Máté Hidvégi
Encyclopedia
Mate Hidvegi is a Hungarian biochemist and co-inventor of Avemar, a fermented wheat germ extract
based nutraceutical.
Hidvegi was the pioneer in the development of technologies of mass-production and therapeutic use of instantized herbal extracts in Hungary. Between 1988-1990 Hidvegi was Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Grain Research Laboratory of the Canadian Grain Commission
, Winnipeg
, Canada
.
Returning to Hungary in 1990, Hidvegi started to work for enterprises in the natural medicine industry. He worked on an anti-cholesterol
pill, Esterin, which was soon patented and marketed worldwide. Also during these years, he assisted in the development various products (such as butter substitutes, weight-loss products, a line of herbal medicines, and partly, a nasal flu vaccine) for the health and food industry.
In 1996 Hidvegi was co-founder of Biromedicina (joint stock company), what is now called The First Hungarian Corporation for Cancer Research and Oncology. The company’s mission was to market Hidvegi's product Avemar, a fermented wheat germ extract
-based nutraceutical which is being investigated for anticancer and antimetastatic properties.
Hidvegi holds a PhD and a Dr. Habil in chemistry, and an honorary professorship at the Jewish University, Budapest. For his works he received the Gold Medal of the President of Hungary (2000), the Scheiber Prize of the Ministry of Culture and Education of Hungary (2001), the Leopold Loew Medal of the Szeged Jewish Community (2005), the NutrAward in the USA (2006), and the Jedlik Prize of the Hungarian Patent Office (2007).
-based nutraceutical known as Avemar. In the U.S., Avemar is classified as a dietary supplement and marketed under the trade name Ave (American BioSciences, Inc.; Blauvelt, NY). In Hungary Avemar as a dietary food for cancer patients.
(Roman Catholic bishop of Alba Julia, Transylvania
, which has been officially included into the canonization files of Aron Marton by the Vatican) and the book The Lord by Romano Guardini, translated by Aron Marton with an introduction by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (the present Pope). Hidvegi was also the editor of the official memorial volume of Blessed Sara Salkahazi, the Catholic nun who saved Jews during the Holocaust in Hungary, and were therefore killed by the Nazis in 1944. He wrote several authoritative essays about the Holy Sepulchre Basilica in Jerusalem, and the Medici Chapel
in Florence. Hidvegi is a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre Jerusalem, Vatican and received The Alexander Scheiber Prize of the Minister of Culture and Education, Hungary in 2001.
Fermented wheat germ extract
Fermented wheat germ extract , also called fermented wheat germ powder , is a concentrated extract of wheat germ derived from the germ of the wheat plant...
based nutraceutical.
Life
Hidvegi was born in Budapest, Hungary, on November 9, 1955. He studied, then taught at what is now Budapest University of Technology and Economics. After finishing university, he worked in the cereal industry and was co-developer of a patented feed advisory system based on near infrared ingredient data.Hidvegi was the pioneer in the development of technologies of mass-production and therapeutic use of instantized herbal extracts in Hungary. Between 1988-1990 Hidvegi was Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Grain Research Laboratory of the Canadian Grain Commission
Canadian Grain Commission
The Canadian Grain Commission, also known as the CGC, is a Canadian government department responsible for regulation of the grain handling industry.The Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food is responsible for the Canadian Grain Commission....
, Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Returning to Hungary in 1990, Hidvegi started to work for enterprises in the natural medicine industry. He worked on an anti-cholesterol
Anti-cholesterol
Anti-cholesterol is a naturally occurring antibody to cholesterol produced by mammals. It is believed that this antibody serves a ‘housekeeping’ or protective role for the host animal, helping to protect the animal from harmful forms of cholesterol such as LDL and VLDL.-Modes of Action:An...
pill, Esterin, which was soon patented and marketed worldwide. Also during these years, he assisted in the development various products (such as butter substitutes, weight-loss products, a line of herbal medicines, and partly, a nasal flu vaccine) for the health and food industry.
In 1996 Hidvegi was co-founder of Biromedicina (joint stock company), what is now called The First Hungarian Corporation for Cancer Research and Oncology. The company’s mission was to market Hidvegi's product Avemar, a fermented wheat germ extract
Fermented wheat germ extract
Fermented wheat germ extract , also called fermented wheat germ powder , is a concentrated extract of wheat germ derived from the germ of the wheat plant...
