Szentesi, István; geneticist, bioinformaticist

István Szentesi (1953) is a university lecturer, geneticist and researcher of bioinformatics.

Professional experiences:

National Institute of Hygiene, Laboratory of Human Genetics (1974-1988); Eötvös Loránd Science University, Department of Genetics (1988-1989); research project to access Human Genome Program with a private enterprise (Human Genome Research Ltd.), cooperat-ing foreign research workshops (1990-1992); Foundation for Human Evolution and Human Ecology, Szeged, (1995-1997); Tisza-Maros Issue Area Development and Cooperative Association of Local Governments (preparation of area development projects) (1999-2001); Institute for Strategic Research (2002-); Universitas Scientiarum Szegediensis, Department of Informatics (2005-)

Research areas:

New scientific disciple based on the theory of bioinformatics and the principle of bio-computers

Intellectual profile:

After finishing his schools, István Szentesi researched human cytogenetics in Hungarian National Institute of Hygiene, Laboratory for Human Genetics. Later, in the second half of the 70s he worked as the chief of the laboratory's Human Mutagenic Group. During that time he published 30 studies in English and 35 in Hungarian. He has also wrote and translated book sections and about 40 science bulletins, and held many lectures and presentations. He organised and directed a continuation course for genetics. He was the first to verify by a statistically relevant sample the human-chromosome-depleting effect of vinyl-chloride (monomer of PVC), in 1976. He is a char-ter member of the International Society for Molecular Electronics and Biocomputing (ISMEBC) founded on Hungarian initiative in 1987. He gained a 2-years stipend from Soros Foundation (1987-1989). He elaborated a research project to access Human Genome Program with a private enterprise, cooperating foreign research workshops, supported by a Hungarian sponsor (1990-1992). In this team an international scientific conference and workshop was organised by him in 1992. The research ceased due to the lack of financial resources in 1993. After an intellectual struggle of more than a decade he nursed a new scientific disciple based on the theory of bioin-formatics and the principle of bio-computers. He has been studying this matter cooperating with the Institute for Strategic Research since 2002. By the end of that year he directed an extension course organised by the Civil Institute titled "Bioinformatics and bio-computers".

Major publications:

Bioinformatika és bioszámítógépek (Bioinformatics and Bio-computers) (Half-way of a Research), Stratégiakutató Intézet, Nagykovácsi, (2004)

Other activities:

Due to the author's experiences, the best way to explore scientific questions of his interests is thorough debates with the most open-minded, detached university students-however, this can be a continuous confrontation with the inveterate opinions.

e-mail: szentesi.istvan@freemail.hu