The project titled “Design, Synthesis and Evaluation of Anti-Cancer Activity Potentials of Compounds That Can Inhibit 2′-5′-Oligoadenylate Synthetase-3 with In Vitro and In Vivo Models” presented by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hasan Onur Caglar from the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics of Erzurum Technical University (ETU) has been awarded support within the scope of the TUBITAK 1001 Scientific and Technological Research Projects Support Program.

The project, which aims to present a significant innovation by focusing on the role of the OAS3 protein in the treatment of head and neck cancers, was supported by Mersin University Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Oztekin Algu, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University Bioengineering Department Faculty Member Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gozde Yalcın Ozkat and ETU High Technology Application and Research Center (YUTAM) Lecturer Dr. Neslisah Barlakand ETU Molecular Biology and Genetics Department Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Omer Faruk Karatas and Ataturk University Organic Chemistry Department Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Serdar Burmaoglu are consultants.

Making statements regarding the developed project, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hasan Onur Caglar drew attention to the fact that inhibitors that can specifically bind to the OAS3 protein and exhibit anti-cancer activity will be developed in the project and said: “In the TUBITAK 1002 project that our project team completed previously, it was revealed that the OAS3 protein is highly expressed in head and neck cancer cells resistant to chemotherapy agents and that its expression suppression overcomes the resistance mechanism and makes these cells more sensitive to chemotherapy agents. In this new project, the activities of inhibitors that will be developed specific to the OAS3 protein based on previous findings will be tested with both in vitro and in vivo models. We anticipate that the inhibitors to be developed in the project will be effective in treating not only chemotherapy-resistant head and neck cancer cells but also other types of cancer that express OAS3. This project is the first study to synthesize a molecule that will functionally inhibit OAS3 and test it under experimental conditions. Therefore, the findings to be obtained as a result of the evaluations to be made with in vitro and in vivo models will offer an innovative approach to cancer treatment,” he said.

Corporate Communications Directorate 06.01.2025