groups of the Medical and Health Science Center of the University of Debrecen, and which has won the award “Centre of Excellence of the European Union”. The first director of the RCMM was Professor Sándor Damjanovich (2002–2005).

     Three of the department’s research groups actively participate in the project entitled “Cutaneous Biology Research Center (CBRC): Integrated innovation-oriented research activities of the University of Debrecen in order to investigate cutaneous biology and pathomechanisms of skin diseases affecting large populations (Acronym: DERMINOVA)”. The call for applications was announced within the framework of the Social Renewal Operative Program to aid the formation of innovative research teams. The coordination of the project is performed by the department with the supervision of Professor János Szöllősi.

     In the last four decades the Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology produced a total of 534 in extenso publications, the cumulative impact factor of which exceeds 1400. In addition, the coworkers of the department have written six books and seventy four book chapters. A detailed list of publications of the department can be found elsewhere on the web page.

     In connection with their research work, a number of former and present members of the Department also pursue keen scientific public activities: they occupied or still occupy national and international high-ranking positions in different biophysical, cell and molecular biological organizations and societies. Sándor Damjanovich is the honorary president of the Hungarian Biophysical Society (HBS), and since 1995 he has been an elected member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO). János Szöllősi is the president of the Committee on Biophysics of the Section of Biological Sciences of the HAS and of the Section of Cell Analysis of the HBS, and a board member of the International Society for Advancement of Cytometry (ISAC). Rezső Gáspár is the president of the Ion Channel Section of the HBS. László Mátyus is the Vice-President of the European Biophysical Societies Association (EBSA) and of the HBS. Gábor Szabó is the President of the Committee on Cell and Developmental Biology of the Section of Biological Sciences of the HAS. Attila Jenei, Zoltán Krasznai, György Panyi and György Vereb are board members of the HBS.

      The members of the Department have organized a number of national and international conferences and courses to further the dissemination of their scientific results and to develop a network of professional relationships. They have contributed to the organization of the 11th International Congress of Biophysics in Budapest in 1993. The World Congress of ISAC in 2008 was also organized in Budapest, with János Szöllősi being a member of the international organizing committee as well as the president of the national organizing committee.

     The most outstanding international courses of the department include the theoretical and practical courses supported by ICRO, FEBS and EMBO. Occasionally even Nobel laureates (Paul Boyer, Manfred Eigen) took part in these events as guest speakers. In addition, many high-ranking, internationally renowned and acknowledged scientists raised the level of excellence of these courses, including George Klein (Karolinska Institute, Stockholm), Thomas A. Waldmann (National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda), Thomas M. Jovin (Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen), Israel Pecht (The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot), Rudolf Rigler (Karolinska Institute, Stockholm), Akihiro Kusumi (Kyoto University) and Mack Fulwyler (University of California, San Francisco).

     The network of research cooperations of the department is quite extensive, both nationally and internationally. The well-known and recognized institutions that are in continuous cooperation with the department include: the Universities of Leiden and Amsterdam, the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry (Göttingen), the Babraham Institute (Cambridge), the University of California (San Francisco), the National Cancer Institute (NCI/NIH, US), the Institute of Biotechnology (UNAM, Cuarnevaca, Mexico), and the University of Tokyo (Japan). The Department participates in the cooperative projects as an equal partner, and to the complete satisfaction of the foreign partners. This is eloquently proved by the fact that the colleagues of the department are frequent guests and visitors in foreign laboratories, and are often invited with a scientific scholarship, even for long-term research projects lasting for several years.

     Six colleagues of the department are active members of the editorial board of different international scientific journals, two of them in capacity as editors (László Mátyus: Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology; János Szöllősi: Cytometry Part A). Sándor Damjanovich is a member of the advisory board of Cytometry Part A and of the European Biophysics Journal, and he is a member of the editorial board of Archives of Geriatrics and Gerontology. György Vereb and Attila Jenei are members of the editorial boards of Cytometry Part A and the Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology, respectively, while László Bene is a member of the editorial board of the scientific journal “Open Access Nanomedicine Journal”.

Outlook
     As a result of the diligent, persistent and dedicated work of the last four decades and due to the continuous progress and evolution, the Department possesses a unique potential originating from the collective wisdom of its coworkers and from the excellent, high-tech equipment enabling the staff to perform their educational duties on a consistently high level, and fully meet the challenges of scientific research. They aspire to pass their enthusiasm and the faith in their work to the next generation, a new team of teachers and researchers, believing that it is the best way to maintain the dynamic and undiminished progress, and to ensure the vision of a future which shall continue to make this profession so appealing.

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