The aim of the Róbert Bárány Prize is to recognise and financially support the scientific achievements of young researchers. It was established in 2021 by ELKH, the predecessor of HUN-REN, to distinguish those who have achieved outstanding results at international level under 40 years of age. Our colleague László Biró and 8 other young HUN-REN researchers received the award on 5 December 2024, at the National Museum.
It is now 25 years since the MTA, with the support of UNESCO in particular, organized the "World Conference on Science for the 21st Century: a New Commitment", which has become the successor to the biennial World Science Forum (WSF) series, with Budapest hosting every second event. From 20-24 November 2024, the Forum, entitled "Science and Policy in a Time of Global Transformation", was held in the exceptional venues of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the Vigadó, and the Kempinski Hotel Corvinus, where it was possible to meet with invited policy-makers, researchers and science journalists. However, the Science Expo, a joint project of the MTA, the National Innovation Agency, and the Ministry of Culture and Innovation, held in the Romanian Hall of our magnificent Museum of Fine Arts, was open to all for free.
Although there are many different types of news on our website, in a certain respect they are all the same. The news has something to do with the work of our institute and the people who work here. That is the case now. Emil Koplányi, a student of Imre Kalló, was among the high school students who were welcomed at the Sándor Palace. What's more, Emil was one of the three students who were able to present their work.
The internet has finally taken over the SfN conferences, and there is hardly anyone who doesn't have a smartphone/iPad in their hand at all times. Excellent apps help you to find your way quickly and easily, which is a must at a conference with more than 22,000 participants. But the technical innovation only shows that the conference is moving with the times. The essence today is still what its creators envisioned in 1971: neuroscience from A to Z.
Tetrabenazine, a VMAT-2 enzyme inhibitor, is used to treat sudden movements caused by neurodegenerative diseases called Huntington's disease andtardive dyskinesia, which are uncontrollable by the individual. The extent to which this drug inhibits the release of the monoamines noradrenaline, dopamine, and serotonin in different brain areas is not yet known. This is what a collaboration between the Sperlágh group and researchers at Richter Gedeon Nyrt led by Szilveszter E. Vizi investigated. The significance of the result is underlined by the fact that the work, first submitted by Pál Tod and with corresponding authorship by Professor Vizi, was published in the leading international journal of pharmacology.
"Autumn is here, it's here again", we could have said with Petőfi, and we could have agreed with the rest, that autumn is beautiful. The first day of our stay in Várgestes, 26 September, was so beautiful that you couldn't wish for a more beautiful day since the end of September. The main reason for our satisfaction, however, was that our Institute conference went very well!
The HUN-REN KOKI and the Weizmann Institute in Israel co-organised a two-day symposium at the KOKI, 28-29 October 2024, which contributed to the promotion of long-term joint neuroscience research between Hungary and Israel.
Copenhagen not only provided an excellent venue, but also a wonderful summer weather during the last week of August for the 2500 participants of EMC204, the largest meeting of microscopists in Europe. The Hungarian Microscopy Society was represented by Techoorg Linda and eight microscopists, including four colleagues from KOKI.
