Andras Janos Dinnyes - Biography#

Prof. Dinnyes worked on embryology, genetic reprogramming by cloning and stem cells since 1985. He was Fulbright Scholar in the Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., and worked at the Univ. of Connecticut, Storrs, CT where he achieved major results in somatic cell nuclear cloning in cattle, rabbit and pig. He worked in leading institutions in Belgium, Japan, New Zealand, China, UK. In 2000-1 as team leader of the cloning team in Roslin Institute, BBSRC, Edinburgh, UK (the „Dolly team”) under Sir Ian Wilmut he produced the first gene knock-out lambs and cloned piglets in Europe. In Hungary his academic team produced the first Hungarian cloned mice and rabbit, in the Agricultural Biotechnology Center, then as full professor at Szent Istvan University, Godollo. In 2008-16 he worked as full professor (20% time) at the Veterinary Faculty, Utrecht University, The Netherlands. Since 2005 as founder and CEO, leading over 20 researchers in BioTalentum Ltd on animal and human stem cell research, transgenic cellular and animal models for biomedical, toxicology and pharma purposes. He has coordinated 14 EU FP6/7/H2020 projects in Systems Biology, human genetic reprogramming and epigenetics, long-term epigenetic health effects of human assisted reproductive technologies (ART), and Type-1 diabetes cellular therapy. Currently he is focusing on 1) new human iPSC lines and their differentiation towards cardiac, neural, beta-cells and other cell types, including 3D, 2) effect of epigenetic changes in early development (during ART) on adult diseases, co-morbidities and longevity. In 20 years he supervised 17 PhDs and 30 post-docs. He is advocating academia-industry crosstalk as board member of the Hungarian Biotechnology Association and the Hungarian Innovation Society. For his pioneering and entrepreneurial work on genetic reprogramming technology, he has received the highest innovation award (“Denis Gabor Award”) in Hungary in 2013.