Head of the Department of Tumor Biology and Immunology of NKU Faculty of Medicine Prof.Dr. Burhan Turgut, “Our studies on a method, which can also be referred to as cancer vaccine, especially cellular immune therapy method, have advanced considerably. We are in the preclinical stage at the moment, but we are quite advanced, we are close to the end. We aim to start human studies in a year. Our expectations on this matter. pretty loud, ”he said.
giving hope to cancer patients in the vaccine study came from Turkey, Tekirdag. Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University Faculty of Medicine Head of the Department of Tumor Biology and Immunology Prof.Dr. Burhan Turgut, Faculty Member of the Medical Biology Department Assoc. Bahadır Batar, graduate students Elif Serdal, Nurcan Tutar, doctoral student Bahar Yılmaz, undergraduate student Metehan Gazioğlu and TUBİTAK Marmara Research Center, made an important step in the vaccine study they initiated to be used in cellular immune therapy for cancer patients.
‘OUR EXPECTATION IS HIGHLY HIGH’
Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University Faculty of Medicine Head of the Department of Tumor Biology and Immunology Prof.Dr. Burhan Turgut stated that they have been working against cancer for 6-7 years and that they have many projects related to this. Turgut said, “Our studies on a method, which can also be referred to as cancer vaccine, especially cellular immune therapy method, have advanced considerably. We are in the preclinical stage at the moment, but we are quite advanced, we are close to the end. We are carrying out this project jointly with TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center. “We aim to start human studies within the year. We have high expectations in this regard,” he said.
‘TESTED ON PATIENTS IN THE USA, EUROPE AND CHINA’
Prof. dr. Burhan Turgut said that a team of 7-8 people in the university and 10 people in the Marmara Research Center are working together on vaccination studies. Turgut said that the majority of the project was carried out in the Marmara Research Center with the laboratory facilities of both centers and said, “There are stages called especially constructing. In our center, especially the studies related to crispr technology are continuing. In a whole, we can say as a very large team. These methods are being tried and used on patients in the world, especially in the USA, Europe and China, and they are used in some centers as a standard treatment, especially in leukemia and lymphoma lymph node cancers, which we call hematological cancer. But we think it can be used in our country if we are successful with our work, “he said.
‘WE ARE PLANNING TO PASS THE IMPLEMENTATION TO THE PEOPLE WITHIN 1 YEAR’
Stating that their work should gain a certain experience on people, Prof.Dr. Burhan Turgut, “we think at least 6 months after the completion of the study 1,5- might take 2-year stage, the standard therapy for use in Turkey. Our produce will product needs a certain clinical stage for the introduction. In the laboratory stage we call Current preclinical. Cells This is actually a genetic engineering study on it. So this is a cellular treatment method created by the change of immune cells that we call T lymphocytes, ie immune system cells, by changing their genetics. “We are planning to move on to that stage within a period of 6 months – 1 year. The patients we plan to use will generally be patients with leukemia and lymph node cancer who have no other treatment options anymore.”
‘WE AIM TO REMOVE TUMOR CELLS COMPLETELY’
Biology Department Lecturer Assoc. Bahadir Bator, this study only in Turkey, said that themselves. Stating that they use one of the most effective, strongest and latest developed genetic engineering technologies in their studies in the development of cancer vaccines, Batar said, “This genetic engineering technology is called crispr. And the crispr system is now one of the most widely used techniques in modern cancer immune therapy worldwide. The Crispr system is a system that allows the genome of cells, that is, their genes, to make changes in the genes. When we complete our studies, we hope that with the reprogramming of cells that play a role in the immune system, tumor cells A stronger immune response will be created, “he said.
Stating that they follow their work in the world, Assoc. Bahadır Batar, “Immune therapy strategies and modern immune therapy strategies have been developed around the world. However, any immunotherapy method using the Crispr system is currently unknown, not being carried out. However, currently studies where the crispr system and immune therapy strategies can be used together, laboratory his work is now being carried out widely, “he said.
RECTOR: BEAUTIFUL WORKS FOR HUMANITY
NKU Rector Prof.Dr. Mümin Şahin stated that the scientists at the university continue to work on cancer vaccine and said, “Our team, together with doctorate and graduate students, continue their studies on cellular immune therapy, also known as cancer vaccine, with the faculty members at TÜBİTAK. I guess that they will give studies. I hope we will present you good results about it as soon as possible, “he said.