Dr. Yunus Akkoc holds a bachelor’s degree from İstanbul Kültür University. He received his Ph.D. degree of Molecular Biology, Genetics and Bioengineering from Sabancı University, under the supervision of Dr. Devrim Gozuacik. His doctoral studies were focused on deciphering abnormalities of the autophagic machinery in cancers through investigating autophagy-regulating miRNAs and tumor microenvironment. Dr. Akkoc continues his postdoctoral studies to identify autophagy-associated novel pathways in cancer metastasis and dormancy. In addition to his scientific work, Dr. Akkoç is closely interested in culinary arts, Turkish classical music (TSM) and deciphering poems from different cultures.

Ayşe Seray Güzel completed her undergraduate studies at Izmir Institute of Technology at the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Currently, she is a Ph.D. student at Koç University Graduate School of Health Sciences at the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine. Continuing her research as a member of Gözüaçık Lab, Güzel focuses on investigating new colorectal cancer-associated microRNAs in cancer formation and progression at KUTTAM. She believes that curiosity and interdisciplinarity would make a difference in pursuing science. Being passionate about life, she enjoys traveling abroad, cooking new recipes, and swimming.

Pınar ÇİFTCİ completed her bachelor studies at Istanbul Technical University, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Meanwhile, she is doing a double major with the Department of Chemical Engineering at Istanbul Technical University. She was awarded with a grant from Erasmus+ Traineeship Program and completed her internship at Department for BioChemical Research, University of Bern. Also, she studied at Hacettepe University, Department of Biochemistry as a intern. She is currently a master student in Cellular and Molecular Medicine Programme of Koç University and a member of Gözüaçık Lab with a special interest of autophagy, cancer and drug development.

Dyana Sarı holds a bachelor’s degree from Çanakkale 18 Mart University. She received her MSc degree of Medicinal Biochemistry from Marmara University. She has focused endoplasmic reticulum stress mediated apoptosis during her master education. She contributed the studies which are published as “Deficiency of SREBP1c modulates autophagy mediated lipid droplet catabolism during oleic acid induced steatosis” and “Cholesterol accumulation in hepatocytes mediates IRE1/p38 branch of endoplasmic reticulum stress to promote nonalcoholic steatohepatitis”. Currently her Ph.D studies focusing on cancer associated fibroblast and autophagy interactions in tumor microenvironment, under the supervision of Dr. Devrim Gözüaçık.

Şüheda DURAN graduated from Istanbul Technical University in 2022 as top student of the department. During her undergraduate education, she did internship at Uludağ University Faculty of Medicine, Koç University Molecular Biology and Genetics department, and then Boğaziçi University (as a Tübitak STAR scholarship holder) Molecular Biology and Genetics department. After her graduation, she did an internship at Pierre van der Bruggen's lab, Belgium De duve Instutute, within the scope of Erasmus Internship. She is currently working as a PhD student in Prof. Dr Devrim. Gözüacik's lab at Koç University, Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology. In her project mainly she is focusing on kinase protein that is known as important player of invasion and metastasis.

Damla Güneş holds a B.Sc. degree in Molecular Biology and Genetics from İstanbul Technical University. She received her M.Sc. degree from the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience program of Bilkent University. Under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Özlen Konu, she completed her thesis focusing on ‘Mineralocorticoid and Glucocorticoid Receptors as Novel Targets in Breast and Liver Cancer Therapies’. Currently, she is a Ph.D. student in the Cellular and Molecular Medicine Program at Koç University.

Alara Üstal completed her bachelor’s in Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Istanbul Technical University. She also holds bachelor’s degree in Chemistry within the scope of Double Major Program. As an undergraduate student, she completed her internships in Department of Bioengineering at Ege University, TÜBİTAK MAM and Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Koç University. She studied on polymeric carriers for drug delivery and gene therapy as her graduation thesis. She also studied as undergraduate scholarship holder on a TUBITAK1001 project focused on synthesis of cationic polymers as carriers of siRNA molecules for gene therapy. Currently, she is a PhD student in Cellular and Molecular Medicine Program at Koç University under supervision of Prof. Dr. Devrim Gözüaçık. .

Ömrüm Naz Nalkıran graduated from Marmara University in Biology department as an honors student. During her undergraduate education, she worked as a part-time student at Marmara University, Medicine Faculty, Genetic and Metabolic Diseases Investigation and Application Center. She studied aptamers and their application in Glioblastoma in TUBITAK project. Additionally, as a team member, she has been awarded in a competition organized by Üsküdar University and received the Best Gene Therapy in Rare Genetic Diseases award. Currently, she is a PhD student in Prof. Dr Devrim Gözüacik's lab at Koç University, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine.

Yusuf Emre Ertem graduated from Sabancı University with a double major in Molecular Biology, Genetics, and Bioengineering and Material Science and Nanoengineering. He then received his MSc from the Erasmus University of Rotterdam in the Infection of Immunity research master program. During his master's he participated in two distinct projects entitled; ''B-Cell Receptor Light Chain Stereotypy in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia" and ''Comparative Immunopeptidomic Study of Different Vaccine Platforms for Therapeutic Vaccination in Cancer''. His work from the first project was published as ''Clinicobiological characteristics and treatment efficacy of novel agents in chronic lymphocytic leukemia with IGLV3-21R110'' in Leukemia. He is pursuing his PhD degree in Gözüaçık Lab and is currently interested in cancer dormancy. Besides his academic career, Ertem is also interested in metal music, basketball, cinema, and culinary arts.

Dr. İbrahim Özata has a bachelor's degree from Eskişehir Osmangazi University Faculty of Medicine. He received his medical specialty from Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine, Department of General Surgery. He worked in Lütfiye Nuri Burat Hospital and Sancaktepe Şehit Prof. Dr. İlhan Varank Research Hospital as a specialist doctor. Since 2019, he has been working in Koc University Hospital, General Surgery Department. Also, he studies as a Ph.D. student from Cellular and Molecular Medicine Department, under the supervision of Dr. Devrim Gozuacik. He focuses on the molecular mechanisms of microRNAs in the cellular models of colorectal cancer and their potential as biomarkers to be used in the clinics.

Assoc. Dr. Ece Dilege has a bachelor's degree from Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine. She received his medical specialty from Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine, Department of General Surgery. She worked for many years as a specialist doctor in the breast clinic. Also, she has worked in many institutions abroad as an intern or observer such as MD Anderson Cancer Center and UCLA Breast Center. She received her associate professor degree in 2012. She has been working as a breast surgeon in the General Surgery Department of the American Hospital, as well as in the General Surgery Department of Koç University Hospital. She studies as a Ph.D. student from the Immunology Department, under the supervision of Dr. Devrim Gozuacik. She focuses on tumor stroma, tumor microenvironment and tumor immunology.