Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fatih Kocabaş was awarded the International Hematology / Oncology Award for his work on "drug-based MEIS inhibitors" that prevens the growth of cancer. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kocabaş became the first Turkish scholar to receive this award

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kocabaş's work is based on the prevention of the development of cancer by adding drugs to the MEIS protein that the cancer uses to grow.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fatih Kocabaş, a lecturer at the Department of Genetics and Bioengineering at the Faculty of Engineering at Yeditepe University, was awarded the International Hematology / Oncology Award for his work on medicinal MEIS inhibitors. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kocabaş received the award, which is given to a Turkish scholar for the first time, in Stockholm at a ceremony held on 14 June.

It was observed in leading-edge laboratory studies that the drug-based MEIS inhibitor developed by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fatih Kocabaş inhibited the growth of cancer cells in different cancers such as brain tumor, lung, breast, and kidney.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kocabaş's work is based on the prevention of the development of cancer by adding drugs to the MEIS protein that the cancer uses to grow.

The Drug-Based MEIS Inhibitor Will Treat Cancer with Its Own Weapon

How does the inhibitor work?

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fatih Kocabaş, who answered our questions about the subject, stated that the MEIS protein is actually one of the main proteins of the body and gave the following information about how the inhibitor works:

"The MEIS protein allows cancer to grow and become stronger when there is too much of it in cancer cells. Cancer is takes this protein, which is normally used by the root cell, and uses it to gain resistance in oxygen-free environments, and as a result it escapes from medicines, lives better, strengthens itself, accelerates its division and regulates its metabolism. This mechanism works as follows: the MEIS protein binds to DNA, after it binds to the DNA, the cancer strengthens its own metabolism using DNA and drives DNA to reproduce more. The 'Drug-Based MEIS Inhibitor' we developed is directly linked to the MEIS protein and weakens the bond between the MEIS protein and the DNA. The drug is thus makes cancer cells stop using the MEIS protein and the DNA."

"We Carried Out Animal Experiments"

Noting that this drug has been studied on the four "on silico", "in vitro", "in vivo" and "ex vivo" stages in terms of the effects of this drug on cancer, Assoc. Dr. Fatih Kocabaş said "In the final phase of 'Ex vivo' studies, we have taken human stem cells and cancer cells and have tried it in the laboratory. We did not experiment directly on humans. We have not yet tested the drug-built MEIS inhibitors in mice cancer models. At this stage, this is not possible and right as well.

In order to realize these, MEIS inhibitors have to be produced in high quantity and therefore be invested in."

A Versatile Invention

Emphasizing that he has been working on the MEIS protein for about 10 years and that MEIS inhibitors have other effects, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fatih Kocabaş continued:

"The MEIS protein is used in different parts of the body for different purposes. Since the MEIS protein is a protein with multifunctional effects, the drug-based MEIS inhibitor we have developed is also a versatile invention. The MEIS protein should not normally be in the cancerous cell. Despite being a useful protein in the cell, cancer is taking use of this MEIS protein used by the root cell and growing it for itself. "

It Rejuvenates the Heart, and Boosts Blood Structure

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fatih Kocabas noted that in experiments with healthy mice they found that the MEIS inhibitor enhanced blood formation. He said "We have observed that another effect may be on the heart muscle. We have shown in a study published in Nature, one of the world's best science magazines that the MEIS protein also inhibits repair in the heart's damaged tissue. The effect to the heart is, in general, to rejuvenate it and increase the heart muscle,"

"Cancer Cells Love Sugar"

"Cancer cells love sugar," Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kocabaş said, explaining that the MEIS protein was growing using DNA interaction, even if it was not oxygen. Kocabaş said, "When we inhibit this protein, we prevent the cancer cells from metabolizing and therefore growing and strengthening."

A Target-specific Drug

Pointing out that the drug-based MEIS inhibitor is one of the target-specific drugs, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fatih Kocabaş said:

"The protein it targets is especially the MEIS protein. This protein is mostly seen in high numbers in blood cancer. The carcinogenic properties of the MEIS protein are well-known. Therefore, it attracted the attention of companies such as Gilead Sciences and they supported us from Turkey for the first time to use drug made MEIS inhibitors in blood cancer and pancreatic cancer studies. In future studies, MEIS inhibitors are planned to be tested in all types of cancer."