GTU Academics Receive Support under TÜBİTAK 1002-A

December 4, 2023

İrem Kulu, Associate Professor in the Chemistry Department under the Faculty of Science at GTU, and Research Assistant Associate Professor İdris Karakaya have been awarded project support under the "TÜBİTAK ARDEB 1002-A Short-Term Support Module" program.

In the project titled "Synthesis of New Pyrimidine Derivatives as Potential JAK2 Inhibitors," Prof. İrem Kulu will conduct the synthesis of new molecules that could serve as inhibitors against Janus kinases, which are receptor non-tyrosine kinases and an important target in cancer treatment.

Cancer, one of the most significant health problems of our time, remains the deadliest disease worldwide despite advancements in new treatments and early diagnostic methods alongside all medical developments. In the context of drug discovery studies, there is a constant need for the development of new drugs that could be effective against mutations arising in response to drugs used in cancer and cancer treatment. The synthesis of new molecules that could be more active by utilizing known pharmacophore groups is a common practice in modern drug discovery studies. Within the scope of this project, the aim is to synthesize novel and potential lead compounds with hybridization of the pyrimidine ring found in the structures of many oncological molecules and JAK2 inhibitors, along with different pharmacophore groups. The project also aims to investigate the activities of these compounds. Therefore, in vitro and in silico biological activity studies will also be conducted on the newly synthesized molecules to obtain lead molecules in the context of drug discovery.