Laboratory Immunology Research Group

Group leader: Péter Antal-Szalmás MD, PhD, DSc

Members: Dóra Bence MD, PhD; Beáta Tóth Lajszné MSc, PhD; Gábor Nagy MD; Krisztina Pénzes-Daku MSc, PhD

Technician: Éva Török

Background: We have a 20-year-experience in identification of new biomarkers and in finding novel application areas for known laboratory parameters. In recent years we performed research involving several different disease groups: autoimmune disorders, infections, cirrhosis, tumors.

Areas of interest:

1., One major topic we are interested in is the evaluation of the diagnostic utility of known and newly identified autoantibodies in different autoimmune disorders (SLE, Sjögren's syndrome, Poly/dermatomyositis, Autoimmune liver diseases). On one hand we test - analytically and functionally - commercially available antibody assays and techniques in these patient cohorts and try to introduce novel tests, too, furthermore we create composite scores based on these parameters. Another approach is to identify new autoantibodies by proteomic technologies. Analysing the large amount of data available in our laboratory information system ("big data analysis") we can evaluate the analytical and clinical performance of the applied laboratory tests. In the case of the indirect immunfluorescence assays we evaluate the efficacy of the computer (AI) supported image analysis.

In this topic we work together with the Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology Departments of the Institute of Internal Medicine, UD.

2., Another major area of our interest is the identification and prediction of cirrhosis associated bacterial infections. Cirrhosis is the final stage of liver diseases with different etiology and it is a major health problem all over the world. Bacterial infections are frequent complications in cirrhosis with significant mortality, and have a clear role in the initiation of life-threatening clinical complications like the acute-on-chronic liver failure syndrome. Early laboratory diagnosis of these severe clinical conditions is essential but challenging. We aim to identify biomarkers (pattern recognition molecules, acute phase proteins, anti-microbial antibodies, autoantibodies, etc.) and composite parameters based on the fusion of these individual tests that can help the identification and prediction of cirrhosis associated bacterial infections and other clinical complications. In this field, we have a long-lasting cooperation with the Gastroenterological Department, UD.

3., Antimicrobial resistance has become a serious global health threat. Misuse of existing and the lack of new antibiotics have resulted in the development of (multi)resistant pathogens (bacteria, fungi, viruses). To fight infectious diseases effectively in the future we have to broaden the approaches in therapeutic intervention. The aim of our work is to prepare new antimicrobial fusion proteins. One half of a certain fusion molecule will be the active domain of an antimicrobial protein that are able to bind to different microorganisms. The other part will be the Fc portion of human immunoglobulin G1, that can mediate the elimination of the opsonized microorganisms via the Fc receptor of professional phagocytes and might be able to activate peripheral leukocytes bearing Fc receptors (lymphocytes, NK cells).

4., We perform experiments in our former projects, too. We performed a monoclonal antibody based proteome profiling in the plasma of lung cancer patients. We plan to extend this study by testing patients with other types of cancer.

Research techniques applied: ELISA  and indirect immunfluorescence assays, Western-blot and immunoblot, flow cytometry, PCR, RQ-PCR, DNA-sequencing, mAb-based chip technology

List of the most relevant publications:

1. Nagy, G., Földesi, R., Csípő, I., Tarr, T., Szűcs, G., Szántó, A., Bubán, T., Szekanecz, Z., Papp, M., Kappelmayer, J., Antal-Szalmás, P. A novel way to evaluate autoantibody interference in samples with mixed antinuclear antibody patterns in the HEp-2 cell based indirect immunofluorescence assay and comparison of conventional microscopic and computer-aided pattern recognition Clin. Chim. Acta. 553 1-9, 2024.
2. Lázár J, Antal-Szalmás P, Kurucz I, Ferenczi A, Józsi M, Tornyi I, Müller M, Fekete JT, Lamont J, FitzGerald P, Gall-Debreceni A, Kádas J, Vida A, Tardieu, N, Kieffer, Y, Jullien, A, Guergova-Kuras M, Hempel W, Kovács AL, Kardos T, Bittner N, Csánky E, Szilasi M, Losonczy G, Szondy K, Gálffy G, Csada E, Szalontai K, Somfay A, Malka D, Cottu P, Bogos K, Takács L. Large-scale plasma proteome epitome profiling is an efficient tool for the discovery of cancer biomarkers. Molecular & Cellular Proteomics 22 (7), 1-18, 2023
3. Tornai D, Vitális Z, Jónás A, Janka T, Földi I, Tornai TI, Sipeki N, Csillag A, Balogh B, Sümegi A, Földesi R, Papp M, Antal-Szalmás P. Increased sTREM-1 levels identify cirrhotic patients with bacterial infection and predict their 90-day mortality Clinics and Research in Hepatology and Gastroenterology 45 (5), 1-12, 2021.
4. Nagy G, Csípő I, Tarr T, Szűcs G, Szántó A, Bubán T, Sipeki N, Szekanecz Z, Papp M, Kappelmayer J, Antal-Szalmás P. Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody testing by indirect immunofluorescence: computer-aided versus conventional microscopic evaluation of routine diagnostic samples from patients with vasculitis or other inflammatory diseases Clinica Chimica Acta 511 117-124, 2020.
5. Mezei ZA, Tornai D, Földesi R, Madar L, Sümegi A, Papp M, Antal-Szalmás P. A DNA pool of FLT3-ITD positive DNA samples can be used efficiently for analytical evaluation of NGS-based FLT3-ITD quantitation: testing several different ITD sequences and rates, simultaneously, Journal of Biotechnology 303 25-29, 2019.
6. Nagy B Jr., Bhattoa HP, Steiber Z, Csobán M, Szilasi M, Méhes G, Müller M, Lázár J, Kappelmayer J, Antal-Szalmás P. Serum human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) as a tumor marker in men with lung cancer. Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine 52 (11), 1639-1648, 2014.
7. Papp M, Sipeki N, Vitális Z, Tornai TI, Altorjay I, Tornai I, Udvardy M, Fechner K, Jacobsen S, Teegen B, Sümegi A, Veres G, Lakatos P, Kappelmayer J, Antal-Szalmás P. High prevalence of IgA class anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) is associated with increased risk of bacterial infection in patients with cirrhosis. Journal of Hepatology 59 (3), 457-466, 2013.
8. Vida A, Bardoel, B, Milder, F, Majoros L, Sümegi A, Bácsi A, Vereb G, Kessel K P. M., van, Strijp, J. A. G., van, Antal-Szalmás P. Fusion of the Fc part of human IgG1 to CD14 enhances its binding to gram-negative bacteria and mediates phagocytosis by Fc receptors of neutrophils. Immunology Letters 146 (1-2), 31-39, 2012.
9. Papp M, Vitális Z, Altorjay I, Tornai I, Udvardy M, Hársfalvi J, Vida A, Kappelmayer J, Lakatos P, Antal-Szalmás P. Acute phase proteins in the diagnosis and prediction of cirrhosis associated bacterial infections. Liver International 32 (4), 603-611, 2012.
10. Bubán T, Koczok K, Földesi R, Szabó G, Sümegi A, Tanyi M, Szerafin L, Udvardy M, Kappelmayer J, Antal-Szalmás P. Detection of internal tandem duplications in the FLT3 gene by different electrophoretic methods. Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine 50 (2), 301-310, 2011.
11. Antal-Szalmás P. Evaluation of CD14 in host defence. European Journal of Clinical Investigation 30 (2), 167-179, 2000.