RareBoost Seminar – Prof. Devrim Gözüaçık ‘Discovery of molecular regulators of autophagy and implications for rare diseases, neurodegeneration and cancer’
On April 25th at 11:00 am, Prof. Devrim Gözüaçık will give a seminar titled “Discovery of molecular regulators of autophagy and implications for rare diseases, neurodegeneration and cancer” at IBG Aziz Sancar Auditorium.
Prof. Gözüaçık, MD, PhD, is a leading researcher in autophagy and cancer biology. He received his medical degree from Hacettepe University, followed by PHD degree in Pasteur Institute, Paris and postdoctoral research at the Weizmann Institute, Israel.
After 14 years at Sabancı University, Prof. Gözüaçık currently serves as a Research Professor at Koç University School of Medicine and Senior Researcher at KUTTAM, where his work bridges basic science and translational medicine. With over 100 publications and multiple prestigious awards, he is internationally recognized for his contributions to the understanding of autophagy in human disease.
You may join the seminar in person at IBG, or you may register here to join online.
We welcome your participation in Prof. Gözüaçık’s seminar.
Seminar Abstract
Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved cellular process that is active in all eukaryotic cells. It plays a critical role in maintaining cellular homeostasis by degrading and recycling damaged organelles and protein aggregates. The process is activated in response to various stressors, including nutrient deprivation, hypoxia, and oxidative stress, highlighting its importance in cellular adaptation and survival. Dysregulation of autophagy has been implicated in a wide range of human diseases, including rare genetic disorders, neurodegenerative conditions, and cancer. In our laboratory, we focus on signaling events regulating mammalian autophagy. In order to discover new proteins, RNAs and factors regulating the autophagy pathway, unbiased functional screens using cells and patient-derived tissues were performed. Several novel players in autophagy regulation and coordination were found and studied in detail. Their molecular mechanisms of action were unraveled and their abnormalities in diseases were studied. Moreover, in collaboration with scientists and engineers from different fields of expertise, original and innovative diagnosis and treatment approaches were developed and patented. Examples of our scientific activities and adventures during the past 19 years as a research laboratory situated in Turkey, will be presented.