Janos Szebeni

Janos Szebeni
Occupation(s)Medical researcher, immunologist, and author
Academic background
EducationM.D.
Ph.D.
D.Sc.
Alma materSemmelweis Medical University
Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Academic work
InstitutionsSemmelweis University
University of Miskolc

Janos Szebeni is a medical researcher, immunologist, and author. His research work has centered on the adverse immune effects of nanomedicines, particularly liposomes and lipid nanoparticles. He was among the early contributors to the development of liposome-encapsulated hemoglobin, a universal blood substitute,[1] and the identification of complement activation as a key mechanism of nanoparticle-induced hypersensitivity reactions and anaphylaxis, also known as "complement activation-related pseudoallergy" (CARPA).[2]

Szebeni directs the Nanomedicine Research and Education Center within the Department of Translational Medicine at Semmelweis University. He is also the co-founder and CEO of SeroScience.[3]

Education

Szebeni earned his M.D. from Semmelweis Medical University in 1978. He subsequently received his Ph.D. in 1992 and his Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) degree in 2006 from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He was habilitated at Semmelweis University in 2009.[3]

Career

Szebeni began his career as a research associate at the Hungarian National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion in Budapest, Hungary, from 1978 to 1983, followed by a position as research scientist at the National Institute of Food Hygiene and Nutrition between 1983 and 1985. In 1986 and 1987, he held research fellowships at Christchurch Medical School, ETH-Zentrum; and at the University of Arizona. From 1987 to 1991, he held the appointment of visiting scientist at the National Cancer Institute. From 1993, he was working at the Department of Membrane Biochemistry, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research as a Senior NRC fellow, where he was promoted in 1998 as a section chief at the U.S. Military HIV Research Program (MHRP).[3]

At the University of Miskolc, Szebeni taught biology and immunobiology as an adjunct professor and was appointed full professor in 2013. He also led the Nanomedicine Research and Education Center at Semmelweis University.[4] There, he was promoted to full professor in 2020.[3] He is the co-founder, CEO, and chief scientist of SeroScience.[5] He also participated in 7 EU "FP7" and "H2020"[6] programs and as PI and Project Coordinator in a Horizon Spinning program.[3]

Research

During his early research in the 1980s, Szebeni and others studied liposome-encapsulated hemoglobin (LEH) as a potential blood substitute.[1] These studies explored the interactions between membrane lipids and hemoglobin,[7] revealing an essential role of membrane cholesterol in protecting hemoglobin from degradation through heme partition into the bilayer, and the complement-activating effect of LEH.[8] He and his colleagues proposed that complement activation could play a causal role in many hypersensitivity reactions and anaphylaxis observed after injection of liposomal drugs in animals and humans.[2] He demonstrated that HSRs associated with C activation and a non-IgE-mediated pseudoallergy (CARPA) are clinically relevant due to their unpredictable nature and potential for fatal consequences. Analogous between stress reaction and CARPA was proposed, documenting that CARPA represents a blood stress reaction operating along the complement–allergomedin–circulatory system axis. In this context, he also worked on the technical terms: Doxebo (empty placebo Doxil),[9] allergomedins (mast cell- and basophil-secreted allergy-triggering proteins),[10] and CIPA (Complement-Independent Pseudo-Allergy).[11] He, along with his colleagues, developed the porcine model of CARPA.[12] He emphasized that the binding between PEGylated liposomes and anti-PEG IgM causes complement activation,[13] resulting in blood clearance and anaphylactoid shock of liposome-IgM complexes, and documented that complement activation contributes to the severe HSRs caused by PEGylated nanomedicines and lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), the carriers of mRNA in the widely used COVID-19 vaccines, Comirnaty and Spikevax.[14][11]

Beyond these research areas, Szebeni has also contributed to the fields of membrane transport,[15] AIDS combination chemotherapy using dipyridamole,[16] bone marrow transplantation and graft-versus-host disease.[17] He was the lead author in the research study of the unusual compliance of Comirnaty lipoplexes and hydrogen bonding between mRNA and ionizable lipids.[18] He is a coeditor of the books, The Complement System: Novel Roles in Health and Disease[19] and the Immune Aspects of Biopharmaceuticals and Nanomedicines.[20]

Awards and honors

  • 2019 – Honorary Citizen of the University of Miskolc
  • 2024 – Szent-Gyorgyi Albert Medical Award, Ministry of Education[3]

