PolyDenGels
We are proud to announce that Tuana Seray YILDIRIM, PhD researcher in Biotechnology, has been awarded the TÜBİTAK 2214-A International Research Fellowship to conduct six months of doctoral research at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, focusing on innovative liposome–cryogel systems for cancer therapy.
We are proud to announce that our GLIOGEL project has been selected as a finalist in the “3T in Oncology” category at the TEKNOFEST 2026 Şanlıurfa Finals. GLIOGEL is an innovative biomaterial developed to help in the fight against glioblastoma, and we look forward to presenting our project at the finals in Şanlıurfa!
The 26th Polymer Networks Group Meeting is a prestigious biennial congress that brings together leading scientists working on crosslinked polymer systems, gels, elastomers, and advanced soft materials. This year’s meeting will take place in Dresden on June 21–25, 2026, offering an inspiring platform for high-level scientific exchange and collaboration.
We are proud to share that Prof. Dr. Oğuz Okay and our supervisor Prof. Dr. Deniz Ceylan have been invited as speakers at this prestigious international event.
https://png2026.ipfdd.de/home/sessions/bio-medical-applications/
İnal Köse from the Biotechnology Master’s Program successfully defended his thesis entitled “Gel Production via Distillation Precipitation Polymerization.”
We sincerely congratulate him on his hard work and achievement, and we would also like to thank the jury members for their valuable contributions.
We are proud of you, İnal!
My PhD student, Alime Sarıkaya, has successfully earned her doctoral degree following an excellent thesis defense. I would like to thank all jury members, participants, and everyone who contributed to this work. A Special thanks to Dr. Aslıhan Arğun for her valuable contribution to shaping the idea.
This study was conducted within the scope of a TÜBİTAK 1001 project. We also gratefully acknowledge TÜBİTAK and Bezmialem Vakıf University for their valuable support and resources.
Congratulations to her, and I wish her continued success in her academic journey.
Within the scope of the project numbered 224N769, titled “Lipid Replacement Therapy Using Topical Acylceramide Nanostructured Delivery Systems for Patients with Congenital Ichthyosis,” and under the TÜBİTAK STAR Program, Nil Azra Aytekin, a second-year undergraduate student at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Bezm-i Âlem Vakıf University, is participating in the project as an undergraduate scholarship researcher within the PolyDenGels research team. Through this support, the student will actively contribute to the research and development activities conducted throughout the project period.
A member of the Polydengels team, Tuana Seray Yıldırım, has been accepted to the 2214/A—International Doctoral Research Fellowship Program and awarded a 6-month research scholarship at Sapienza University of Rome.
Her research project, titled “Design of Multifunctional Cationic Liposome–Cryogel Hybrids as Smart Carrier Systems for Combined Cancer Therapy”, will focus on the design of advanced hybrid carrier systems for innovative cancer treatment approaches.
We congratulate Tuana Seray Yıldırım and wish her success during her research period.
Crosslinked 2025, held on 24 November 2024 (Teachers’ Day in Türkiye), brought together leading researchers working on crosslinked polymers and hydrogel systems to celebrate the 70th birthday of Prof. Dr. Oğuz Okay, the mentor of our mentor, honoring his ongoing and impactful contributions to polymer science.
The event, which began with opening remarks delivered by Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal, Rector of Istanbul Technical University, featured invited talks by Prof. Dr. Heikki Tenhu and Prof. Dr. Vladimir I. Lozinsky, as well as prominent Turkish scientists, including Prof. Dr. Yıldırım Erbil, Prof. Dr. Nurettin Şahiner, and Prof. Dr. Amitav Sanyal.
The workshop was organized under the presidency of Prof. Dr. Deniz Ceylan and coordinated by researchers from Prof. Dr. Oğuz Okay’s research group. The PolyDenGels team served as members of the Organizing Committee.
PolyDenGels 