People – https://sopr.khas.edu.tr

Principal Investigator (PI)

M. Mustafa Çetin

Head of the SOPR LAB

M. Mustafa Çetin

Head of the SOPR LAB

Dr. M. Mustafa Cetin was born in Anamur, Mersin, Turkey in 1982. He received his BSc degree as a high honor student (2005) in Chemistry from Black Sea Technical University (KTU) in Trabzon, Turkey, and ranked second amongst 36 graduates. Dr. Cetin received his MSc degree as a Fulbright Scholar (2008) from State University of New York College at Buffalo (SUNY) in Buffalo, NY, USA. After working as an appointed research adjunct at SUNY between 2009 and 2011, he then moved to Lubbock, Texas for his PhD, and received his PhD from Texas Tech University under the guidance of Professor Michael F Mayer in August 2017. His research during his PhD was mostly focused on [2]rotaxane synthesis, polymer chemistry, catalysis, photo-redox chemistry, anti-cancer agent synthesis, and ionic liquids. Upon obtaining his PhD degree, Dr. Cetin joined the Stoddart Mechanostereochemistry Group as a Postdoctoral Fellow in September 2017, where he worked on the design, creation and characterization of chemical compounds and materials for various end uses including but not limited to molecular electronics, energy harvesting and storage, and separations technology with 2016 Nobel Laureate Professor Sir J Fraser Stoddart at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, USA. Between September 2019 and May 2020, he received training on Intellectual Property and Patents and worked as a Technical Specialist at Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox Law Firm in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. After returning to Northwestern University, Dr. Çetin joined Kadir Has University, first as a Visiting Professor in June 2020, and then as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry after January 2021. Since the beginning of 2021, Dr. M. Mustafa Çetin has been working as the full faculty member, and is also the Head of Molecular Biology and Genetics Department, Coordinator of Materials Science and Nanotechnology Graduate Program, and the Principal Investigator and Group Leader of the Synthetic Organic and Polymer Research (SOPR) Laboratory at the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences of Kadir Has University, Istanbul, Turkiye.

Phone:+90 212 533 65 32
Email:[email protected]

Group Members

Aylin Meryem Kutlu

Master's Student

Aylin Meryem Kutlu

Master's Student

Aylin graduated from Chemistry Department at Middle East Technical University. After obtaining her Bachelor’s degree, she started a Master’s Program in Materials Sciences and Nanotechnology at Kadir Has University. Between May 2021 and January 2023, she worked as a Regulatory Affairs Specialist at a company and she has also the Chemical Assessment Specialist Certificate. Since December 2022, she has been a member of the SOPR Lab.

Phone:+90 212 533 65 32
Email:[email protected]

Nergiz Çalhan

Master's Student

Nergiz Çalhan

Master's Student

Nergiz grew up in Istanbul, Turkey. She obtained her bachelor’s degree from Bioinformatics and Genetics at Kadir Has University. She obtained her double major degree from Industrial Engineering. She completed undergraduate research projects in biosensor technology for the detection of cortisol level caused by stress. She then joined Asst. Prof. M. Mustafa Cetin’s Synthetic Organic and Polymer Research (SOPR) Group at Kadir Has University as a graduate student in September, 2022. Her current research focuses on design and synthesis of iron catalysts for the reduction of amides.

Phone:+90 212 533 65 32
Email: [email protected]

Sümeyye Berfin Gül

Master's Student

Sümeyye Berfin Gül

Master's Student

Berfin grew up in Istanbul, Turkey. She obtained her bachelor’s degree from Bioinformatics and Genetics at Kadir Has University. She completed undergraduate research projects in detection of cortisol level caused by stress with biosensor technology. She worked with Dr. M. Mustafa Çetin in a review article on biosensors in 2021. After completion of her bachelor degree, she started as a graduate student in Materials Science and Nanotechnology at Kadir Has University. Then, she joined Synthetic Organic and Polymer Research (SOPR) Group of Asst. Prof. M. Mustafa Çetin as a graduate student in September, 2022 at Kadir Has University. Her current research focuses on a Series of 1,10-Phenanthroline and Prodigiosin Derivatives as Highly Potent and Effective New Anticancer Therapeutic Drugs against mTOR and HDAC Enzymes.

