Gábor Vajta (born 25 August 1952) is a

medical doctor A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the ...

, human

pathologist Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in t ...

and mammalian

embryologist Embryology (from Greek ἔμβρυον, ''embryon'', "the unborn, embryo"; and -λογία, ''-logia'') is the branch of animal biology that studies the prenatal development of gametes (sex cells), fertilization, and development of embryos and ...

living in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. Vajta was an Honorary Professor of the BGI College, Shenzhen, China, and Adjuct Professor of the

Central Queensland University Central Queensland University (alternatively known as CQUniversity) is an Australian public university based in central Queensland. CQUniversity is the only Australian university with a campus presence in every mainland state. Its main campus ...

, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia. After an early career (university lecturer, PhD) in human pathology he turned to embryology in 1989 and obtained a Doctor of Science degree in Domestic Animal Embryology at the

Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University ( da, Kongelige Veterinær- og Landbohøjskole, abbr. KVL) was a veterinary medicine, veterinary and agricultural science university in Denmark. It was founded in 1856 and operated until 2007, when ...

in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1999. During the past 25 years he has co-developed several patents relating to embryology, most notably the method of Handmade Cloning (HMC), the Submarine Incubation System (SIS), the Open Pulled Straw (OPS) vitrification and the Well of the Well (WOW) system. Currently Professor Vajta is director of a consulting company providing services in human and domestic animal embryology all over the world, and founder and Chief Scientific Officer of VitaVitro Biotech Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, China.

Research

Gábor Vajta’s contribution in embryology includes authorship in 152 publications (PubMed), more than 16,000 citations with h-idex 66. He was author or co-editor of five books and theses, and reviewer of journals including

Human Reproduction Human reproduction is sexual reproduction that results in human fertilization to produce a human offspring. It typically involves sexual intercourse between a sexually mature human male and female. During sexual intercourse, the interaction b ...

; Reproductive Biomedicine Online;

Reproduction Reproduction (or procreation or breeding) is the biological process by which new individual organisms – " offspring" – are produced from their "parent" or parents. Reproduction is a fundamental feature of all known life; each individual o ...

;

Biology of Reproduction ''Biology of Reproduction'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal and the official journal of the Society for the Study of Reproduction. It is published with the assistance of Oxford University Press. According to the ''Journal Citation Reports'', ...

, Cryobiology; Reproduction, Nutrition, Development; Reproduction, Fertility and Development; Theriogenology; Animal Reproduction Science; Reproduction in Domestic Animals; and Cellular Reprogramming.

Handmade cloning

Gábor Vajta had a substantial contribution in the development of handmade cloning (HMC). HMC is a radical technical modification of

Somatic cell nuclear transfer In genetics and developmental biology, somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is a laboratory strategy for creating a viable embryo from a body cell and an egg cell. The technique consists of taking an enucleated oocyte (egg cell) and implanting a ...

of the original mammalian nuclear transfer technology established by Willadsen and applied for somatic cells by Wilmut and Campbell. The technique does not require micromanipulators only a simple stereomicroscope and an inexpensive fusion machine. All work is done by hand, with simple handheld tools (blade and micropipette). The first cloned animals in Africa and Scandinavia were both produced by HMC.

Transgenic A transgene is a gene that has been transferred naturally, or by any of a number of genetic engineering techniques, from one organism to another. The introduction of a transgene, in a process known as transgenesis, has the potential to change the ...

pigs as models for various human diseases were produced with putative genes responsible for

Parkinson's Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms become ...

and Alzheimer's disease,

Psoriasis Psoriasis is a long-lasting, noncontagious autoimmune disease characterized by raised areas of abnormal skin. These areas are red, pink, or purple, dry, itchy, and scaly. Psoriasis varies in severity from small, localized patches to complet ...

Arteriosclerosis Arteriosclerosis is the thickening, hardening, and loss of elasticity of the walls of arteries. This process gradually restricts the blood flow to one's organs and tissues and can lead to severe health risks brought on by atherosclerosis, which ...

and

Diabetes mellitus Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level (hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

. The technology promises a new possibility for automation of the somatic cell nuclear transfer procedure. The birth of the first transgenic piglets containing the Alzheimer gene (29 October 2006) was rewarded as the Most important Scientific Achievement in Denmark in 2007.

Open pulled straw vitrification

The Open pulled straw (OPS), invented by Gábor Vajta is the first purpose-developed tool for mammalian embryo and

oocyte An oocyte (, ), oöcyte, or ovocyte is a female gametocyte or germ cell involved in reproduction. In other words, it is an immature ovum, or egg cell. An oocyte is produced in a female fetus in the ovary during female gametogenesis. The femal ...

vitrification that has resulted in many breakthroughs in human and animal

cryobiology Cryobiology is the branch of biology that studies the effects of low temperatures on living things within Earth's cryosphere or in science. The word cryobiology is derived from the Greek words κρῧος ryos "cold", βίος ios "life", and λ� ...

including the first baby born after vitrification of human oocytes, and the first cloned mammal born after cryopreservation of the reconstructed embryo. OPS is also regarded as the most appropriate carrier tool for vitrification of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs).

References

External links

* Website of Gábor Vajt

* Publications of Gábor Vajta listed by PubMe

* Handmade Cloning websit

* Open Pulled Straw websit

Report on ABC: the birth of the first HMC offspring in Queensland
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vajta, Gabor 1952 births Living people Embryologists People from Vác