Dr Takátsy Gyula

Dr. Gyula Takátsy  (1914-1980)


Medical doctor, microbiologist, inventor.

He graduated in 1938 from the University of Medicine, Pécs, and started his medical career at the Institute of Public Health there. From 1942 until his early death in 1980, he worked at the National Institute of Public Health, Budapest.

To respond to the shortage in laboratory supplies and a severe influenza outbreak in the early 50s in Hungary, Dr. Takácsy developed several excellent innovative lab supplies and techniques much ahead of his age. Describing his technical innovation, the spiral loop instead of pipette and glass-plates with wells instead of tubes, he used the term micromethods published in Hungarian in 1952 and in 1955 in English. He was the first to have the notion to apply calibrated spiral wire loops for multiple simultaneous serial dilutions in plastic multiwell strips.

.". .very small volumes of blood taken from the fingertip or from laboratory animals can be taken up and diluted for quantitative work. The technique has been found particularly useful in virus research, since it is not negligible how much has to be used from costly immune sera and antigens."
His paper focused on the use of spiral loops for serial dilutions and the testing methods for haemagglutination and complement fixation, however, the "8x12 grooves" that "can take up to 0.15 ml fluid" could describe the modern microplate.

His masterly technical innovation has been accepted worldwide following the publication of results on its application by American authors in 1962, though without much recognition of his priority later.

In addition to micro-technique Dr. Takátsy had outstanding research achievement covering the variability of antigenic structure and biological properties of influenza virus variants, ecology of influenza virus, pathology and epidemiology of different virus variants, and influenza vaccine production and control, published in his about 50 papers.

As the Head of Influenza Unit (WHO National Influenza Centre) he contributed to the production of 630 000 doses of killed influenza vaccine during the influenza pandemic (Hong Kong) in 1968 in Hungary.

He was the member of Board of the Hungarian Society of Microbiology and favoured by several honours, including Manninger Rezső Medal.

The dedicated scientific work and technical innovation of Dr. Gyula Takátsy will be remembered for the production of the first influenza vaccine in Hungary, and by the scientists in all fields of virology and biology for the invention that could bring a substantial change in diagnostics and research worldwide.


References:

1. Takátsy, Gy: The Use of Spiral Loops in Serological and Virological Micromethods. Acta Microbiologica et Immunologica Hungarica, 3, pp 191-202 (1955)

2. Dömök, I: Acta microbiol. Acad.Sci.Hung 27, 1980

3. Dömök, I: Orvosi Hetilap 121, 37, 1980

4. Magyar Életrajzi Lexikon

(http://mek.oszk.hu)

5. Drecker, S: Not macht erfinderich, Git Labor-fachzeitschrift, 12, 2004,S. 1120-1121

6. Manus, R.L.: Necessity is the mother of invention, Polypops Development Foundation

(www.microplate.org/awards)

7. Az influenza elleni oltóanyag feltalálója, aki forradalmasította a hazai virológiát

(www.mok.hu)

Publications of Dr. Gyula Takátsy

 

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