What is your hometown?
Erzurum, located in the north-eastern part of Turkey.
When did you join the University of Iowa faculty?
November 1999
How/when did you become interested in science and medicine?
Ever since childhood, I have been interested in science. But taking botany and zoology classes my freshman year of college was a milestone for me. I was the first and only student who developed and carried out an undergraduate research project in my college. That was the beginning of my scientific career.
What interested you to pursue a career in Pediatrics?
In graduate school, I became interested in studying human genetic diseases at the molecular level, with the eventual goal of developing therapies for them. Children are the joy of life, and at the same time, the most vulnerable. Contributing to their health would be an incredible accomplishment for me.
Is there a teacher or mentor who helped shape you career?
Several mentors influenced me in different ways. In particular, Dr. Aksoy inspired me about the scientific inquiry; Dr. Daniel Bonthius (82BS, 90MD, 90PhD-Neuroscience) helped me to see the excitement of science, rewards of hard work, dedication and team work.
How or why did you choose the University of Iowa?
It was an unintended move initially, but turned out to be a great milestone of my life. I was doing my postdoctoral fellowship at Columbus Children’s Hospital with Dr. Sue O’Dorisio, who accepted a position here at the University of Iowa in 1999. To complete the projects that I had started there, I moved to the University of Iowa with her and several other members of the same lab. I know now that it was a great move because of the outstanding scientists, collaborative environment and excellent research facilities of the University of Iowa.
The University of Iowa’s faculty members are united to provide exceptional patient care while advancing innovations in research and medical education. How does your work help translate new discoveries into patient centered care and education?
A team composed of basic and clinical scientists is the best approach for building a bridge between the bench and the bedside. Thus, as a basic scientist, I always team up with a clinician scientist. Dr. Bonthius from the Division of Child Neurology and I are combining our knowledge and expertise to develop a gene therapy for a rare genetic disease called “Alexander Disease”, and for neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer. We also study the effect of alcohol and lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) in the central nervous system. Our goals are to first understand how these teratogens damage the brain, and then to develop therapies based on that knowledge. A second contribution of my work to patient centered care and education is through my involvement in the training of physician colleagues during their fellowship program.
Please describe your professional interests.
I am interested in neurological birth defects, particularly understanding the abnormalities of the developing nervous system caused by two neuro-teratogenic agents; alcohol (fetal alcohol syndrome) and lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (congenital LCMV infection). I am also interested in the development of gene therapy for neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer of the nervous system and Alexander Disease, a disease of cerebral white matter that affects children.
Please describe your research efforts on the abnormalities of the developing nervous system, and the role that alcohol and lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus play.
Alcohol abuse during pregnancy can profoundly affect the developing fetus, resulting in fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Alcohol damages the developing brain, leading to microencephaly, mental retardation, and hyperactivity. One of the leading causes of mental retardation, and a major public health problem, is FAS. We have discovered that the vulnerability to alcohol-induced death diminishes as the developing nervous system matures. A long-term goal of our laboratory is to unveil the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying neuronal sensitivity and resistance to alcohol toxicity. Once obtained, we hope to use this knowledge for development of therapy.
LCMV is a rodent-borne virus and a prevalent human pathogen. Infection of the postnatal human with LCMV typically results in cold-like symptoms, from which the patient recovers fully. In contrast, when the infection occurs during pregnancy, the fetal brain can be severely damaged leading to mental retardation, impaired coordination, spasticity, blindness, and epilepsy in children with congenital LCMV. Our lab developed an animal model with remarkable similarity to the outcome of the human infection. Our goal is to understand the mechanisms by which this virus damages the brain.
Please explain the role of developing gene therapy in neuroblastoma and the impact of gene therapy to this childhood cancer.
Neuroblastoma is the most common solid extracranial neoplasm in children and is frequently fatal. Despite treatment advances, the prognosis for neuroblastoma remains poor and a critical need exists for the development of new treatment regimens. Owing to the harmful effects of radiation and chemotherapy, many neuroblastoma survivors suffer from learning, memory and fine motor disabilities. Thus, improved therapy for neuroblastoma is critically needed. We believe that the activation of naturally existing death programs in neuroblastoma cells could substantially enhance the therapeutic efficacy in this tumor and other forms of cancer. We study a particular death inducing gene, TRAIL, in regard to its death inducing potential in neuroblastoma tumors.
How does working in a collaborative and comprehensive academic medical center benefit your work?
Within the last couple of decades, advances in science have brought several different disciplines that had seemingly no previous commonality together. Thus, making significant contributions to science is only possible through collaboration. The collaborative culture among scientists at the University of Iowa is exceptional and is an invaluable asset for scientists - especially those at the beginning of their career.
What are some of your outside interests?
I am also a singer and songwriter. I perform Turkish folk and pop music with my band TURKANA, which includes four other faculty members from the University of Iowa. I also play with a local band known as “Lazy Boy and the Recliners”. I enjoy spending time with my family, writing popular science, ballroom dancing and cell painting.
Do you have an insight or philosophy that guides you in your professional work?
Always look at the big picture and have the end in mind. Know that one person can make a difference, but remember that research has more down times than up and that serendipity has yielded some of the greatest discoveries.
If you could change one thing about the world (or the world of medicine), what would it be?
Having people of the world understand that we all are one people. We may dress, speak or eat differently, but we cry and laugh alike. We all share the one destiny.
What is the biggest change you've experienced in your field since you were a student?
The biggest changes that I have experienced are the technological advances in scientific methodology and the incorporation of powerful computing in the molecular life sciences. As an example, it used to take me three days to decipher the sequence of a small DNA molecule. Now, I can obtain the same information in only minutes through the use of automated sequencers.
What one piece of advice would you give to today's students?
Make this unique journey, that is your life, a remarkable one.
What do you see as "the future" of medicine?
Personalized medicine. In the not too distant future, newborn babies will start life with their own “manual,” or their own DNA sequence in hand. Equipped with that knowledge, people will live healthier and much longer lives.
In what ways are you engaged with the greater Iowa public (i.e. population based research, mentoring high school students, sharing your leadership/expertise with organizations or causes, speaking engagements off campus, etc.)?
My greatest engagement with the greater Iowa public is through music. I love music – teaching it and performing it. I teach world music classes on the University of Iowa campus. I have performed throughout the state of Iowa at diversity festivals, fundraising activities, cultural outreach programs, and on radio and television programs. Through music, I have been deeply involved in diversity outreach activities.