Üsküdar Üniversitesi students and faculty members continue to achieve significant successes. İlayda Güvel, a 2nd-year student from the English Department of the Faculty of Medicine, was awarded a scholarship under the TÜBİTAK-STAR Undergraduate scholarship program for her project titled ‘‘The effect of NRF-2 activation in cholesterol-induced in vitro lipid accumulation and in vivo NASH models’’. Prof. Dr. Nesrin Kartal Özer, a faculty member of the Faculty of Medicine, undertook the project's leadership, while Assist. Prof. Dr. Tuğçe Demirel Yalçıner from the Faculty of Medicine was the researcher. İlayda Güvel, who started working on the project, also continues her research.
In the TUBİTAK-COST project numbered 223S770, İlayda Güvel, a 2nd-year student of the English program at the Faculty of Medicine, was awarded a scholarship under the TUBİTAK-STAR Undergraduate scholarship program and started working on the project.
Prof. Dr. Nesrin Kartal Özer, a faculty member of the Faculty of Medicine, undertook the project's leadership, while Assist. Prof. Dr. Tuğçe Demirel Yalçıner from the Faculty of Medicine was the researcher.
“We hope to contribute to the development of new treatment strategies”
İlayda Güvel, a 2nd-year student from the English Department of the Faculty of Medicine, talking about the project's aims; “Our main goal is to discover new ways to alleviate cholesterol-induced liver damage. We aim to investigate the role of transcription factor Nrf-2 in mitigating cholesterol-induced lipid accumulation and Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH). By improving our understanding of these processes, we hope to contribute to the development of new treatment strategies with broad implications for liver diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and other chronic conditions associated with disordered lipid metabolism.” she said.
“Our biggest goal is to offer new perspectives on potential treatments”
Güvel underlined that offering new perspectives on potential treatments through this research is their biggest goal; “The main reason we undertook the project was the critical need to understand the increasing prevalence of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and other cholesterol-induced liver diseases linked to lipid accumulation. NASH, a severe form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), can lead to liver inflammation, cirrhosis, and liver failure. Unfortunately, currently, limited effective treatment options are available. With this research, our biggest goal is to offer new perspectives on potential treatments by uncovering new mechanisms and pathways that cause the progression of liver diseases. With this research, we hope to present new perspectives on potential treatments by revealing new mechanisms and pathways that lead to the progression of liver diseases and to benefit patients suffering from this challenging condition under the guidance of my esteemed professors.” she stated.
“I want to contribute to the development of personalized medicine approaches”
Güvel, talking about her future goals, stated that being involved in this project inspired her to specialize in internal medicine. Güvel; “Throughout my medical education, I plan to continue exploring new areas of interest by building on the knowledge I have gained through research. I am determined to continue my research into the molecular mechanisms underlying chronic diseases, focusing on oxidative stress and lipid metabolism. In this way, I very much want to contribute to the development of personalized medicine approaches that tailor treatments to individual patients. Being involved in this project inspired me to specialize in internal medicine after medical school. I want to integrate the research knowledge I have gained into clinical practice, focusing on the diagnosis and management of complex conditions.” she said.