-based nutraceutical which is being investigated for anticancer and antimetastatic properties.
Hidvegi holds a PhD and a Dr. Habil in chemistry, and an honorary professorship at the Jewish University, Budapest. For his works he received the Gold Medal of the President of Hungary (2000), the Scheiber Prize of the Ministry of Culture and Education of Hungary (2001), the Leopold Loew Medal of the Szeged Jewish Community (2005), the NutrAward in the USA (2006), and the Jedlik Prize of the Hungarian Patent Office (2007).
Early academic life
Hidvegi's first publications were about the theories of the origins of life, and the elaboration of a plausible mechanism for the biogenesis and evolution of biomembranes. He worked out the metabolic map as well as the reaction kinetics of a theoretical first living cell.Development of Esterin
Hidvegi invented and hold the patent for the manufacturing process of an alfalfa-based extract (Esterin), which has been claimed to lower serum cholesterol levels (U.S patent 5,277,910 January 11, 1994).Development of fermented wheat germ extract (Avemar/Ave)
Hidvegi is the co-inventor of a patented fermented wheat germ extractFermented wheat germ extract
Fermented wheat germ extract , also called fermented wheat germ powder , is a concentrated extract of wheat germ derived from the germ of the wheat plant...
-based nutraceutical known as Avemar. In the U.S., Avemar is classified as a dietary supplement and marketed under the trade name Ave (American BioSciences, Inc.; Blauvelt, NY). In Hungary Avemar as a dietary food for cancer patients.
Works on cultural history
Hidvegi's works on cultural history covers a wide spectrum. Hidvegi wrote the biographies of Rabbis Moshe Teitelbaum, Leopold Loew, Immanuel Loew, Adolf Loewinger, Alexander Scheiber, and the Bauhaus typographer Tibor Szanto. Hidvegi was the editor of the biography of Áron MártonÁron Márton
Áron Márton was the bishop of the Roman Catholic Church in Transylvania during World War II and the communist dictatorship in Romania.-Early life:...
(Roman Catholic bishop of Alba Julia, Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
, which has been officially included into the canonization files of Aron Marton by the Vatican) and the book The Lord by Romano Guardini, translated by Aron Marton with an introduction by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (the present Pope). Hidvegi was also the editor of the official memorial volume of Blessed Sara Salkahazi, the Catholic nun who saved Jews during the Holocaust in Hungary, and were therefore killed by the Nazis in 1944. He wrote several authoritative essays about the Holy Sepulchre Basilica in Jerusalem, and the Medici Chapel
Medici Chapel
The Medici Chapels is a structure in the Basilica of San Lorenzo, Florence, Italy. It comprises two structures added to Brunelleschi's original design, each intended to celebrate the power of the Medici as Grand Dukes of Tuscany. One is the Sagrestia Nuova, the "New Sacristy", designed by...
in Florence. Hidvegi is a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre Jerusalem, Vatican and received The Alexander Scheiber Prize of the Minister of Culture and Education, Hungary in 2001.
Publications
- Bekes F, Hidvegi M, Zsigmond A, Lasztity R: A novel mathematical model for determining in vitro biological value of proteins and its application for non-linear optimization of the nutritional quality of feed and food formulas. In: Progress in Cereal Science and Technology Vol. 5B, J. Holas and J. Kratochvil, Eds., Elsevier Publ., Amsterdam, 1983. pp. 1213–1218.
- Mercer LP, Haijazi H, Hidvegi M: Weanling rats display bioperiodicity of growth and food intake rates. J Nutrition 123: 1356-1362, 1993.
- Lasztity R, Hidvegi M, Bata A: Saponins in food. Food Rev Int 14: 371-390, 1998.
- Tomoskozi-Farkas R, Hidvegi M, Lasztity R: Investigation of methoxy-substituted benzoquinone derivatives in tree samples grown in Hungary. Acta Biol Hung 49: 79-87, 1998.
- Hidvegi M, Raso E, Tomoskozi-Farkas R, Paku S, Lapis K, Szende B: The effect of Avemar and Avemar + vitamin C on tumor growth and metastasis in experimental animals. Anticancer Res 18: 2353-2358, 1998.
- Hidvegi M, Raso E, Tomoskozi-Farkas R, Lapis K, Szende B: Effect of MSC on the immune response of mice. Immunopharmacology 41: 183-186, 1999.
- Hidvegi M, Raso E, Tomoskozi-Farkas R, Szende B, Paku S, Prónai L, Bocsi J, Lapis K: MSC, a new benzoquinone-containing natural product with antimetastatic effect. Cancer Biother Radiopharm 14: 277-289, 1999.
- Jakab F, Mayer A, Hoffmann A, Hidvegi M: First clinical data of a natural immunomodulator in colorectal cancer. Hepatogastroenterology 47: 393-395, 2000.
- Boros LG, Lee W-NP, Hidvegi M, Go VLW: Metabolic effects of fermented wheat germ extract with anti-tumor properties in cultured MIA pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells. Pancreas 21: 434, 2000.
- Boros L. G, Lapis K, Szende B, Tomoskozi-Farkas R, Balogh A, Boren J, Marin S, Cascante M, Hidvegi M: Wheat germ extract decreases glucose uptake and RNA ribose formation but increases fatty acid synthesis in MIA pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells. Pancreas 23: 141-147, 2001.
- Zalatnai A, Lapis K, Szende B, Raso E, Telekes A, Resetar A, Hidvegi M: Wheat germ extract inhibits experimental colon carcinogenesis in F-344 rats. Carcinogenesis 22: 1649-1652, 2001.
- Ehrenfeld M, Blank M, Shoenfeld Y, Hidvegi M: Avemar (a new benzoquinone-containing natural product) administration interferes with the Th2 response in experimental SLE and promotes amelioration of the disease. Lupus 10: 622-627, 2001.
- Fajka-Boja R, Hidvegi M, Shoenfeld Y, Ion G, Demydenko D, Tomoskozi-Farkas R, Vizler Cs, Telekes A, Resetar A, Monostori E: Fermented wheat germ extract induces apoptosis and downregulation of major histocompatibility complex class I proteins in tumor T and B cell lines. Int J Oncol 20: 563-570, 2002.
- Jakab F, Shoenfeld Y, Balogh A, Nichelatti M, Hoffmann A, Kahan Zs, Lapis K, Mayer A, Sapy P, Szentpetery F, Telekes A, Thurzo L, Vagvolgyi A, Hidvegi M: A medical nutriment has supportive value in the treatment of colorectal cancer. Br J Cancer 89: 465-469, 2003.
- Garami M, Schuler D, Babosa M, Borgulya G, Hauser P, Müller J, Paksy A, Szabó E, Hidvegi M, Fekete Gy: Fermented wheat germ extract reduces chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia in pediatric cancer patients. J Pediatric Hematol Oncol 10: 631-635, 2004.
- Stipkovits L, Lapis K, Hidvegi M, Kosa E, Glavits R, Resetar A: Testing the efficacy of fermented wheat germ extract against Mycoplasma gallisepticum infection of chicken. Poultry Sci 11: 1844-1848, 2004.
- Balint G, Apathy A, Gaal M, Telekes A, Resetar A, Blazso G, Falkay G, Szende B, Paksy A, Ehrenfeld M, Shoenfeld Y, Hidvegi M: Effect of Avemar - a fermented wheat germ extract - on rheumatoid arthritis. Preliminary data. Clin Exp Rheumatol 24: 325-328, 2006.
- Telekes A, Resetar A, Balint G, Blazso G, Falkay G, Lapis K, Raso E, Szende B, Ehrenfeld M, Shoenfeld Y, Hidvegi M. Fermented wheat germ extract (Avemar) inhibits adjuvant arthritis. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1110: 348-361, 2007.
- Saiko P, Ozsvar-Kozma M, Graser G, Lackner A, Grusch M, Madlener S, Krupitza G, Jaeger W, Hidvegi M, Agarwal RP, Fritzer-Szekeres M, Szekeres T: Avemar, a nontoxic fermented wheat germ extract, attenuates the growth of sensitive and 5-FdUrd/Ara-C cross-resistant H9 human lymphoma cells through induction of apoptosis. Oncol Rep 21: 787-791, 2009.
- Lasztity R, Hidvegi M (eds): Amino acid composition and biological value of cereal proteins. D. Reidel Publ Co., Boston, 1985.