Featured Lendület Researcher: Csaba Bödör

Tumours, including tumours of the haematopoietic organs, continue to kill many people, so research into them, whether exploratory research or knowledge that can be used in treatment, is a priority. Csaba Bödör, Professor and Deputy Director of the Institute of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research at Semmelweis University, and Head of the Molecular Oncohematology Momentum Research Group, has been investigating haematological tumours for more than a decade. The work of the research group is being continued with the help of the Momentum grant, and their results are likely to have immediate applications in patient care.

2025. január 13.

Csaba Bödör’s research group has long been investigating tumours of the haematopoietic system, that is, haematological tumours, or oncohematological pathologies. Their first Momentum grant, from 2005-2010, also dealt with this group of diseases, but the main objective of the new (advanced) grant is still novel compared to their previous studies.

Focus on the genomic background of the diseases

“We will also investigate multiple myeloma, one of the most common haematological tumours which we have not dealt with before,” says Bödör, “and we will also use what’s called a multiomics approach, which will include the use of transcriptomic tools. The new technologies and approach will allow us to investigate the genomic background of these pathologies with much higher resolution than before, while also taking into account non-coding regions of the genome.”

Csaba Bödör

Transcriptomics is the study of what is known as the transcriptome, that is, the set of all expressed RNA molecules in an organism. As the leader of the Momentum research group explains, this approach not only allows them to observe static genetic variations in tumours, but also to account for temporal and spatial variations in gene expression and heterogeneity. “It is a well-known phenomenon that if you sample tumours from multiple sites, the genetic or expression profile of the cells in those sites will not be the same,” he continues. “This may play a role in the design of targeted therapies, the development of resistance and disease monitoring.”

The research group plans to systematically use liquid biopsy procedures for a variety of haematological cancers, such as B-cell lymphomas and myeloma; in this regard, preliminary results are already available. For example, in one of the most common B-cell lymphomas, follicular lymphoma, it has been proven in hundreds of patients that genetic abnormalities can be successfully detected in blood plasma, which can later be targeted therapeutically. In addition, this procedure can be used to test for “genetic constellations” that may indicate the efficacy of the therapy being applied.

New scientific results and therapeutic possibilities

“We want to develop a method of unprecedented sensitivity that

will allow us to monitor very well how effective the therapy is and what can be expected in terms of the longer-term outcome for the patient.

For example, whether we can expect a relapse of the disease or a longer disease-free period,” says Bödör. “In this respect, we still have little data on myeloma and need to investigate the clinical feasibility of this objective.”

The research group has been studying follicular lymphoma for a long time. So far, they have investigated the genetic background of the disease: the efficacy of therapy and the genetic variations that lead to expected resistance, while demonstrating that liquid biopsy may be suitable for these purposes. In the meantime, they have developed nationwide programmes in which research has been carried out involving 10-15 haematology centres. They now intend to expand this and establish an international haematology research network, in collaboration with academic and industrial partners. Previous experience shows their results will be applied relatively quickly in patient care. “Some of the genes and abnormalities investigated in our first Momentum programme are now biomarkers used in clinical diagnostics and are part of the genetic testing available to haematology patients in Hungary,” says the team leader.

During the years of the Momentum programme, the research group will use a number of next-generation sequencing methods, as well as spatial transcriptomic surveys and optical genome mapping. Artificial intelligence-based methods will also be used to identify new therapeutic targets and signalling networks in haematopoietic tumours. “Our goal is to be able to estimate risk more accurately, better identify therapeutic targets and implement high-sensitivity monitoring in everyday clinical practice.”

The researcher says that although they are developing diagnostic procedures alongside basic research, their findings could have clear therapeutic implications. They are looking for biomarkers that can be used to predict the appropriate therapy and the expected and real success of treatment. Meanwhile, their studies also have a strong basic research component, as they are mapping the genetic and gene expression variations in haematological tumours, with the aim of understanding how they change and how different treatments induce changes in these processes.

“In our basic research studies, we also focus on what we can translate from our findings into everyday practice,”

says Bödör. “Our results influence how to continue the treatment of a patient, whether it can be stopped or which agent is worth continuing.”

Haematological tumours include roughly one hundred diseases, which can be further subdivided into several subtypes based on their genetic profile. Therefore, according to the researcher, a lot of research is still needed to understand how to ensure the best possible outcome of most haematological diseases. A proportion of patients respond well to the classic chemotherapy and radiotherapy approaches, but the remainder need to be treated with new methods (and, depending on the type of disease, they may account for more than half of patients). Research such as that of the team is constantly expanding the repertoire of diagnostic and therapeutic tools available to treating physicians.