István Raskó

Budapest, 29 October 1939
Physician

Director of the Institute of Genetics of the HAS („MTA”): 1994 – 2009

István Raskó graduated from Szeged Medical University in general medicine in 1965. Later, he took specialist examinations in laboratory medicine and in human genetics. He obtained the PhD of Biological Sciences and PhD of Medicine degrees (in 1981 and 1998, respectively). He began his career as a Teaching Assistant (1965-1968) and, later, as an Assistant Lecturer (1968-1970) in the Institute of Microbiology of Szeged Medical University. He worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Institute of Cancer Research of Denver University (1971-1972). From the year 1970, he was a Scientific Research Fellow, then became a Senior Research Fellow and, finally, a Scientific Advisor of the Institute of Genetics of the Szeged Biological Research Centre of the HAS („MTA”). He worked as a visiting researcher at Cambridge University, England (1989-1990) and as a visiting professor at Ulster University (1999-2008). Dr. Raskó was the Deputy Director (1981-1983) and, later, became the Director (1994) of the Institute of Genetics of the Szeged Biological Research Centre of the HAS („MTA”). Since the year 2005, he has been an Honorary Professor of Szeged University.

His specialist areas are mammalian cell genetics and human genetics. He and his fellow researchers were the first in the world to create a hybrid of animal and plant cells. He identified a relationship between the differentiation and the DNA repair capabilities of animal cells. In Hungary, he was the first to introduce the molecular genetics diagnosis of two mono-gene diseases. Also, he was the first to carry out an archaeogenetics population examination of bone finds excavated in Hungary, from the era of Hungary’s conquest in early medieval times. He participates in the work of several bodies and committees dealing with genetics. Among others, he is a member of the Clinical Genetics Unit of the Ministry of Healthcare and the Gene Technology Procedures Evaluation Committee.

His work has been recognised with the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary, Medium Cross (“Magyar Köztársasági Érdemrend Középkeresztje”) (2000) and an Academy Prize (2002).