Phone:+90 212 533 65 32
Email:[email protected]

Esra Kartal

Undergrad Student Assistant

Esra Kartal

Undergrad Student Assistant

She graduated from Pertevniyal High School in 2018. After graduating, she started studying Bioinformatics and Genetics at Kadir Has University. During her internship, she focused on X-ray crystallography studies at Koç University Structural Biology & Innovative Drug Development Center under the leadership of Hasan Demirci. She worked as a TUBITAK intern researcher at Sabancı University with the team of Canan Atılgan in the project titled Development of a Generalized Computational Methodology for the Design of Genetically Encoded Fluorescent Biosensors. She is currently working as an undergraduate teaching assistant at her university and as an undergraduate laboratory assistant at the chemistry lab.

Phone:+90 212 533 65 32
Email:[email protected]

Cansu Süloğlu

Undergrad Student Intern

Cansu Süloğlu

Undergrad Student Intern

Cansu grew up in Kocaeli, Turkey. She graduated from Kocaeli Bahçeşehir Koleji. She is currently studying Molecular Biology and Genetics at Kadir Has University with a minor in Chemistry.

Phone:+90 212 533 65 32
Email:[email protected]

Tala Al-Rubaye

Undergrad Student Intern

Tala Al-Rubaye

Undergrad Student Intern

Tala grew up in Beirut, Lebanon. In 2013, she moved to Iraq and completed middle school and high school there. After graduating high school, she came to study Molecular Biology and Genetics at Kadir Has University in Istanbul, Turkey.

Phone:+90 212 533 65 32
Email:[email protected]

Vahap Gazi Fidan

Undergrad Student Assistant

Vahap Gazi Fidan

Undergrad Student Assistant

Vahap Gazi Fidan was born in 1998 in Istanbul. He is currently studying as a fourth-year student in the Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics at Kadir Has University in Istanbul, Turkey. Due to his interest in computational biology and bioinformatics, he had the opportunity to work as an Erasmus+ intern at Masaryk University between June and September 2022. During this period, he gained international research experience while collaborating with his supervisors, RNDr. Petr Kulhanek, PhD, and internship consultant Mgr. Ivo Durnik. Currently, Vahap is actively involved in the Akten Research Group, led by Prof. Dr. E. Demet Akten Akdoğan, and also works closely with Asst. Prof. M. Mustafa Çetin, who leads the SOPR Lab (Synthetic Organic and Polymer Research). He is aimed to advancing his knowledge in the field of bioinformatics and genetics, with a particular focus on molecular dynamics simulations, protein structure, dynamics, and function at the molecular level, as well as the protein folding problem.

Phone:+90 212 533 65 32
Email:[email protected]

Eren Sicim

Undergrad Student Intern

Eren Sicim

Undergrad Student Intern

Eren was born in 2003, and grew up in Istanbul. He completed his primary, middle school and high school and was graduated with an IB diploma. After high school, he is currently studying Molecular Biology and Genetics at Kadir Has University in Istanbul, Turkey.

Phone:+90 212 533 65 32
Email:[email protected]

Mine Cengiz Çetin

Technical Specialist

Mine Cengiz Çetin

Technical Specialist

Ms. Mine Cengiz Cetin was born in Kadikoy, Istanbul, Turkey in 1984. She received her BSc degree (2005) in Chemistry with specialization in bioactive natural products, biochemistry, separation methods and biochemical applications from Karadeniz Technical University (KTU) in Trabzon, Turkey. As a chemist, her studies mainly focused on investigation of antioxidant, radical scavenger and antibacterial properties of some endemic plants and characterization and investigation of bioactivities of honey produced in Anzer and Eastern Black Sea Region. She is highly experience in bioanalytical methods and techniques, characterization of small and big molecules as well as in sample preparation, testing and analysis, and in instrumental and analytical techniques including NMR (1D & 2D), HPLC, Mass Spectrometry (MS and GC-MS), IR, UV-Vis, etc. Between 2008 and 2010, she worked at Biocan Tıp (Istanbul, Turkey) as an instructor and sales representative for introduction of medical devices and instruments (Biochemistry Lab and Microbiology Instruments and Devices), and their technical support and training as well as sales of such devices and instruments. After working in this position about 2-2.5 years, she then moved to the U.S. and completed three different English as Second Language program there (Buffalo, NY and Lubbock, TX). After returning to Turkey, Ms. Cengiz Çetin joined Kadir Has University as a Technical Specialist to coordinate undergraduate student labs at the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences since March 2022.

