Csaba Szabó - Curriculum Vitae#

Chair, Section of Pharmacology, University of Fribourg
Director, Department of Oncology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Fribourg

Professor Szabo is an internationally recognized expert in the fields of oxidative and nitrosative stress, gaseous transmitters, cell death, cell dysfunction, cardiovascular, and inflammatory mechanisms. In the mid 90's he has pioneered the concept that identified the pathogenetic role of the nuclear enzyme PARP in promoting cell necrosis, and demonstrated its pathophysiological role in critical illness, cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases. His work in this area led to novel drug candidates that have progressed into clinical trials. For the last decade, much of his work focused on the biology of the novel endogenous gaseous mediator hydrogen sulfide (H2S); he discovered multiple novel roles of H2S in circulatory shock, reperfusion injury, angiogenesis, cancer and Down syndrome. This work has led to the identification of several novel therapeutic concepts based either on H2S donation or H2S biosynthesis inhibition. In addition, he has recently pioneered a new field on the biological regulatory roles of cyanide in mammalian cells and tissues.

Originally trained as a M.D/Ph.D. in Budapest, Hungary, he conducted a postdoctoral fellowship with Nobel Laureate Sir John Vane at the William Harvey Research Institute in London, England in the early 90’s. Between 1994 and 2018, as a professor of Pharmacology, Experimental Surgery and Anesthesiology, he has founded and directed several academic and biotechnology research groups in the USA in Ohio, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Washington and Texas.

In 2018 he returned to Europe, where he serves as the Chair of the Section of Pharmacology and the Director of the Oncology, Microbiology and Immunology Department at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. He leads a research group that investigates the biological roles of PARP and H2S in health and disease, through employing the combined approaches of pharmacology, physiology, pathophysiology, cell biology, molecular biology, medicinal chemistry and translational science.

Over his career, he has also acted as Chief Scientific Officer of several biotech companies in the areas of nitric oxide, hydrogen sulfide, poly(ADP)ribose polymerase and their applications for the experimental therapy of various diseases ranging from critical illness to cancer. These activities resulted in several clinical-stage drugs and culminated in IPOs and/or high value transactions, including the sale of Ikaria Inc. in a 2.3 billion dollar transaction in 2015.

With a H-index of 150 and over 90,000 literature citations, he has been in the top 10 most cited pharmacologists in the world for the last decade. He was recently listed as one of the top 400 most influential biomedical scientists in the word.

Professor Szabo has received numerous awards, including the Novartis Award of the British Pharmacological Society, the Dennis Gabor Innovation Award, the Texas Star Award, the Pharmacia-ASPET Award for Experimental Therapeutics and the John Vane Medal. He serves on the Editorial Board of numerous leading journals, including the British Journal of Pharmacology, Pharmacological Research, Nitric Oxide, and Molecular Medicine. He is an Elected Fellow of the British Pharmacological Society and an Elected Member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation.