TÜBİTAK and TÜSEB

Hello, I am Associate Professor Nagehan ERSOY TUNALI. I am a faculty member in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Istanbul Medeniyet University. My primary research areas are neurodegeneration and cancer. I have research projects supported by TÜBİTAK (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey) and TÜSEB (Turkish Institutes of Health). In my TÜBİTAK 1001 project, we are aiming to develop a new treatment strategy for Alzheimer's disease. As a part of this project, we are synthesizing medicine-loaded nano particles and planning to administer them through the bloodstream, allowing them to cross the blood-brain barrier and reach the brain. Once in the brain, these particles will release molecules and positively impact Alzheimer's pathology, thereby aiming to treat the disease. As we all know, neurodegenerative diseases have been increasing in prevalence in recent years. Therefore, finding a new treatment strategy for Alzheimer's disease will likely provide a solution for other neurodegenerative diseases as well. On the other hand, my research in the field of cancer is supported by TÜSEB. In my TÜSEB project, we specifically focus on drug resistance in prostate cancer using cell and animal models. There are currently highly effective and efficient drugs available for cancer treatment. However, when patients use these drugs for a long period, drug resistance inevitably develops. As a result, patients eventually become unresponsive to these drugs and cannot benefit from further treatment. Therefore, we are developing new treatment strategies to reverse drug resistance in models of prostate cancer. Particularly, we are focusing on finding molecular strategies that can reverse the resistance to a drug called Enzalutamide in prostate cancer cells. These projects are conducted in the central laboratory of Istanbul Medeniyet University, at BILTAM (Science and Advanced Technology Application and Research Center). We also welcome graduate students who are interested in conducting research in these fields to join the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Istanbul Medeniyet University and the BILTAM laboratories.