News

As part of the High School Summer Camp, we were delighted to welcome internship students to the Genotoxicity Laboratory of the Department of Pharmaceutical Toxicology at the Faculty of Pharmacy.

Over the course of two weeks, the students had the opportunity to observe and participate in fundamental laboratory practices in the field of toxicology. Under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Semra Şardaş, and with the support of Academic Expert Zübeyde Merve Kala, as well as our project students and Faculty of Pharmacy alumni Esmanur Kuzucu and Melek Aşlamacı, the participants broadened their scientific perspectives through this productive program.

We take great pride in hosting the future scientists at our faculty and wish them every success in their academic journeys.

The research article titled “Isolation, Characterization, and Wound Healing Potential of β-D-Glucan from Lycoperdon pyriforme Schaeff” by Dr. Elif Yavuz Dokgöz, Head of the Department of Biochemistry at Istinye University Faculty of Pharmacy, has been published in ChemistryOpen (Q2; IF: 3.1) journal.

The study benefited from valuable contributions by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayça Bal Öztürk and Dr. Onur Şahin from our faculty, as well as Dr. Meltem Güleç from the Faculty of Pharmacy at Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa. Burçin İzbudak, MSc. provided support.

In the study, the structural properties of β-D-glucan obtained from Lycoperdon pyriforme mushrooms collected in their natural environment in Sultan Murat Highlands, Trabzon-Çaykara, were examined and characterized. In cell culture studies, it was revealed that this natural compound accelerates cell migration, exhibits hemostatic effects, and contributes to the wound healing process.
We congratulate the research team for their valuable scientific contributions and wish them continued success.

Article Link:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40717328/
https://doi.org/10.1002/open.202500131

The Health Literacy Club has proudly published its very first digital magazine on July 25, 2025, created entirely by students.
In this special issue, you'll find:
* An in-depth interview with Prof. Dr. Tayfun Uzbay focusing on Mental Health,
* Highlights and reflections on the club’s health-themed activities and awareness projects throughout the year,
* Original student articles centered around the main theme: Longevity – Living a Long and Healthy Life.

Prepared entirely on a voluntary basis, this magazine aims to promote health literacy, make scientific knowledge accessible to the public, and encourage student creativity and engagement.
We congratulate our students for their exemplary work.
📌 Read the full issue here: https://online.fliphtml5.com/wfkzn/xuaw/
📅 Publication Date: July 25, 2025
👩‍🏫 Faculty Advisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. İnci Kayın
👩‍🏫Club Coordinator: Nil Müftüoğlu

Faculty of Pharmacy member, Asst. Prof. Dr. Levent ALPARSLAN participated as a speaker in the live broadcast program as Nesrin İçli İle Perspektif on the "Business Channel TV" YouTube Channel.

İstinye University Faculty of Pharmacy Faculty Member Assoc. Prof. Dr. İnci Kayın and our Alumni Pharm. Yasemin Çoşkun and Pharm. Buse Aleyna Usta and Dr Bülent Ediz’s research article titled "Awareness About the Effects of Access to Information, Diet and Exercise on Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Descriptive Study in Turkey",has been published in the journal "Literatür Eczacılık Bilimleri" April edition.

Article access link:
https://www.turkiyeklinikleri.com/article/tr-awareness-about-the-effects-of-access-to-information-diet-and-exercise-on-primary-dysmenorrhea-a-descriptive-study-in-turkiye-111295.html

On March 26, 2025, the Health Literacy Club, led by students from the Istinye University Faculty of Pharmacy, organized a webinar titled “Contraceptive Methods in Women’s Health: Approaches from a Doctor and Pharmacist Perspective” in collaboration with the Medical Students Association.
The webinar provided a scientific and multidisciplinary perspective on oral contraceptives, covering key topics such as:
The relationship between oral contraceptives and cancer based on current scientific evidence
The long-term effects of oral contraceptive use on health
The history of oral contraceptives and their role in modern healthcare
Access to oral contraceptives in Turkey and an evaluation from a health literacy perspective
The role of pharmacists: Patient counseling, awareness initiatives, and improving accessibility
This event not only helped health science students gain evidence-based knowledge about contraceptive methods but also brought together expert perspectives from different disciplines, offering participants a comprehensive understanding of the topic.
We extend our gratitude to all students, academics, and healthcare professionals who participated in the webinar. Our faculty remains committed to supporting initiatives that enhance scientific knowledge and social awareness among our students.

