HCEMM-SU Molecular Oncohematology Research Group

Donát Alpár

Donát Alpár

Qualifications
  • Certified Cytometrist (2011); International Cytometry Certification Examination by the ISAC and ICCS
  • PhD in Medical Sciences (2009); Molecular Pathology program, University of Pecs
  • MSc in Chemistry (2006); Faculty of Sciences, University of Pecs
  • MSc in Biology, specialization in experimental biology (2003); Faculty of Sciences, University of Pecs

Positions

  • 2020-present: Semmelweis University, 1st Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research (Senior research fellow)
  • 2015-2020: Semmelweis University, 1st Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research (Research fellow)
  • 2015-2020: Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria (Senior NGS scientist)
  • 2014-2015: Institute of Cancer Research, Translational Oncogenomics Laboratory, London, UK (Postdoctoral fellow)
  • 2012-2014: Institute of Cancer Research, Childhood Leukaemia Biology Group, London, UK (Marie Curie fellow)
  • 2008-2012: University of Pecs, Department of Pathology (Head of Cancer Cytogenetic Laboratory; Research fellow 2009-)
  • 2006-2007: University of Pecs, Department of Pathology (Research assistant)

Fields of interest

  • Molecular oncohematology
  • Oncogenomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics
  • Evolutionary cancer research
  • Precision diagnostics

Memberships

  • Hungarian Young Academy, 2019-2024. (Board member 2019-2021)
  • International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
  • European Hematology Association
  • European Cytogeneticists Association
  • Hungarian Society of Personalized Medicine
  • Hungarian Society of Human Genetics

Teaching

Semmelweis University (2015-)

  • Molecular oncology II., postgraduate (Course leader)
  • Molecular oncology I., postgraduate

University of Pecs (2004-2012)

  • Molecular genetics and genomics, graduate
  • Molecular pathology, graduate
  • Cytogenetic aberrations in hematopoietic tumors, postgraduate (Course leader)
  • In situ hybridization – interphase cytogenetics and its applications in pathology, postgraduate

PhD students

  • Gabor Bedics (2019-2023, 50%)
  • Szilvia Krizsan (2018-2022, 50%)
  • Richard Kiss (2016-2020, 50%; defense: 12/2020, 100%)
  • Szabolcs Kosztolanyi (2016-2020; defense: 09/2020, 100%)

Grants, awards, scholarships

  • NKFIH FK_20 Research Grant (ID: FK134253) Term: 1/12/2020-30/11/2024. (NRDIO; Principal investigator).
  • Bolyai+ Excellence Scholarship. (ID: ÚNKP-20-5-SE-22) Term: 1/9/2020-31/8/2021.
  • Bolyai+ Excellence Scholarship. (ID: ÚNKP-19-4-SE-77) Term: 1/9/2019-30/6/2020.
  • STIA_18_KF R&D grant. (ID: 26955/AOPTKT/2019) Term: 1/2/2019-31/12/2019. (Principal investigator)
  • Bolyai+ Excellence Scholarship. (ID: ÚNKP-18-4-SE-62) Term: 1/9/2018-30/6/2019.
  • János Bolyai Research Scholarship. (ID: BO/00320/18/5) Term: 1/9/2018-31/8/2021.
  • Introduction of new interdisciplinary PhD courses grant. Term: 1/9/2018-31/8/2021. (Course leader)
  • National Excellence Scholarship. (ID: ÚNKP-17-4-III-SE-9) Term: 1/9/2017-30/6/2018.
  • Best Review Paper of the Year Award, 2016. (Hungarian Cancer Society)
  • NKFIH K_16 Research Grant (ID: K119950) Term: 1/12/2016-30/11/2020. (NRDIO; Principal investigator).
  • Outstanding Reviewer, 2015. (Leukemia Research journal)
  • Biomedical Research Centre grant. Term: 1/8/2014-7/31/2015. (NIHR, London, UK; Co-investigator)
  • Selected speaker of the Falling Walls Lab Finale 2014 and A.T. Kearney Scholar at the Falling Walls Conference, Berlin, Germany, 2014.
  • Selected participant of the 64thLindau Nobel Laureate Meeting, Lindau, Germany, 2014.
  • Best Poster Prize at the 44th Congress of the International Society of Paediatric Oncology, London, UK, 2012. (SIOP)
  • Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship. (ID: 299946) Institute of Cancer Research – Royal Cancer Hospital, London, UK.  Term: 1/8/2012-31/07/2014. (Best proposal in ‘Life Science’).
  • Fulbright Research Grant – senior category. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA. Term: 2012/2013. (declined in favor of the Marie Curie Fellowship)
  • Marylou Ingram Scholar 2011-2015. (International Society for Advancement of Cytometry)
  • Baross Gabor Program R&D grant. Term: 1/4/2010-30/4/2012. (ID: REG-DD-09-2-2009-0100; Co-investigator)
  • Erasmus Student Study Mobility Scholarship, Wolverhampton, UK, 2004. (declined)
  • PhD Full Scholarship, Faculty of Medicine, University of Pecs.
  • Best oral presentation prize, Students’ Research Conference, Pecs, Hungary, 2003.
  • Travel grants for international conference attendance in Europe (#10) and in the USA (#4). (EMBO, EHA, EAHP, ECA, ISAC)

