08/10/2025
Sabancı University Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences faculty member Assoc. Prof. Dr. A. R. Umut Şahin was honored with an award in the "Targeted Therapies" category of the 2025 Eczacıbaşı Medical Awards for his work entitled "Discovery of New Therapeutic Targets for the Treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)"
The awards, presented regularly by the Eczacıbaşı Group since 1959, aim to support innovative research conducted in Turkey in the fields of medicine and biomedical sciences. This year's award in the "Targeted Therapies" category honors Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şahin's pioneering work in elucidating the function of the NEK1 gene, which plays a role in ALS, and the toxic effects caused by its mutations, leading to targeted treatment approaches.
Project Receives Support from Turkey and Europe
Assoc. Prof. Dr. A. R. Umut Şahin and his team are conducting multidisciplinary research in their project, supported in Turkey and Europe, combining cell biology, biochemistry, proteomics, genetics, and experimental animal models to unravel how mutations in the NEK1 gene lead to ALS pathogenesis.
The team has developed an innovative therapeutic strategy that targets toxic proteins resulting from NEK1 mutations and clears these proteins from motor neurons with interferon (IFN) therapy. This treatment approach is notable for its potential to slow the progression of ALS and alleviate its clinical manifestations.
