Join us in the fight to eliminate cancer
How can we tackle cancer? How does our immune system -with all its greatness- fail to eliminate malignant cells? Why do some patients respond to treatments well while others do not? What are the genetic signatures predicting clinical outcomes? How can we put large amounts of readily available data into good use and uncover new disease mechanisms?
We try to answer these and many other challenging questions in our lab. Our highly collaborative work is situated at the intersection of tumor immunology, cancer biology, and bioinformatics. We are always seeking motivated trainees to join our team and expand our knowledge of cancer. Here, the great science is paired with good vibes and all the fun Izmir offers -and it offers a lot-. Check out the lab page for the projects and the current members. If you would like to join us, get in contact here or email atakanekiz-at-iyte.edu.tr!
Who am I?
I am a molecular biologist fascinated by the mysteries of life. My research laboratory at IzTech investigates how the immune system fights cancer and what we can to do make this process better. In particular, we try to understand the roles of non-coding RNAs in tumor immunology, and develop new algorithms to facilitate data analysis.
When I am not trying to cure cancer, I enjoy telling cool stories from the world of science and data. My goal is to make science accessible to anyone and increase data literacy across all walks of life. I try to balance my nerdy side by dancing tango and salsa, or playing a musical instrument or two.
Interests
- Immunology
- Tumor biology
- Cancer immunotherapy
- Bioinformatics
- Computational biology
- Machine learning
- Data science
Education
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PhD in Molecular Biology (Oncological Sciences), 2018
University of Utah, USA
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MSc in Clinical Investigation, 2018
University of Utah, USA
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BSc in Molecular Biology and Genetics, 2009
Izmir Institute of Technology
Experience
Assistant Professor
Responsibilities include:
- Principal Investigator
- Cancer immunogenomics
- Teaching & mentoring
- Science communication
Postdoctoral Fellow
Focus areas include:
- Tumor immunology (melanoma)
- Inflammation
- Noncoding RNAs (miRNAs and lncRNAs)
- Single cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq)
- High throughput data analysis
- Computational biology
- Bioinformatics
Graduate Research Assistant
Focus areas include:
- Breast cancer metastasis
- Tumor immunology
- Cancer immunotherapy
Venture capital associate
Responsibilities include:
- Investment analysis
- Deal resourcing and due diligence
Awards
- Huntsman Cancer Institute Melanoma Trainee Award. Project title: “Elucidating the roles of lncRNAs in melanoma antitumor immunity.” (2020)
- Huntsman Cancer Institute Next Generation Seed Grant (PI role). Project title: “Improving CAR-T cell therapy via miRNA engineering.” (2019)
- American Association for Cancer Research, Translational Cancer Research for Basic Scientists Scholar (2013)
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Med-into-Grad Scholar (2011)
- Fulbright Scholarship for Graduate Education in the US (2010)
- 35th Congress of Turkish Society of Hematology, Experimental Hematology Award (2009)
- European Hematology Association, 14th Congress Travel Grant (2009)
- Fulbright Opportunity Grant (2009)
- National Scholarship for Graduate Education, Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (2009)
- High Honors, Molecular Biology and Genetics, BS Izmir Institute of Technology (2009)
Featured Publications
See all publications here or on my Google Scholar profile.
Recent Technical Posts
Contact
- atakanekiz@iyte.edu.tr
- +90 232 750 7363
- D304, Dept of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Izmir, Gulbahce 35430
- DM Me