Member Spotlights45 Years of Virology in the Century of Preventive Vaccinations Gyorgy Berensci, M.D., Ph.D. A Science Advisory Board Member Since 2006 Gyorgy Berencsi III., MD, Ph.D., graduated in 1965 at the University Medical School, Debrecen, Hungary. Berensci was a 3rd generation descendant of a family of medical doctors. His father, Gyorgy Berencsi II, was a professor of public health and his mother, Klara Matthes, M.D., was a pediatrician and dentist. In addition to his courses taught in virology, Berensci is also Head of the Virology Division and Scientific Advisor for the National Center for Epidemiology, Hungary. After his work at the Laboratory of Virology at the County Public Health Institute in Debrecen (1965-1967), Berensci became a research fellow at National Institute of Public Health, Budapest, Hungary (1968-1973) and at the German Cancer Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany (1973-1974). He served as Head of the Microbiology Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Semmelweis University Medical School, Budapest, Hungary (1974-1988), and since 1988 has served as the Head of the Division of Virology at the National Center for Epidemiology, Budapest. Berensi has been a Scientific Advisor of the National Center for Epidemiology since 2006. Research Interests & Achievements: • Discovery of the intracellular neutralization of polioviruses in tissue cultures. • Participation in the construction of the first restriction endonuclease maps of human, bovine and simian adenoviral DNA. • Formulation of the hypothesis of the evolutionary origin of the adenovirus replication and of DNA transformation or bacterial transduction. • Discovery of the non-cytocydal elimination process of hepatitis B virus in symptomless carriers before the introduction of the preventive active and passive immunisation of newborns of symptomless HBV-carrier mothers. • Discovery of the alternative hairpin loop structures of the 5’-non-translated regions of picornaviruses, which allow the translation of polyproteins (IRES), but prevent the binding of ribosomes to the RNA molecules, which will be encapsidated. • Discovery of transplacental transmission of human viruses into healthy newborns, which might result in immunological modifications facilitating the development of malignant tumours. Teaching Activities: I have taught medical biochemistry as a student of professor Bela Tanko and Attila Zsindely between 1963 and 1966. I taught medical microbiology between 1974 and 1988 in Hungarian at the Semmelweis University Medical School, Budapest. Medical parasitology and virology was taught in German since 1986 to the students of the German Faculties of Dentistry and Medicine of the Semmelweis Medical School, Budapest. A post graduate course of human virology is provided for biologists at the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the Eotvos Lorand University of Science since 1990. A course entitled "Viruses and Human Tumours" is given every year for the students of both universities. To discuss virology and other topics with fellow Science Advisory Board members, please visit our community forums. ### << Previous Next >> [ View All Member Spotlights ] |
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