References

  1. ^ a b Chang, Thomas Ming Swi (January 1997). "Recent and Future Developments in Modified Hemoglobin and Microencapsulated Hemoglobin as Red Blood Cell Substitutes". Artificial Cells, Blood Substitutes, and Biotechnology. 25 (1–2): 1–24. doi:10.3109/10731199709118893. PMID 9083622.
  2. ^ a b Dobrovolskaia, Marina A. (10 October 2022). "Lessons learned from immunological characterization of nanomaterials at the Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory". Frontiers in Immunology. 13 984252. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2022.984252. PMC 9592561. PMID 36304452.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Janos Szebeni - Curriculum Vitae". Academia.edu. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
  4. ^ "Nanomedicine Research and Education Center | Semmelweis University". Semmelweis University. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
  5. ^ "Staff; SeroScience Inc". SeroScience. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
  6. ^ "Biosafety - Horizon 2020 EU project". Semmelweis.hu. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  7. ^ Arifin, Dian R.; Palmer, Andre F. (January 2005). "Physical Properties and Stability Mechanisms of Poly(Ethylene Glycol) Conjugated Liposome Encapsulated Hemoglobin Dispersions". Artificial Cells, Blood Substitutes, and Biotechnology. 33 (2): 137–162. doi:10.1081/BIO-200055880. PMID 15960077.
  8. ^ Pethő, Ákos Géza; Fülöp, Tibor; Orosz, Petronella; Szénási, Gábor; Tapolyai, Mihály; Dézsi, László (10 July 2025). "Increased Cardiovascular Mortality in Hemodialysis: The Role of Chronic Inflammation, Complement Activation, and Non-Biocompatibility". Toxins. 17 (7): 345. doi:10.3390/toxins17070345. PMC 12297944. PMID 40711156.
  9. ^ Sayed, Mohamed; Emam, Sherif; El Garhy, Omar; Sarhan, Hatem; Kamal, Amal (14 March 2023). "Polyethylene glycol (PEG) in mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines: Impact, immunogenicity, and its potential role in post-vaccination induced hypersensitivity". Journal of Advanced Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences. 0: 69–80. doi:10.21608/jabps.2023.184283.1176.
  10. ^ Apostolidou, Evaggelia; Dimitriou, Konstantina; Papadopoulou, Anastasia; Mikos, Nikolaos; Kompoti, Evangelia (13 March 2023). "Administration of the Second Dose of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine to a Woman With Immediate Reaction to the First Dose". Cureus. 15 (3): e36064. doi:10.7759/cureus.36064. PMC 10092055. PMID 37056532.
  11. ^ a b Morilla, Maria Jose; Romero, Eder Lilia (2018). "Nanotoxicity of Lipid-Based Nanomedicines". Nanomaterials: Ecotoxicity, Safety, and Public Perception. pp. 133–165. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-05144-0_8. ISBN 978-3-030-05143-3.
  12. ^ Shen, Limei; Li, Zhongbo; Ma, Alice; Cruz-Teran, Carlos; Talkington, Anne; Shipley, Steven T.; Lai, Samuel K. (26 March 2024). "Free PEG Suppresses Anaphylaxis to PEGylated Nanomedicine in Swine". ACS Nano. 18 (12): 8733–8744. Bibcode:2024ACSNa..18.8733S. doi:10.1021/acsnano.3c11165. PMID 38469811.
  13. ^ Immordino, ML; Dosio, F; Cattel, L (2006). "Stealth liposomes: review of the basic science, rationale, and clinical applications, existing and potential". International Journal of Nanomedicine. 1 (3): 297–315. PMC 2426795. PMID 17717971.
  14. ^ "Suspicions grow that nanoparticles in Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine trigger rare allergic reactions". Science.
  15. ^ Pape, Leon; Kristensen, Berit I (February 1984). "A calmodulin activated Ca2+-dependent K+ channel in human erythrocyte membrane inside-out vesicles". Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Biomembranes. 770 (1): 1–6. doi:10.1016/0005-2736(84)90065-8. PMID 6320879.
  16. ^ Makabi-Panzu, B.; Lessard, C.; Perron, S.; DéSormeaux, A.; Tremblay, M.; Poulin, L.; Beauchamp, D.; Bergeron, M.G. (November 1994). "Comparison of Cellular Accumulation, Tissue Distribution, and Anti-HIV Activity of Free and Liposomal 2′,3′-Dideoxycytidine". AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses. 10 (11): 1463–1470. doi:10.1089/aid.1994.10.1463. PMID 7888201.
  17. ^ Blood and marrow stem cell transplantation: principles, practice, and nursing insights (2nd ed.). Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. 1997. ISBN 0763703567.
  18. ^ Szebeni, János; Kiss, Bálint; Bozó, Tamás; Turjeman, Keren; Levi-Kalisman, Yael; Barenholz, Yechezkel; Kellermayer, Miklós (2023). "Insights into the Structure of Comirnaty Covid-19 Vaccine: A Theory on Soft, Partially Bilayer-Covered Nanoparticles with Hydrogen Bond-Stabilized mRNA-Lipid Complexes". ACS Nano. 17 (14): 13147–13157. Bibcode:2023ACSNa..1713147S. doi:10.1021/acsnano.2c11904. PMC 10373524. PMID 37417667.
  19. ^ "The Complement System: Novel Roles in Health and Disease". WorldCat. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
  20. ^ "Immune Aspects of Biopharmaceuticals and Nanomedicines". WorldCat. Retrieved July 4, 2025.

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