Imre Lengyel

Imre Lengyel is a Professor at the Wellcome Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Queen's University Belfast. His research focuses on translational medicine in the eye, particularly age-related macular degeneration (AMD), Alzheimer's disease, Multiple Sclerosis, and Down Syndrome. He investigates how dietary factors, especially trace elements like zinc, influence disease progression. Lengyel leads interdisciplinary projects such as the EU-funded Eye-Risk consortium and the Deep and Frequent Phenotyping Study for Alzheimer's, aiming to bridge clinical pathways and health policy. His work emphasizes biomarker discovery, imaging advancements, and data science applications in diagnostics.

Teaching roles include organizing the Advanced Neuroscience Course on 'The eye as a window to the brain,' coordinating the MSc in Experimental Medicine module on Fundamental Research Skills, and supervising student-selected components on medical imaging.

Research highlights include developing CACTUS (a classification tool for AMD), international tear fluid biomarker guidelines, and studies on retinal vascular changes in Down Syndrome as Alzheimer's biomarkers. He has received awards for team research and contributions to Alzheimer's studies. Key collaborations span academia and industry, including big pharma and SMEs, with active roles in datasets (e.g., zinc supplementation effects on RPE) and global networks like Dementias Platform UK.

Recent activities include keynote talks at international conferences, media engagement (e.g., BBC and science festivals), and editorial roles. Ongoing projects explore calcification mechanisms, AI-driven diagnostics, and hydroxyapatite-binding proteins in AMD.