HUN-REN Biological Research Centre, Szeged 
Jul 23, 2026 | News
Researchers studying extracellular vesicles at the HUN-REN Biological Research Centre, Szeged (HUN-REN BRC Szeged) are participating in the international Challenge Programme launched by the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The programme investigates the role of tiny vesicles released by pathogenic fungi during invasive infections. On behalf of HUN-REN BRC Szeged, Krisztina Buzás’s research group will contribute primarily through the analysis and interpretation of large-scale molecular datasets. The six-year consortium is led by Attila Gácser, professor at the University of Szeged.
Extracellular vesicles, or EVs, are small particles that transport proteins, lipids and nucleic acids and play an important role in communication between cells. However, much less is known about EVs released by fungi. It remains unclear how they influence the immune system and what role they play in the development of invasive infections.
Supported by nearly €6.8 million from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the CLEVER project aims to create the first comprehensive fungal EV atlas. The project is led by Attila Gácser, head of the Institute of Biology at the University of Szeged, who has studied fungi for more than 30 years and is strongly committed to encouraging young people to pursue careers in the natural sciences. The researchers will investigate vesicles produced by fungi belonging to the Candida, Aspergillus and Cryptococcus genera, while also working to standardise the methods used for their isolation and analysis.
Krisztina Buzás, head of the Department of Immunology at the University of Szeged and a researcher at HUN-REN BRC, will play a key role in the project’s EV-related research activities in Szeged. From the HUN-REN BRC Szeged EV research group, Mátyás Bukva, Tímea Böröczky, Gabriella Dobra, Ágnes Czibula, Emma Balog and Judit Danis will also take part in the work. The group will primarily contribute to the processing, comparison and interpretation of large volumes of molecular data generated from different fungal species and experimental systems.
The collaboration also brings together researchers from Semmelweis University, Aarhus University, the Fiocruz Carlos Chagas Institute in Brazil, ELI ALPS and research institutions in the United States. Participants include Edit Buzás, Lars Østergaard, Peter Nejsum, Karen Lausch, Marcio Lourenço Rodrigues and Norbert Pardi.
The project’s Scientific Advisory Board is chaired by Nobel Prize-winning researcher Katalin Karikó, professor at the University of Szeged. The board also includes Arturo Casadevall, Carlos Morel and Katrien Lagrou.
The programme combines Szeged’s internationally recognised expertise in fungal research and extracellular vesicle biology. Its aim is to uncover how pathogenic fungi communicate with the human body and to determine how these still poorly understood processes could eventually contribute to more accurate diagnosis and improved treatment of fungal infections.