Assoc. Prof. Erkan Kiris, Founder & CEO

Dr. Erkan Kiris has extensive research experience in stem cell biology (16+ years) and neurobiology (22+ years), with technical expertise in mouse and human pluripotent stem cell-derived neuronal and glial cell models. Dr. Kiris obtained his Ph.D. from Univ. of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), and his work focused on the molecular biology of Alzheimer's disease (2003-2008). After his post-doc at UCSB Neuroscience Research Institute between 2008-2009; he worked as a Research Scientist at NCI-Frederick, NIH (Frederick, MD, USA) (in collaboration with the US Army Medical Res. Inst of Infectious Diseases, Frederick, MD, USA) between 2009-2017.

He returned back to Türkiye in December 2017 and established the 'Neurobiology of Disease’ laboratory at Middle East Technical University (http://neuro.bio.metu.edu.tr). He obtained training in pluripotent stem cell methodologies with hands-on training in human embryonic stem (ES) cell culture (Stanford University, USA), induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) establishment and culture (Stemgent, USA), and CRISPR/Cas9 based genome editing in pluripotent cells (FAES, NIH, USA). He has experience with mouse ES cells (e.g. Kiris et al., 2011 Stem Cell Res.), human ES cells (e.g. Kiris et al., 2015 Neurotox. Res.), and human iPSCs (e.g. Begentas et al., 2021 Stem Cell Res.).

His lab at METU regularly works with patient iPSCs and has established more than 16 different iPSC lines so far. Additionally, he has extensive experience in directed differentiation of pluripotent stem cells towards neural lineages, including motor neurons, basal forebrain cholinergic neurons, cortical neurons, hippocampal neurons, and glial cells (astrocytes and oligodendrocytes).

Prof. Dr. Mesut Muyan, CSO

Dr. Mesut Muyan has 40+ years of experience in Cell Biology. He holds a PhD in Cell Biology (University of California, Davis), and he is a retired faculty member of METU Department of Biological Sciences.

Dr. Muyan brings decades of expertise in advanced cell biology and molecular signaling to the forefront of biotechnology. Throughout his career in both the U.S. and Turkey, he has consistently demonstrated a mastery of project lifecycle management—from conceptualizing fundamental research to the successful completion of complex experimental frameworks. He maintains a distinguished publication record in top-tier international journals, reflecting a lifelong commitment to scientific excellence and rigorous methodology. Having led research initiatives at prestigious institutions such as the University of Rochester and METU, Dr. Muyan provides a global perspective that bridges advanced theoretical research with practical, innovative applications.

Onur Can Begentas, Lead Research Scientist

Onur Can Begentas obtained his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees from the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics of Middle East Technical University and is currently a Ph.D candidate.

He is an expert in human iPSC generation (Begentas et al., 2021, Stem Cell Res.; Begentas et al., 2022 Methods in Molecular Biology; Begentas et al., 2023, Stem Cell Res.) as well as in mouse embryonic stem cells. He has extensive hands-on experience with directed differentiation of mouse and human pluripotent stem cells into neuronal and glial lineages.

Ebru Kavaklı, Research Scientist

Ebru Kavaklı completed her B.Sc. degree at Middle East Technical University, in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. She is currently pursuing an M.Sc. in the same department, with a research focus on iPSC technology in disease modeling and regenerative medicine.

Ebru possesses extensive hands-on expertise in iPSC generation, culture, and neural differentiation methodologies. She is highly proficient in a broad range of molecular biology techniques, including Western blotting, PCR-based analyses, immunocytochemistry, and mammalian cell culture. She has mentored and supervised junior researchers and interns, providing comprehensive training in laboratory protocols and best practices.

Consultants

We have highly experienced and talented consultants supporting us in a project-based manner.

Assoc. Prof. Ozlem Barut Selver

Dr. Ozlem Barut Selver is an ophthalmic surgeon specializing in corneal diseases. She graduated with first-class honours from Ege University School of Medicine in 2004 and completed her residency in Ophthalmology at Dokuz Eylul University School of Medicine between 2004 and 2010. Dr. Barut Selver has been a specialist in the Ophthalmology Department at Ege University, School of Medicine, since 2014 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2020.

With 16+ years of experience in limbal stem cell translational science, she has made significant contributions to the field. In 2009, she was awarded a scholarship from The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey and worked at the ocular surface research laboratory at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in the United States. Dr. BARUT SELVER has participated in numerous projects focused on the translational science of limbal stem cells, several of which were funded by TÜBİTAK

Since 2019, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ozlem BARUT SELVER has also served as the Laboratory Manager of the Eye Bank at Ege University Hospital. Additionally, she co-founded LIMBUSTEM, a startup aimed at developing a personalized cellular therapy product for limbal stem cell deficiency.