Selected publications

  • Bodor C, Kotmayer L, Laszlo T, Takacs F, Barna G, Kiss R, Sebestyen E, Nagy T, Hegyi LL, Mikala G, Fekete S, Farkas P, Balogh A, Masszi T, Demeter J, Weisinger J, Alizadeh H, Kajtar B, Kohl Z, Szasz R, Gergely L, Gurbity Palfi T, Sulak A, Kollar B, Egyed M, Plander M, Rejto L, Szerafin L, Ilonczai P, Tamaska P, Pettendi P, Levai D, Schneider T, Sebestyen A, Csermely P, Matolcsy A, Matrai Z, Alpar D. Screening and monitoring of BTKC481S mutation in a real-world cohort of patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia during ibrutinib therapy. Br J Haematol. (accepted, 10.1111/bjh.17502)
  • Kiss R, Gango A, Benard-Slagter A, Egyed B, Haltrich I, Hegyi L, de Groot K, Kiraly PA, Krizsan S, Kajtar B, Piko H, Pajor L, Vojcek A, Matolcsy A, Kovacs G, Szuhai K, Savola S, Bodor C, Alpar D. Comprehensive profiling of disease-relevant copy number aberrations for advanced clinical diagnostics of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Mod Pathol. 2020 May;33(5):812-824.
  • Rendeiro AF, Krausgruber T, Fortelny N, Zhao F, Penz T, Farlik M, Schuster LC, Nemc A, Tasnady S, Reti M, Matrai Z, Alpar D*, Bodor C*, Schmidl C*, Bock C*. Chromatin mapping and single-cell immune profiling define the temporal dynamics of ibrutinib response in CLL. Nat Commun. 2020 Jan 29;11(1):577.
  • Barthel et al. Longitudinal molecular trajectories of diffuse glioma in adults. Nature. 2019 Dec;576(7785):112-120.
  • Gango A*, Alpar D*, Galik B*, Marosvari D, Kiss R, Fesus V, Aczel D, Eyupoglu E, Nagy N, Nagy A, Krizsan S, Reiniger L, Farkas P, Kozma A, Adam E, Tasnady S, Reti M, Matolcsy A, Gyenesei A, Matrai Z, Bodor C. Dissection of subclonal evolution by temporal mutation profiling in chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients treated with ibrutinib. Int J Cancer. 2020 Jan 1;146(1):85-93.
  • Kiss R, Alpar D, Gango A, Nagy N, Eyupoglu E, Aczel D, Matolcsy A, Csomor J, Matrai Z, Bodor C. Spatial clonal evolution leading to ibrutinib resistance and disease progression in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Haematologica. 2019 Jan;104(1):e38-e41.
  • Klughammer et al. The DNA methylation landscape of glioblastoma disease progression shows extensive heterogeneity in time and space. Nat Med. 2018 Oct;24(10):1611-1624.
  • Kosztolanyi S, Kiss R, Atanesyan L, Gango A, de Groot K, Steenkamer M, Jakso P, Matolcsy A,Kajtar B, Pajor L, Szuhai K, Savola S, Bodor C, Alpar D. High-throughput copy number profiling by digital multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification in multiple myeloma. J Mol Diagn. 2018 Nov;20(6):777-788.
  • Datlinger P, Rendeiro A, Schmidl C, Krausgruber T, Traxler P, Klughammer J, Schuster L, Kuchler A, Alpar D, Bock C. Pooled CRISPR screening with single-cell transcriptome readout. Nat Methods 2017 Mar;14(3):297-301.
  • Alpar D, Barber L, Gerlinger M. Genetic intratumor heterogeneity. In: Gray S (ed). Epigenetic Cancer Therapy. San Diego:Academic Press,  pp. 571-594. (ISBN:9780128002063)
  • Alpar D, Wren D, Ermini L, Mansur MB, van Delft FW, Bateman CM, Titley I, Kearney L, Szczepanski T, Gonzalez de Castro D, Ford AM, Potter NE, Greaves M. Clonal origins of ETV6/RUNX1+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia: studies in monozygotic twins. Leukemia 2015 Apr;29(4):839-846.
  • Bateman CM*, Alpar D*, Ford AM, Colman SM, Wren D, Morgan M, Kearney L, Greaves MF. Evolutionary trajectories of hyperdiploid ALL in monozygotic twins. Leukemia 2015 Jan;29(1):58-65.
  • Alpar D, de Jong D, Holczer-Nagy Z, Kajtar B, Savola S, Jakso P, David M, Kosztolanyi S, Kereskai L, Pajor L, Szuhai K. Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification and fluorescence in situ hybridization are complementary techniques to detect cytogenetic abnormalities in multiple myeloma. Genes Chromosomes Cancer. 2013 Sep;52(9):785-93.
  • Pajor G, Kajtar B, Pajor L, Alpar D. State-of-the-art FISHing: automated analysis of cytogenetic aberrations in interphase nuclei. Cytometry A. 2012 Aug;81(8):649-63.
  • Nagy Z, Kajtar B, Jakso P, David M, Kosztolanyi S, Hermesz J, Kereskai L, Pajor L, Alpar D. Evolutionary sequence of cytogenetic aberrations during the oncogenesis of plasma cell disorders. Direct evidence at single cell level. Leuk Res. 2011 Aug;35(8):1114-6.

Additional professional activities

  • H2020 Expert Evaluator, 2018-
  • Editorial Board Member, Leukemia Research, 2017-
  • Program Committee member of CYTO conferences (International Society for Advancement of Cytometry) 2011-
  • Reviewer activity:  Publons

Additional trainings

  • GLP and GCP training, Royal Marsden Hospital, London, UK, 2014.
  • Single-Cell Gene Expression Analysis, EMBO Practical Course, EMBL Heidelberg, 2013.
  • EBI Next Generation Sequencing Workshop, Wellcome Trust, Cambridge, UK, 2013.
  • MLPA mix development and testing, MRC-Holland, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2013.
  • CML / MPN Global Opinion Leader Summit, Munich, Germany, 2012.
  • International BioCamp 2011. Novartis Biotechnology Leadership Camp, Basel, Switzerland, 2011.
  • Training in SNP-array, COBRA-FISH and MLPA technologies, LUMC, The Netherlands, 2011.
  • European Advanced Postgraduate Course in Molecular Cytogenetics, Nimes, France, 2011.

Outreach activities

  • Researchers’ Night, Budapest, 2015-
  • STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Ambassador in the Greater London Area, UK, 2014-2015.
  • Volunteer at the Science Museum, London, UK, 2014-2015.
  • Volunteer at the Royal Holloway Science Festival, London, UK, 2013-2015.
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