Phone:+90 212 533 65 32
Email:[email protected]

Resmiye Nur Suv

Web Designer, Undergrad Student

Resmiye Nur Suv

Web Designer, Undergrad Student

Resmiye was born in 2002. She graduated from Sakarya Anatolian High School in 2020. After graduating from high school, she came to study Molecular Biology and Genetics at Istanbul Kadir Has University. She is sophomore.

Phone:+90 212 533 65 32
Email:[email protected]

Su Kerestecioğlu

Undergrad Student

Su Kerestecioğlu

Undergrad Student

Su was born in 2002. She graduated from Private Dr. Natuk Birkan Primary and Secondary School. After completing her high school education at Private Ekrem Elginkan High School, she came to study Molecular Biology and Genetics at Kadir Has University. She is a sophomore.

Phone:+90 212 533 65 32
Email:[email protected]

Collaborators

Prof Michael Findlater

Findlater Research Lab at UCMerced

Prof Michael Findlater

Findlater Research Lab at UCMerced

I was raised in a small village just outside of Glasgow, Scotland. After undergraduate studies at The University of Strathclyde, which included a one-year appointment at Merck, I pursued a graduate degree at The University of Texas at Austin under the tutelage of Professor Alan H. Cowley. During my stay in Austin I developed a deep affinity for the many quirks of American and Texan life. Thus, I chose to remain in the US for a post-doctoral appointment, and in the summer of 2008 I moved to The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. My post-doc was carried out in the group of Professor Maurice Brookhart and was focused on the activation of inert C-H bonds using late transition metal catalysts. These experiences have helped to foster my approach to chemistry, which seeks to combine aspects of organic, inorganic, organometallic and materials chemistry research in the development of new catalysts for C-H bond activation and functionalization.

Phone:+90 212 533 65 32
Email:[email protected]

