Kanser İmmünolojisi

Baş Araştırmacı: Doç. Dr. Duygu SAĞ

iBG'deki araştırmalarımız kanser gibi çeşitli hastalıkların patogenezinde rol oynayan makrofaj polarizasyonunu düzenleyen mekanizmaların aydınlatılmasına odaklanmaktadır. Bu doğrultuda amacımız, yenilikçi immünoterapötik stratejiler geliştirmektir. Bağışıklık sisteminin önemli hücrelerinden biri olan makrofajlar, belirli polarizasyon sinyallerine yanıt olarak M1 (pro-inflamatuar) ya da M2 (anti-inflamatuar) fenotiplerine polarize olabilmektedir. M1 ve M2 makrofajları arasındaki dengesizlik, birçok hastalığın gelişimine katkıda bulunmaktadır. Ayrıca, son dönemde laboratuvarımızın odağını psikonöroimmünoloji (PNI) alanına genişleterek stres yönetiminin bağışıklık sistemi fonksiyonu ve hastalık prognozu üzerindeki etkilerini araştırmaktayız. Bu çerçevede amacımız, genel sağlık üzerinde iyileştirici etkiler yaratacak yenilikçi yaklaşımlar geliştirmektir.

Yayınlar

Korkmaz A, Unuvar D, Gunalp S, Helvaci D.G, Sag D, 2025. Kabasura Kudineer Choornam, a medicinal polyherbal formulation, modulates human macrophage polarization and phagocytic function. Turkish Journal of Biology (in press).

Korkmaz A, Bernhardsen GP, Cirit B, Koprucu Suzer G, Kayan H, Biçmen H, Tahra M, Suner A, Lehto SM, Sag D*, Saatcioglu F*, 2024. Sudarshan Kriya Yoga Breathing and a Meditation Program for Burnout Among Physicians: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Network Open, doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.53978 (*Corresponding author)

Gunalp G, Helvaci DG, Oner A, Bursali A, Conforte A, Güner H, Karakülah G, Szegezdi E, Sag D, 2023. TRAIL promotes the polarization of human macrophages toward a proinflammatory M1 phenotype and is associated with increased survival in cancer patients with high tumor macrophage content. Frontiers in Immunology, doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1209249. eCollection 2023

Eskiocak YC, Ayyildız ZO, Gunalp S, Korkmaz A, Helvaci DG, Sag D, Wingender G, 2023. The Ca2+ concentration impacts the cytokine production of mouse and human lymphoid cells and the polarization of human macrophages in vitro, Plos One, 18 (2), e0282037 

Yakubogullari N, Cagir A, Bedir E, Sag D, 2023. Astragalus saponins, Astragaloside VII and newly synthesized derivatives, induces dendritic cell maturation and T cell activation, Vaccines 11(3), 495

Projeler

TUBITAK ARDEB 1001 “Association of enzymatic site-dependent functions of KDM6A protein with NF-κB signaling pathway and macrophage function in bladder cancer.” (2024-2027), Researcher

Horizon Europe MSCA Staff Exchange, “The role of the non-canonical death receptor signalling in cancer and immune cells- CHIRON, (2023-2027), PI

TUBITAK ARDEB 1001 “Effect of Medical Polyherbal Formulation NOQ19 on Primary Human Macrophage Polarization and the Course of Viral H1N1 Influenza Infection in Mice”, (2023-2025), PI

TUBITAK BIDEB- 2247-A National Outstanding Researchers Program “Video-immunotherapy: A new approach in breast cancer treatment” (2022-2026), PI

H2020 WIDESPREAD-06-2020-ERA Chairs, “Boosting the Rare Disease research and innovation capacity of the Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center”, (2021-2027), Work package leader

TUBITAK ARDEB 1001, “Development of Nanoparticulate Adjuvant Systems and Bioconjugates Targeting Melanoma Cancer Treatment Using Astragaloside VII, a Potent Adjuvant Candidate, and Investigation of the Anti-Tumor Activities of Adjuvant Systems in Mouse Melanoma Cancer Models” (2021-2023), Advisor

TUBİTAK ARDEB 1003, "Development of a new gene discovery and drug repositioning platform based on machine learning to improve the effectiveness of immunotherapy in cancer", (2018-2021), Advisor

TUBİTAK ARDEB 1003, “Development of corneal endothelial tissue with stem cell and bioengineering approaches”, (2018-2021), Researcher

TUBITAK ARDEB 3501, “Osteogenic Niche Development under Dynamic Culture Conditions Using Microfluidic Bioreactors”, (2018-2021), Advisor

TÜBA GEBİP, “Investigation of the ATP-binding cassette transporter G1 in human macrophages as a target molecule candidate in immunotherapy”, (2018-2021), PI

TUBITAK ARDEB 1001, “The effect of TRAIL on M1, M2a, M2c polarization of human macrophages”, (2018-2021), PI

Science Academy BAGEP, “The effect of ABCG1 expression in macrophages on macrophage phenotype and human bladder cancer development”, (2018-2020), PI

H2020 MSCA-RISE, “Death receptor signaling in tumor immune editing”, (2017-2022), PI

International L’Oreal UNESCO, “The Molecular Mechanism of the Switch of ABCG1-deficient Macrophages Towards a Tumor-Fighting M1 Phenotype”, (2017-2018), PI

DEU BAP, “The effect of cholesterol on macrophage polarization”, (2017-2018), PI

2236 COFUND-TUBITAK/FP7 Marie Curie, “Role of the cholesterol transporter ABCG1 in tumor associated macrophages in mice and humans”, (2016-2018), PI 

Patent

National patent registration 02. 22. 2021 (no: 2019/10003), “A method for molecular extraction of saponin and the use of active molecules as immunomodulators.

Ekip

Aktif Üyeler

Dr. Duygu Ünüvar
Dr. Aslı Korkmaz
Çağla Niğde
Düriye Nur Dağdelen
Taliha İnan
Serhat Songören

Önceki Üyeler

Sinem Günalp
Derya Göksu Helvacı
Resul Özbilgiç
Meltem Altunay
Ayşenur Öner