Research Perspectives on Cancer Treatment: Book Launch and Conference Organised by
HUN-REN RCNS

“We are opening a new chapter in the life of HUN-REN, which we hope will define the future of the network for a long time,” said Balázs Gulyás in his opening speech. The President of HUN-REN summarised the major milestones of the past year, with particular focus on the tasks and achievements related to the renewal of HUN-REN. Balázs Gulyás emphasized that the new directions and development opportunities identified during the organisation’s international audit can significantly contribute to strengthening the research network. He expressed his hope that HUN-REN would increasingly become an attractive research environment for domestic and international researchers alike. Balázs Gulyás extended special congratulations to András Nagy, a Hungarian researcher returning from Canada’s Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute under the Research Grant Hungary program, who is beginning his work at the HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences (RCNS).

After a brief welcome speech by László Buday, Director General of the HUN-REN RCNS, László Hunyady, Director of the HUN-REN RCNS Institute of Enzymology, echoed the opening remarks of the President and emphasized the significant potential lying in the renewal of HUN-REN. He expressed his belief that this restructuring could end the stagnation that has characterised the network.

In the first session of the event, participants attended scientific presentations on cancer therapies, statistical data on cancer incidence, and the latest research findings in stem cell-based therapies. Presentations were given by Tamás Masszi, Director of the Department of Internal Medicine and Haematology at Semmelweis University, and Csaba Polgár, Director-General of the National Institute of Oncology. Following this, John Rasko, Professor at the University of Sydney, delivered a comprehensive presentation titled "Advancing Cell & Gene Therapies to Address Unmet Medical Needs," focusing on the latest advancements in cell and gene therapy developments. In his talk, he presented his own research and related recent publications, complemented by personal experiences and photos.

Life Re-engineered – Stories from the Rocky Road of Stem Cell Therapy

Stem cells are the primary building blocks of our bodies. The key to a longer, healthier life lies in harnessing the power of these "mysterious entities" to repair damaged tissues, the book's synopsis states. For decades, we've awaited the dawn of regenerative medicine, repeatedly hearing that stem cells will cure every imaginable disease - if not tomorrow, then the day after, or the day after that.

 

But where do we stand now, and how did we get here? Have our hopes been fulfilled? " Life Re-engineered" answers these questions. In the book, Professor John Rasko, an esteemed physician-scientist, and Carl Power, a historian and writer of science, take readers on a wild historical journey through the field of stem cell research. They reveal both its successes and failures, breakthroughs and blunders, shining achievements and darker aspects. Along the way, we meet the field's "heroes and villains," its greatest pioneers, and its charlatans.

At the conference, Zoltán Ivics, a researcher at the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, and András Nagy gave presentations on new directions in oncology treatments. Zoltán Ivics provided an in-depth discussion of CAR-T cell therapies, while András Nagy introduced the Excalibur, a cell-based treatment developed with genetic modifications to enhance immunogenicity. Both speakers emphasized that the integration of cellular and molecular diagnostic procedures, along with the adoption of novel gene therapy approaches, represents a significant advancement in personalized medicine, broadening the spectrum of therapeutic possibilities.

In the afternoon, the presentation of John Rasko's book Life Re-engineered featured the author himself, the translator, and a representative from Gingko Publishing, along with András Nagy, the scientific editor of the Hungarian translation introduced earlier that day. The book, which was published in Hungarian in early November, delves into the long and winding journey undertaken by researchers in stem cell therapy since its inception. The organisers transformed the closing program into a panel discussion with active participation from the audience and attendees.