October 29th - World Stroke Day

Since 2006, World Stroke Day has been observed annually on October 29. The aim of the event is to raise awareness about prevention, the rapid recognition of symptoms, available treatments, and effective rehabilitation. It also provides an opportunity to highlight research related to stroke. The main focus of the HCEMM-USZ Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism Research Group at our Department is the study of stroke pathophysiology and treatment opportunities. In connection with World Stroke Day, Eszter Farkas published a science communication article titled „Stroke Research: Achievements, Challenges, and Hopes Ahead”, which can be read by clicking on the title.

Research placement at the Department of Neurology, University of Zurich

Dr. Anna Törteli, a young postdoctoral researcher from our department, participated in a research visit between September 7 and October 4, 2025, at the research group of Dr. Mohamad El Amki in the Department of Neurology at the University of Zurich. During her stay, Anna took part in studies investigating the entry and accumulation of microplastics from food and drinking water into the body and contributed to setting up various experimental methods. The research visit in Switzerland laid the foundations for a successful and productive collaboration. The trip was supported by the SZAOK Research Fund.

The PhD defense of István Pesti

Our colleague, István Pesti , former postgraduate student of the Neuroscience training program of the Doctoral School of Theoretical Medicine defended his PhD thesis with excellent results on October 13, 2025. The title of his PhD dissertation is: Microglial activation is attenuated in cell culture by pharmacological modulation of calcium homeostasis. His thesis supervisors were Prof. Dr. Károly Gulya and Prof. Dr. Eszter Farkas.
Congratulations on obtaining your degree!

Prestigious Publication Award

Dr. Anita Annaházi, Assistant Professor in our Department, received the award for the best translational publication of 2024 from the journal Neurogastroenterology and Motility on September 5, 2025, at the biennial meeting of the European Society of Neurogastroenterology and Motility (ESNM) in London. The paper, titled “Mechanisms involved in the muscle relaxing effects of STW 5 in guinea pig stomach,” uses pharmacological methods to explore the mechanism of action of the herbal preparation STW 5 (Iberogast®) on gastric smooth muscle cells, through which it alleviates the symptoms of functional dyspepsia.
Warm congratulations on this well-deserved recognition!

The 19th Congress of the Hungarian Stroke Society

The 19th Congress of the Hungarian Stroke Society was held in Győr between September 11–13, 2025. Our Department was represented at the conference by researchers from the HCEMM–USZ Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism Research Group: Dr. Ákos Menyhárt, Dr. Rita Frank, and Dr. Szilvia V. Kecskés, who delivered their talks in the Experimental Stroke section. The event provided an opportunity to learn about new findings related to the dynamic development of stroke care, case presentations, and the discovery of novel mechanisms. Closely aligned with the activities of our research group, it contributed significantly to our professional integration and advancement.

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Welcome to the home page of the Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine of the University of Szeged!

Cellbio

Our courses in the BSc and MSc biology program are given at the Biology Institute of the Faculty of Science and Informatics. We also contribute to the medical education with elective courses, and teach biology in the pre-medical program at the Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School. Our required and elective courses are given in Hungarian and English. The study material focuses on topics in cell biology and molecular biology. We teach a foundation course in the postgraduate program and provide project supervision to several PhD students.

Three productive research groups pursue experimental projects in the field of stem cell research, neuroinflammatory processes, and the cellular pathomechanisms of acute cerebrovascular diseases. We conduct basic and translational research. Our research is integrated into dynamic national and international collaborative networks.

Our experienced staff members are dedicated to education and research. Our goal is to provide up-to-date teaching material and to build a firm basis in cell biology - a dynamically evolving field of science. We would like to promote an experimental, scientific approach to learning, and make research and academic careers attractive to students.

Eszter Farkas

Prof. Dr. Eszter Farkas
professor
department chair