Head of the Department of Biochemistry at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Asst. Prof. Dr. Elif YAVUZ DOKGÖZ has been assigned to the Working Groups of the COST Action titled “International networking on in vitro colon models simulating gut microbiota mediated interactions (INFOGUT)'' with the number CA23110.
Detailed information about the working group can be accessed from the link below.
https://www.cost.eu/actions/CA23110/

The 'Peer Mentorship Program' organized by the İstinye University Health Literacy Club held its introductory meeting for first-year students of the Faculty of Pharmacy.
The program aims to connect experienced mentors from various fields with new students to guide them in their academic and personal development. During the meeting, the structure and objectives of the program were discussed, mentors shared their experiences and mentees were informed about the areas in which they could receive support.
We extend our gratitude to mentors Kutay Kırımlı, Harun Doğukan Çağlar, Melek Aşlamacı, Kadir Tuğrul Çakmaktaş and Health Literacy Club President Nil Müftüoğlu for their contributions. We look forward to a productive and enriching mentorship journey.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Anmar Hasan Kashkool Al-Taie's book chapter titled "Clinical Implications And Interprofessional Collaboration Of Taxane-Related Lymphedema In Breast Cancer Patients " has been published.

Article link:
https://iksadyayinevi.com/home/multidisciplinary-approach-in-medical-science-v/

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Anmar Hasan Kashkool Al-Taie's review article titled "Scoping review: Machine learning interventions in the management of healthcare systems" has been published in journal of "Digital Health".

Article link:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20552076221144095

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Anmar Hasan Kashkool Al-Taie's research article titled "Assessment of the Potential Impact of Mycophenolate Mofetil on Lowering Renal Biomarkers in Patients with Class III Lupus Nephritis: A Pilot Study to Predict Renal Function Progress" has been published in journal of "Biomedical and Biotechnology Research Journal".

Article link:
https://journals.lww.com/bbrj/fulltext/2024/08030/assessment_of_the_potential_impact_of.15.aspx

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Anmar Hasan Kashkool Al-Taie's research article titled "Assessment of Knowledge of Cancer Risk Factors and Awareness of Early Cancer Warning Signs among University Students" has been published in journal of " Clinical and Experimental Health Sciences".

Article link:
https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/clinexphealthsci/issue/82986/1235753

A Cosmetics Workshop was held with the participation of Croda company, organized by Dr. Ece Özkan Bülbül who is Head of the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology at İstinye University Faculty of Pharmacy. Our students successfully completed their anti-aging, glass skin or special gel creams for dark circles around the eyes with perfumes of their own choice.

Our Faculty of Pharmacy member Assoc. Prof. Dr. İnci Kayın has been selected to the Top Reviewer 2024 list in the journal "Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy".

İstinye University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Faculty Members of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayça Bal Öztürk and Dr. Betül Giray's research article titled "Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Selenium Nanoparticles: Bioactivity Insights" has been published in the journal "ChemistrySelect".

Manuscript access link:

https://chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/slct.202404483

İstinye University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Faculty Members of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayça Bal Öztürk and Dr. Betül Giray's research article titled "Biocompatible silver nanoparticles from apricot kernel skin: a green synthesis approach to antibacterial and antiangiogenic therapies" has been published in the journal "Chemical Papers".

Manuscript access link:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11696-024-03793-9

The webinar was organized together with ISUPA Club under the leadership of İstinye University Health Literacy Club and was moderated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. İnci Kayın, Istinye University 2023-2024 graduate Pharmacist Psychologist Elif Kaya and Health Literacy Club President Nil Müftüoğlu successfully shared their phenomenological research experiences, ethics committee and TUBİTAK 2209A application processes with the participants through their presentations. We congratulate them.

