Major Step Forward in Developing Nanocarriers

Significant Advancement in Nano Carrier Development Nur Mustafaoğlu, Faculty Member at Sabancı Üniversitesi Engineering and Natural Sciences Faculty (MDBF), has been awarded the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) Installation Support Grant. Sabancı Üniversitesi Engineering and Natural Sciences Faculty (MDBF) Faculty Member Nur Mustafaoğlu was selected as one of 11 scientists to receive the EMBO Installation Support Grant. Mustafaoğlu was awarded the grant for her glioblastoma blood-brain barrier model project aimed at developing nano carriers. Through the EMBO Installation Support scheme, Mustafaoğlu has secured annual support of EUR 50,000 to be provided by TUBITAK for a three-year period, as well as the opportunity to expand her communication network and receive implementation support through participation in the EMBO Young Researcher Network. If the project proves successful during its three-year period, it can be extended for an additional two years. The EMBO Installation Support Grant, formally known as the EMBO Strategic Development Installation Support Chair, was established in 2006 under Turkey's leadership. This program was designed to reverse brain drain in EMBC (European Molecular Biology Conference) member countries developing in the field of molecular biology-based life sciences, such as Turkey, Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, and Portugal. Financing of the EMBO Installation Support Grant is provided by the funding organizations of these countries and by TUBITAK in Turkey. Recipients of the new Installation Grant support can establish their laboratories in Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, and Turkey, and research projects will cover a wide range of topics such as cancer biology, viral dynamics, gene regulation technologies, and the role of phytoplankton in the global carbon cycle. With the support she has received, Nur Mustafaoğlu will implement her projects in the bioengineering laboratory she has established at Sabancı Üniversitesi, focusing on modeling the blood-brain barrier in disease and health conditions and on drug delivery to the brain.