Our team

Bilge Güvenç Tuna, PhD

Principal Investigator

Assoc. Prof. Bilge Güvenç Tuna completed her undergraduate studies in the Department of Physics at Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ) and her master's degree at Hacettepe University's Institute of Health Sciences, Department of Biophysics. Following this, she conducted research on "Smooth Muscle Biomechanics" at the prestigious Mayo Clinic in the United States.

 Dr. Tuna earned her Ph.D. in 2014 from the Biomedical Engineering and Physics Department at the Academic Medical Center (AMC) of the University of Amsterdam as a Marie Curie Fellow.  After a brief postdoctoral position at Maltepe University Faculty of Medicine, Dr. Tuna joined Yeditepe University Faculty of Medicine's Department of Biophysics in 2015.

In recent years, Dr. Tuna's research at Yeditepe University has centered on several key areas, including the development of aptamers, targeted drug delivery systems, biosensor platforms, and disease screening kits. Additionally, her work explores the role of angiogenesis and epigenetic modifications in the effects of caloric restriction on age-related diseases. 

Soner Doğan, PhD

Principal Investigator

Dr. Dogan earned his Ph.D. in Medical Biology from the University of Minnesota in 2004. Following his doctoral studies, he worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Hormel Institute Medical Research Center, part of the University of Minnesota, from 2004 to 2012. During this period, his research was centered on molecular investigations related to obesity and breast cancer. From 2008 to 2012, Dr. Dogan also served as a faculty member in the Biology Department at Riverland College in Minnesota, further expanding his expertise in teaching and natural sciences.

In 2012, Dr. Dogan joined Yeditepe University in Turkey as an Assistant Professor in the Medical Biology Department. By 2015, he was promoted to Associate Professor, a position he still holds today. Dr. Soner Dogan's current research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms behind the prevention and delay of mammary tumor development through calorie restriction. His lab is particularly interested in studying key signaling pathways such as adipokines, cytokines, IGF-I, mTOR, oxidative stress, miRNA, and epigenetic modifications. Using transgenic mammary tumor mice models, cell cultures, and advanced molecular biology techniques, Dr. Dogan aims to uncover how these pathways influence breast cancer and obesity.

Gözde İnci, PhD

PostDoc

Gözde İnci graduated with a bachelor's degree in Biology from the Abant Izzet Baysal University in 2013 and a master's degree in pharmaceutical microbiology from Istanbul University in 2015. She then earned her PhD from Hallym University in South Korea and did postdoctoral studies at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. Since 2024 she has been part of SD-BGT lab. Her research is focused on DNA damage and repair mechanisms.

Ayşenur Doğan

PhD Candidate

Ayşenur Doğan completed her Bachelor's degree in Molecular Biology and Genetics at Istanbul University. She is currently a third-year PhD student in the Department of Biotechnology at the Graduate School of Natural and Applied Science and a researcher in SD-BGT Lab. Her PhD research focuses on the effects of different types of calorie restriction on the epigenetic modifications of age-related genes in the aging mouse brain. Particularly, she investigates the promoter methylation profiles in genes involved in FOXO and IGF signaling pathways, as well as leptin and adiponectin signaling in mice brain.

Nazım Arda Keleş

PhD Candidate

Nazım Arda Keleş earned his bachelor's degree in Molecular Biology and Genetics from Istanbul University in 2021. Since then, he has been a researcher in the SD-BGT lab as an integrative PhD student in the Department of Biotechnology. His research areas include gut microbiome, colorectal cancer, multi-omics, non-coding RNAs, and caloric restriction.

Hazal Berivan Sönmez

PhD Candidate

After completing her bachelor's degree in Biology at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Hazal Berivan Sönmez pursued a master's degree in Medical Biology and Genetics at İstinye University, focusing on "Stem Cells and Their Clinical Applications." She is currently continuing her doctoral research in Biotechnology at Yeditepe University, within the SD-BGT laboratory, working on her thesis titled "The Impact of Calorie Restriction-Induced Microbiota Profile on Vascular Aging."

Mizgin Fındık

PhD Student

Mizgin Fındık graduated from the Molecular Biology and Genetics program at Yıldız Technical University in 2024. During her bachelor's, she lead a research project on identifying drought stress related micro RNA's in Triticum aestivum L. and Sesamum indicum L. She has been pursuing a fast-track PhD at SD-BGT Lab since 2025.

Shatha Abusnayma

PhD Student

Shatha Abusnayma completed her Bachelor's Degree in Molecular Biology and Genetics at Biruni University in 2024. During her studies she led a research project titled "Investigation of the Effect of Genistein and Urolithin A on Chordoma Energy Metabolism as Single and Combination Treatment". After graduation she joined SD-BGT Lab as an integrated PhD student. Her research interests include animal models, cancer biology and aging.

Dilara Yalçın

Master's Student

Dilara Yalçın earned her Bachelor's Degree in Molecular Biology and Genetics from Yıldız Technical University in 2025. After graduation she started pursuing a Master's Degree in Biotechnology, and has become part of SD-BGT Lab. Her research interests include genetic research, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer studies.

Ege Özmenekşe

Ege is a fourth-year medical student at Yeditepe University. He has been an intern at SD-BGT lab since 2023 and he is currently working on his research project on rapid detection of genetic disease with silica nanoparticles.

Defne Uçar

Defne is a fourth-year medical student at Yeditepe University.  Since 2023 she has been an intern at SD-BGT Lab. She is currently working on her research project on rapid detection of genetic disease with silica nanoparticles.

Zeynep Sude Eser

Zeynep is a third-year medical student at Yeditepe University. Since 2023 she has been an intern at SD-BGT Lab. She is currently working on her research project on rapid detection of genetic disease with silica nanoparticles.

Selen Akeller

Selen is a fourth-year student majoring in Genetics and Bioengineering at Yeditepe University. She is currently working on tissue microbiome and changes in microbiome load with age.

Mert Önen

Mert is a second-year medical student at Yeditepe University. He is currently working on studying the effects of polyphenols on triple negative breast cancer.

Ayça Soylu

Ayça is a first-year medical student at Yeditepe University. She has been an intern with SD-BGT Lab since 2025.