EUROTOX (European Society of Toxicology) has established a scientific committee with toxicologists selected from European countries who have education, skills, experience and superior professional standards and has appointed our faculty of pharmacy, head of the department of Toxicology, Prof. Dr. Semra Şardaş, as a member of the EUROTOX scientific committee to represent Turkey.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Anmar AL-TAIE participated in the international congress "52nd conference of the European Society of Clinical Pharmacy (ESCP)" held in Kraków, Poland, with his study "Implementing and scaling of sustainable Clinical Pharmacy".

Congress access link:
https://escpweb.org/escp_events/escp-krakow-symposium-2024/

İstinye University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Faculty Members of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayça BAL ÖZTÜRK’s research article titled " Mitoxantrone Release from Fmoc-Protected Amino Acids Coated Magnetic Carbon Nanotubes: Computational and Experimental Study for Cancer Treatment" has been published in the journal “Journal of Drug Delivery Science and Technology".

Article access link:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1773224724009602

İstinye University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Faculty Members of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayça BAL ÖZTÜRK’s research article titled " Preparation and In Vitro Evaluation of Montelukast Sodium-Loaded 3D Printed Orodispersible Films for the Treatment of Asthma" has been published in the journal “AAPS PharmSciTech".

Article access link:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1208/s12249-024-02938-z

İstinye University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Faculty Members of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayça BAL ÖZTÜRK’s research article titled " Developing multifunctional pectin-based hydrogel for wound dressing: In silico, in vitro and in vivo evaluation" has been published in the journal “European Polymer Journal".

Article access link:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S001430572400541X

İstinye University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Faculty Members of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayça BAL ÖZTÜRK’s research article titled " Antibacterial, Antioxidant, and Healing Potential of Wound Dressings Utilizing Cranberry Extract in Combination with Methacrylated Polyvinyl Alcohol and Methacrylated Sericin" has been published in the journal " Regenerative Engineering and Translational Medicine".

Article access link:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40883-024-00346-0

İstinye University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Faculty Members of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayça BAL ÖZTÜRK’s research article titled "The comparison of contribution of GO and rGO produced by green synthesis to the properties of CMC-based wound dressing material" has been published in the journal "International Journal of Biological Macromolecules".

Article access link:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0141813024033269

İstinye University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Faculty Members of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayça BAL ÖZTÜRK’s review article titled " Hydrogel Biomaterial in Bone Tissue Engineering" has been published in the journal " Biomaterial-based Hydrogels".

Article access link:
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-99-8826-6_14

İstinye University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Faculty Members of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayça BAL ÖZTÜRK’s review article titled "Molecular Separation by Using Active and Passive Microfluidic chip Designs: A Comprehensive Review" has been published in the journal "Advanced Materials Interfaces".

Article access link:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/admi.202300492

İstinye University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Faculty Members of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayça BAL ÖZTÜRK’s research article titled " Innovative approaches in skin therapy: bionanocomposites for skin tissue repair and regeneration" has been published in the journal " Materials Advances".

Article access link:
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2024/ma/d4ma00384e

İstinye University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Faculty Members of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayça BAL ÖZTÜRK’s research article titled "Mikroakışkan Çiplere Kök Hücre ve Doku Mühendisliği Perspektifinden Bakış" has been published in the journal "Politeknik Dergisi".

Article access link:
https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/politeknik/issue/83819/1094010

İstinye University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Faculty Members of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayça BAL ÖZTÜRK’s research article titled "Biocompatibility and toxicity challenges of nanomaterials" has been published in the journal " Functionalized Nanomaterials for Cancer Research ".

Article access link:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780443155185000197

İstinye University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Faculty Members of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayça BAL ÖZTÜRK’s research article titled "Microwave-assisted hydrothermal green synthesis of selenium nanoparticles incorporated with hyaluronic acid methacrylate/gelatin methacrylate hydrogels for wound healing applications" has been published in the journal "Polymer Engineering & Science".

Article access link:
https://4spepublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/pen.26549