In vivo Disease Model Developing and Applying Laboratory

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Based on our experience in basic research, DML deals with the construction and application of various models of human diseases.

ABOUT US

The In vivo disease model development and service laboratory was established in 2020 within the framework of the National Laboratory of Biotechnology. Our goal is to perform in vivo screenings with molecular libraries and/or labeled molecules on Drosophila models of tumor, neurodegenerative and other nervous system diseases in order to identify new drug candidates. The basis of the laboratory is the 50-year tradition of Drosophila research in Szeged, the 6 currently active research groups and the continuously developed research infrastructure serving them. Relying on the laboratory experience and expertise of our employees, we participate in disease model development projects and provide the opportunity to use the infrastructure as a service.

OUR DISEASE MODELS

Neuropathies

Cancers

Muscle diseases

Metabolic diseases

UNITS OF THE LABORATORY

MOLECULAR BIOLOGY UNIT

CELL AND TISSUE CULTURING UNIT

DROSOPHILA CENTER

TRANSGENIC LABORATORY

STOCK CENTER

INSTRUMENT CENTER

The molecular biology and biochemical work required for the construction and testing of disease models is carried out in six laboratories specialized for these works.

Insect and mammalian cells are grown, manipulated and tested in the laboratories of the cell and tissue culture unit.

The Drosophila Center consists of laboratories for the work required for genetic manipulations of Drosophila.

The Drosophila Injection Service was established in 2000 at the HUN-REN Biological Research Centre in Szeged. In the 24 years since then, nearly 2,500 transgenic constructs have been injected and around 1,500 transgenic lines have been created.

The Drosophila stock collection of the HUN-REN Szeged Biological Research Centre was founded nearly 50 years ago. Today, it contains more than 10.000 mutant and transgenic lines, most of which are unique in the world. The center includes kitchens that prepare the medium for Drosophila breeding.

The instrument center primarily has fluorescent (confocal, stereo) microscopes and instruments necessary for molecular biological work (PCR, gel documentation, centrifuges).

PARTICIPATING RESEARCH GROUPS

Actin cytoskeleton regulation research group

The sarcomeres that make up myofibrils are highly organized contractile structures whose function is closely related to their macromolecular organization. The research group recently developed a nanoscopic method that enabled the localization of muscle proteins with molecular precision. The group also performs the functional characterization of formin-type proteins, in the framework of which it studies the cellular and molecular mechanisms of cytoskeletal regulation.

Lysosomal degradation research group

The research group investigates the physiological and pathological role and mechanisms of autophagy using genetic, cell biological and biochemical methods. In addition to autophagy, the processes of crinophagy (lysosomal degradation of secretory granules) and endocytosis are also studied. In recent years, they have focused on understanding how these various lysosomal degradation processes are coordinated in Drosophila and human cells.

Drosophila germ cell development research group

The research group achieved significant results in the field of developmental genetics of the Drosophila germ line. Using the wide range of tools of genetic research, dozens of genes involved in germ cell development were identified in transposon-induced mutagenesis experiments and RNA interference-based screenings. With the functional analysis of the identified genes, they contributed to the discovery of the subcellular localization of gamete factors and the role of dynamic cytoskeleton transformations necessary during germ cell development.

Drosophila blood cell differentiation research group

The research group studies the regulation of the transdifferentiation of insect immune cells using a self-developed ex vivo blood cell culturing and differentiation method. During their experiments, they identified factors that play important role in the maintenance of the haematopoietic stem cell niche of the central lymphoid organ and in shaping the fate of differentiating blood cells. Their goal is to discover the functioning of the complex regulatory network that controls the differentiation of blood cells, as well as to reveal the functional and regulatory similarities of the blood cell-forming niches of Drosophila and mammals.

DNA damage and cell dynamics research group

The goal of our group's research is to learn about the proteins regulated by ADP-ribosylation, one of the earliest post-translational modifications that appear after DNA damage, and to understand the role of ADP-ribosylation in DNA repair and other cellular processes. The group is studying new tumor-causing gene mutations that could be treated by pharmacologically inhibiting ADP-ribosylation.

Nuclear actin research group

One of the main areas of interest of the research group is the investigation of the biological significance of nuclear actin and the discovery of the mechanisms that ensure its presence in the nucleus. In the last year, the role of nuclear actin in the differentiation of immune cells has also been studied by the group. In addition, the group is also engaged in research into the cellular functions of actin-binding ERM proteins. By creating a mutant with nuclei devoid of ERM protein, the biological significance of the protein's nuclear localization and the problems arising from its absence were determined.