Prof Kemal Yelekçi

Yelekci Research Lab at KHAS

Prof Kemal Yelekçi

Yelekci Research Lab at KHAS

After completing the undergraduate studies in the Department of Chemistry at the Middle East Technical University, Prof Yelekci won a Fulbright scholarship to pursue his doctoral studies in the United States. In 1986, he obtained his Ph.D. in Synthetic Organic Chemistry from Ohio University and then spent two years as a research scientist at Northwestern University (Chicago, USA), focusing on Medicinal Chemistry and Enzymes. Subsequently, Prof Yelekci returned to Turkey and obtained the titles of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor (1989), and Professor (1996). After serving in various positions at Marmara University for over a decade, he joined Kadir Has University in 2001, where he held the administrative roles as Vice Rector, Dean, and Department Chair. His work encompasses education, project management, and research activities. Through projects funded by TÜBİTAK (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey) 1001, 1003, EU 6th and 7th Framework Programs, and ISTKA (Istanbul Development Agency), Prof Yelekci has contributed to fundamental drug research in Turkey. He successfully obtained a 3.8 million euro Marie Curie project (MSCA-ITN) titled "Training in neurodegeneration, therapeutic intervention, and neurorepair," which involved seven countries and concluded in late 2017. In this project, Dr Yelekci and his team focused on the neurotransmitter nitric oxide, known to play a significant role in neurodegeneration (such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases). The level of nitric oxide molecule in the brain is controlled by the neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) enzyme. As age progresses, the increased levels of this enzyme accelerate neurodegeneration. Through the TBAG211T100 project, he prepared the crystal structures of three different nitric oxide synthase isoenzymes (eNOS, iNOS, and nNOS) using molecular dynamics simulation. Particularly for the nNOS enzyme, we obtained selective and highly potential drug candidates. Prof Yelekci and his team have applied for patents for these compounds to the Turkish Patent Institute. Histone deacetylase (HDAC) enzymes belonging to the epigenetic group are another focus of our research. By conducting both experimental and molecular modeling studies in collaboration with his group and other research teams, they have obtained numerous original results in this field. In 2016, Prof Yelekci’s TÜBİTAK 1003 project proposal was ranked among the top 5 projects in this field (contributing to the widespread adoption of molecular modeling and computer-aided drug design studies in Turkey, according to TÜBİTAK's 2015 statistics). Under the project 4085 at the Turkish Academy of Sciences Institutes (TÜSEB), led by Prof. Dr. Kemal Yelekçi, they developed effective and selective new inhibitors against Histone Deacetylases HDAC6 and HDAC10 for cancer treatment using in silico screening and medicinal chemistry approaches (the project was completed in 2022). Additionally, their TÜBİTAK 1001 project with the number 218S549, titled "Computer-Aided Design, Synthesis, Investigation of Apoptotic, Angiogenic, and mPGES-1 Enzyme Inhibitory Effects of Potential Anticancer Heteroaryl Sulfanil Acetamides and Analogs," was completed by the end of 2022. Prof Yelekci is currently involved as a researcher in the project "Development of Nanoparticle-Based Theranostic Agents for Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment" under the auspices of TÜSEB project 4235. The project is ongoing from 2023 to 2026.

Phone:+90 212 533 65 32
Email:[email protected]

Asst Prof Emin Istif

FMB Lab at KHAS

Asst Prof Emin Istif

FMB Lab at KHAS

Dr. Emin Istif obtained his B.S. degree in Chemistry from Eskişehir Osmangazi University in 2012, and his M.Sc degree in Chemistry from Yıldız Technical University in 2014. He received his PhD from University of Zaragoza, Spain in 2018. During his PhD, he worked on conjugated polymer charge-transfer complexes for photoelectrochemical applications. After graduating, Dr. Istif joined George Hadziioannou group in University of Bordeaux to synthesize novel conjugated polymers for implementation in living plants. For his second postdoctoral studies, he joined the Bio-Integrated Microdevices Laboratory in Koç University, where he developed miniaturized food sensors and biosensors. During his research in Koç University, Dr. Istif received best patent prize from Koç University Patent Competition in 2021. In September, 2022 Dr. Istif joined Kadir Has University and establish his own lab. He received two grants (3501 and 1512) from TUBITAK as a coordinator. His research interest focuses on synthesis of polymer materials and their application in bioelectronics. Dr. Istif has published 15 scientific articles in the Q1 journals such as Advanced Materials, Advanced Functional Materials, Nature Communications, ACS Nano etc.

Phone:+90 212 533 65 32
Email:[email protected]

Prof Yehia Mechref

Mechref Research Group at Texas Tech

Prof Yehia Mechref

Mechref Research Group at Texas Tech

Prof. Yehia Mechref is a Paul W. Horn Distinguished Professor in the department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Texas Tech University. He is also the Chairman of the department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Director of the Center for Biotechnology and Genomics. He received a B.Sc. in chemistry from the American University of Beirut (Beirut, Lebanon) and a Ph.D. with an honorable mention from Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, OK, USA). Dr. Mechref is a world-renowned scientist, and nationally and internationally recognized scientific leader in the development of sensitive biomolecular mass spectrometry methods enabling qualitative and quantitative assessments of the roles of proteins, glycoproteins, and glycans in biological systems. He pioneered a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer (LC-MS) system to analyze glycomic samples in conventional proteomic laboratories, eliminating the need for more specialized facilities and making glycomic analysis more accessible to the broader scientific community. His research program has received over $9M in funding from the NIH, CPRIT, and CH Foundation over the past eight years.

Phone:+90 212 533 65 32
Email:[email protected]