Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine

New PhD Students Join the Department

New PhD Students Join the Department

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!

Prestigious international publication

Prestigious international publication

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!

Outstanding Supervisors of Student Research at the School of Medicine

Outstanding Supervisors of Student Research at the School of Medicine

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.

Annual Meeting of the Hungarian Physiological Society 2026

Annual Meeting of the Hungarian Physiological Society 2026

The 2026 Annual Meeting of the Hungarian Physiological Society (MÉT) was held in Budapest at the Semmelweis University between June 10 and 12, jointly organized with the Hungarian Society for Microcirculation and Vascular Biology (MMVBT). The MÉT Annual Meeting is one of the oldest and most prestigious scientific events for physiological researchers in Hungary. Our department was represented at the conference by Dr. Anita Annaházi and Dr. Rita Frank with poster presentations. Dr. Anna Törteli delivered a presentation in the Young Investigators Symposium, while Dr. Ákos Menyhárt gave a lecture in the Microcirculation in Neurological Diseases Symposium, organized on behalf of the MMVBT by Dr. Eszter Farkas and Dr. Zoltán Benyó. Dr. Rita Frank and Dr. Anna Törteli received special awards among the presentations delivered by young investigators. We congratulate our colleagues on these well-deserved recognitions!

Presentations at the 68th Annual Meeting of the Hungarian Society of Gastroenterology

Presentations at the 68th Annual Meeting of the Hungarian Society of Gastroenterology

The 68th Annual Meeting of the Hungarian Society of Gastroenterology was held in Siófok between 4 and 7 June, 2026. At the invitation of Dr. Anita Annaházi, Assistant Professor of our Department, Prof. Dr. Michel Neunlist, Head of the INSERM Nantes TENS research unit (“The Enteric Nervous System in Gut and Brain Diseases”), participated in the meeting and delivered a highly attended lecture entitled “Rethinking Endometriosis: A Microbiome-Driven Gut–Brain Disease?”. During the conference, Dr. Anita Annaházi presented the latest results of her research project in her lecture “A Novel Lumen–Neuron Axis in IBS: Differential Enteric Neuronal Activation in IBS-D and IBS-C.” The professional collaboration between the two researchers is expected to provide a strong foundation for future French–Hungarian research partnerships.

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

Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine

Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School
Faculty of Science and Informatics
University of Szeged
H-6720 Szeged, Somogyi u. 4., Hungary
+36-62-544-569
office.molmed@med.u-szeged.hu