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SEMMELWEIS UNIVERSITY
Department of Medical Chemistry, Molecular Biology and Pathobiochemistry
The history of the Institute
In Autumn 1945 Albert Szent-Györgyi, professor of biochemistry
at the Medical Faculty of the University Peter Pázmány of
those times, suggested that the University should create a "medical chemistry"
department to educate the medical students.
The Institute of Medical Chemistry was established in 1949. The Faculty
invited Brunó Straub F. to the department, who was the head of the
Institute for 21 years. He resigned from his position in 1970, when the
Hungarian Academy of Sciences charged him with the leadership of the Biological
Research Center in Szeged. Then Ferenc Antoni was appointed as the director of
the Institute and he kept this position until his death in 1991. The Department
of Medical Chemistry taught medical chemistry and biochemistry (except for 18
years, when only medical chemistry) to first and second-year general medical
and later dentist students. Since 1983 the Institute has co-oridinated medical
chemistry and biochemsitry instruction in German, organised biochemistry
instruction in English between 1987 and 1989, and since 1989 its instructors
have participated in the medical chemistry and biochemistry teaching in English.
In addition to the undergraduate education, the Institute has coordinated the
Pathobiochemistry PhD Program since 1995. The undergraduate instruction of
Pathobiochemistry as a compulsory elective subject starts in 2000.
Moreover, several members of the staff participate in other PhD programs either
as supervisor or as co-supervisor.
Many excellent scientists began their carreer or worked for years at the
Institute; many of them became renowned scientists in Hungary as well as abroad.
The teaching staff suffered heavy losses in 1956 and in 1970 (when the Biological
Research Center was established in Szeged). However, it was able to renew, which is
perhaps proven by the present throughputs of the Institute partly shown on our
website. There are 11 doctors of Hungarian Academy of Sciences (DSc) and 15
PhD researchers-teachers working at the Institute.