Boğaziçi University Scientist Conducts Research on Liver-Friendly Drugs

This year, one of three young scientists selected from Boğaziçi University for the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) Science Researcher Support Programs Directorate 2247-A National Leading Researchers Program is Dr. Huriye Erdoğan Dağdaş, Faculty Member of the Chemistry Department.

The scientist, who continues her work in bioinorganic chemistry, will work on developing a new test platform with a project supported by TÜBİTAK funding of TRY 750,000, which will be used in the development of new drugs that better protect the liver by understanding the effects of hepatotoxic drugs. In this way, certain potent drugs used in the treatment of diseases such as cancer could be made liver-friendly. Within the scope of the TÜBİTAK Science Researcher Support Programs Directorate 2247-A National Leading Researchers Program this year, Dr. Huriye Erdoğan Dağdaş, Dr. Sema Dumanlı Oktar and Dr. Nazan İleri Ercan were selected from Boğaziçi University. Under this scheme, financial support is provided to scientists for their work, while doctoral students involved in the projects will also receive scholarship support. Faculty Member Dr. Huriye Erdoğan Dağdaş will investigate the mechanism of drug-induced hepatotoxin accumulation in the liver with the funding provided for three years and will continue her research on a new test platform to be used in the development of new drugs without such effects. Dr. Huriye Erdoğan Dağdaş completed her undergraduate and master's education in chemistry at the Middle East Technical University (METU), followed by a doctoral degree in chemistry and applied biosciences at ETH Zurich, one of the world's leading universities. After postdoctoral research in structural biology at Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium, the scientist returned to Turkey and worked for three years in research and development for biotechnological drugs at one of the leading pharmaceutical companies. In 2020, she joined the faculty of the Chemistry Department at Boğaziçi University.

"The Liver Can Produce Harmful Substances"

Dr. Dağdaş stated that her selection for the TÜBİTAK 2247-A program would give great momentum to her research and explained the background of her project as follows: "We call the harmful substances we take into our bodies 'xenobiotics.' These need to be metabolized and excreted from our system for our health. This largely happens in our liver. These harmful molecules taken into the body are made water-soluble in our organs and are then excreted from our system through the kidneys. However, there is a critical point here. Some drugs that enter the system can be converted into toxic byproducts due to 'detoxification' mechanisms, or the enzymes present in our bodies may not adequately metabolize the drugs taken. While the liver tries to render foreign, harmful molecules coming with drugs from outside harmless in this first stage, some toxic byproducts can emerge. These products accumulate over time and become much harder to eliminate from the body. This leads to disorders that can result in liver failure."

"We Will Clarify the Damaging Mechanism"

The scientist notes that toxic byproducts can emerge as a result of the hepatic metabolism of drugs used in treating many diseases such as cancer. Dr. Dağdaş, who also has family history of liver failure, stated that with the TÜBİTAK-supported project, she will conduct research to better understand this mechanism and develop new liver-friendly drugs accordingly. She said: "Our project includes both fundamental and applied aspects of the matter. It is known that some drugs used in treatment methods such as chemotherapy are harmful to the liver and doses are adjusted accordingly. However, the mechanism underlying this is actually not fully understood. With our TÜBİTAK project, I aim to clarify this mechanism and to produce high amounts of toxic byproducts resulting from drug metabolism to facilitate toxicological studies. Including the drugs and bacterial systems to be used within our study; with our approach both mechanistic and application-oriented to the problem, our targeted project can be described as the first of its kind in this respect," she said.

"Sectoral Collaboration Becomes Possible as Work Progresses"

Dr. Huriye Erdoğan Dağdaş also noted that as work progresses, academic and sectoral collaborations could be undertaken for the development of new drugs that do not harm the liver: "With the TRY 750,000 provided by TÜBİTAK and the scholarship opportunities available to our doctoral students, we will accelerate our work. I believe we will achieve our goals in three years. In this way, we aim to understand the mechanisms of action of drugs used in the treatment of diseases such as cancer, which especially at high doses cause toxic effects in the liver, resulting in major damage leading to organ failure, and to develop optimal test platforms for drugs currently on the market or still in the research stage. For this purpose, new academic and sectoral collaborations can also be established."