A new paper entitled "Faecal proteases and immune signatures drive subtype-specific enteric neuronal activation in IBS" has been published in the prestigious journal Gut. The study was led by Dr. Anita Annaházi from the Department, in collaboration with physicians from the Centre of Gastroenterology and Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Szeged, researchers from the Genome Integrity and DNA Repair Team, University of Szeged, as well as German and French collaborators.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) affects millions of people worldwide, yet there is still no simple diagnostic test to reliably identify the disease, and currently available treatments remain only partially effective. Our study demonstrated that components present in the stool of patients with both diarrhoea-predominant (IBS-D) and constipation-predominant (IBS-C) IBS activate neurons of the gut wall (enteric neurons) more strongly than those from healthy individuals. These findings provide further evidence that IBS is associated with genuine, measurable biological alterations rather than being merely a "functional" disorder. Importantly, we also showed that the two major IBS subtypes differ biologically: in IBS-D protein-degrading enzymes in the stool appear to drive these changes, whereas IBS-C involves different underlying mechanisms. The proteins identified in this study may form the basis of a simple stool-based diagnostic test for IBS-D in the future, while our findings may also contribute to the development of more personalized and targeted therapeutic approaches.
Congratulations to all authors on this outstanding achievement!
With the contribution of researchers from the Department and in collaboration with the Department of Medical Physics and Medical Informatics, our latest study has been published in the prestigious Journal of Applied Physiology under the title "Differential lung injury after permanent and transient focal cerebral ischemia in rats." The first author of the publication is Petra Somogyi, a former PhD student supervised by Dr. Ferenc Peták and Dr. Eszter Farkas, who is currently a researcher at the Department of Medical Physics and Medical Informatics. In this project, we investigated under experimental conditions how the duration of cerebral artery occlusion causing acute ischemic stroke influences secondary lung injury. Our findings provide new evidence that early restoration of blood flow through the occluded cerebral artery may not only reduce brain injury but also attenuate the development of stroke-associated pulmonary complications. Congratulations to all authors on this excellent achievement!
We are pleased to announce that, at its meeting held on 7 July 2026, the Doctoral Council of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences of the University of Szeged approved the admission of Regina Csordás and Krisztián Vinga to the Doctoral School of Experimental and Preventive Medicine of the Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School. They have been awarded state-funded doctoral scholarships and admitted to the doctoral programs Regulation, Measurement and Analysis of Life Processes and Neuroscience, respectively. Regina and Krisztián will begin their PhD projects in our Department on 1 September 2026, under the supervision of Dr. Rita Frank and Dr. Eszter Farkas. We wish them every success in their doctoral studies and research!
Our latest paper has been published in the prestigious Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism (JCBFM) under the title "Trifluoperazine reduces infarct size, restores neurovascular coupling, and improves early outcomes in experimental acute ischemic stroke." The study demonstrates that a well-established drug, originally developed for the treatment of psychiatric disorders, may reduce brain damage caused by stroke and improve recovery. Under experimental conditions, the drug reduces cerebral edema, protects nerve cells, and helps restore adequate blood supply to the brain. Because trifluoperazine is already an approved medication, these findings may provide the basis for drug repurposing for potential treatment for acute ischemic stroke. Congratulations to the authors on their high-quality research!
The graduation ceremony for the final-year medical students of the Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School, University of Szeged, was held on June 25, 2026, at the József Attila Study and Information Centre. During the ceremony, Prof. Dr. Márta Széll, Dean of the Medical School, presented the Faculty's Outstanding Supervisor of Student Research awards. We are proud that three of the ten awards presented at the Faculty in a single academic year were received by faculty members of our Department: Prof. Dr. Eszter Farkas, Dr. Rita Frank, and Dr. Ákos Menyhárt. We thank our colleagues and the students participating in the Student Science Study Group (TDK) program under their supervision for their excellent work.
The Management meeting and General Assembly of the Hungarian Society for Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology (HUPHAR) was held on April 26, where Prof. Dr. András Dinnyés, who is also the chair of the HUPHAR Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMP) Section, was elected to the board. Congratulations!
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