July 2026
- New publication out in EMBO Reports ! Together with Elif Nur Firat-Karalar, Umut Şahin explores an emerging concept in neuroscience: that the centrosome/primary cilium/centriolar satellite axis represents a previously underappreciated, yet potentially central contributor to neurodegenerative diseases. From ALS and Parkinson’s disease to Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and hereditary ataxias, this review discusses how this interconnected organelle network intersects with so many of the core mechanisms driving neurodegeneration, and why it may open exciting new avenues for therapeutic intervention.
June 2026
- We are delighted to see our work and recent publication highlighted through a commentary by Stefan Müller, which summarizes the significance and novelty of our findings, their implications for neurodegenerative disease research, and broader relevance across multiple fields.
March 2026
- New publication from our lab in the fantastic FEBS Journal ! We demonstrate for the first time the in vivo feasibility of novel PML-based therapeutic strategies to combat neurodegeneration.
January 2026
- Our grant proposal, submitted under the TÜBİTAK 2509-French Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bilateral Cooperation Programme has been approved for funding.
December 2025
- Our grant proposal, submitted under the TÜBİTAK 2515-COST European Cooperation in Science and Technology Program to the action ProteoCure has been approved for funding.
October 2025
- Umut Şahin receives the 2025 Eczacıbaşı Medical Award in the Targeted Therapies category, joining an inspiring list of scientists and physicians recognized since the award’s launch in 1959.
September 2025
- New publication out ! In this solo-authored Viewpoint article in The FEBS Journal, Umut Sahin explores a bold and provocative idea: that Cas9, the catalytic engine of the CRISPR gene editing platform, may possess a previously unrecognized effector-like role in eukaryotes during bacterial infection.
February 2025
- Umut Şahin will be delivering a talk at two exciting events this year: the EMBO Meeting – Sumoylation: From Discovery to Translation and the 49th FEBS Congress.
November 2024
- Our latest preprint is now out ! We identified the Pml gene as a key genetic interactor in ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), protecting mice from disease onset by clearing misfolded proteins in motoneurons. We also found that PML-targeting agents hold promise as a potential therapy for ALS, a devastating neurodegenerative disease with no effective treatment. “Pharmacological intervention aimed at augmenting Pml expression, achieved through interferon alpha (IFN) or poly(I:C) treatment, effectively eliminates NEK1t and its aggregates from motoneurons in vivo. This intervention dramatically improves ALS-associated symptoms and muscle strength, and extends survival by nearly 5 months, in a Pml-dependent manner. To our knowledge, this is the most dramatic benefit ever reported in treatment trials initiated presymptomatically in ALS mouse models. “
