Department Of Biochemistry

Biochemistry is a scientific discipline that explores the chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. Biochemistry includes not only traditional disciplines such as molecular biology, cell biology, and enzyme biology but also new and emerging fields such as genomics, proteomics, and bioinformatics.
The main focus of biochemistry is to determine the changes in protein, RNA and DNA levels in normal and pathological conditions. Biochemistry plays an important role in identifying the cause of diseases. Consequently, basic biochemistry is essential for target identification and new drug design.
In undergraduate courses, it is aimed to give students both theoretical and practical training in biochemistry education required for understanding physiological and pathological events and drug effects. Biochemical tests carried out on biological materials for the diagnosis and monitoring of diseases are introduced to the students as well as drugs that interfere with these tests.
The Department of Biochemistry offers two graduate programs: MSc and PhD degree programs. Students completing the programs with seminars as well as theoretical and practical courses given at advanced level are well-equipped to continue their career development in a number of areas as researchers and academicians.

Research Interests

• The effects of free radicals in various pathological conditions, oxidative stress mechanisms, antioxidant systems (enzymatic and non-enzymatic), antioxidant molecules, oxidative DNA damage
• Excitotoxicity, mechanisms of neurodegeneration, and neuroprotective agentso Neurotherapeutic approaches in Alzheimer’s disease and epilepsy experimental models
• Cell death mechanisms
• Nrf2 / ARE pathway
• Ubiquitination, ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation pathway, Proteasomal degradation
• Autophagy
• Cancer biology, Telomerase activity
• PARylation, PARP inhibition, and DNA damage
• Steroidogenesis
• Biological activity studies of drug candidate molecules
• Biotinidase and its role in biotin metabolism

Undergraduate Courses

• Biology II (Semester 2)
• Biochemistry I (Semester 3)
• Biochemistry II (Semester 4)
• Biochemistry III (Semester 5)
• Biochemistry Laboratory (Semester 4)

Joint Lessons With Other Departments

• Pharmaceutical Research and Development (Semester 9)
• Cosmetics (Semester 9)

Academic Staff
Prof. Dr. Aysun PABUÇÇUOĞLU
Prof. Dr. Ayfer YALÇIN (Head of Dept.)
Prof. Dr. Sibel KONYALIOĞLU
Prof. Dr. Petek BALLAR KIRMIZIBAYRAK
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Güliz ARMAĞAN
Asst. Prof. Dr. Ayşegül KAYMAK ÖZDEMİR
Res. Asst. Dr. Recep İLHAN
Res. Asst. Derviş Birim