Our new research detailing the architecture of synaptic vesicle proteins and their engineered water-soluble variants is now published. These proteins are fundamental for neurotransmitter release but remain notoriously difficult to study due to their complex location within the cell membrane. Conducted by Taner Karagöl, Alper Karagöl and Prof. Shuguang Zhang at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, this study focuses on the structural mechanics of key proteins like synapt

It is a profound privilege to be recognized with the 2026 Scientific Research Award in Health Sciences by the Rectorate. Receiving this honor alongside my twin brother and collaborator, Alper Karagöl, makes this milestone particularly meaningful. I am driven by the fundamental desire to decode atomic level protein mechanics and translate those insights into solutions for complex human diseases. Earning this recognition and being presented the award directly by our Rector vali

During our clinical time in London, we (Alper and Taner Karagöl) conducted research with Prof. Galloway. Our work focused on analyzing population-level data to map epidemiological shifts and medication trends across the region. I had the privilege of presenting these findings at the King’s College Hospital Research Update Conference and the Future of Rheumatology conferences. These sessions allowed us to discuss new methods for tracking treatment pathways and understanding pr

Stepping into the Operating Room at Harvard Medical School (BIDMC) means entering one of the most critical and technologically advanced clinical environments in the world. I recently completed an advanced OR observership focusing on Neurosurgery and Head and Neck Surgery, an experience that profoundly shaped my clinical perspective. This immersion was distinct and more focused than a regular clinical rotation. Spending my days in the OR at a premier medical institution allowe

Our new article, accepted in Molecular Genetics and Genomics, investigates how physiological environments and evolutionary pressures shape critical barrier proteins. In this study, we (Alper and Taner Karagöl) explored the structural dynamics of Junctional Adhesion Molecules across 274 mammalian taxa. To decode these adaptations, we developed a multi-scale framework. We merged maximum-likelihood phylogenetic modeling, network topology analysis, and molecular dynamics simulati

I completed a clinical elective in Rheumatology (Internal Medicine) at King's College Hospital and Guy's Hospital in London. Affiliated with King's College London, consistently recognized as one of the premier medical institutions in the United Kingdom, this rotation provided an exceptional environment for advanced medical training and patient care. ​Under the expert supervision of Professor James Galloway, I engaged with the management of complex systemic and autoimmune dis

We (Alper and Taner Karagöl) are engineering a new class of protein surrogates by integrating human pharmacological requirements into evolutionary stable scaffolds. This methodology provides a path to characterize complex proteins like the human intestinal peptide transporter 1 (PepT1), which is essential for oral drug delivery but difficult to study. Our approach establishes a versatile framework for creating high-fidelity models that can be applied to a wide range of pharma

My recent study explores how alternative splicing regulates critical membrane transporters, specifically focusing on serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine transporter assemblies. Proper assembly of these monoamine transporters is essential for neurotransmission, yet the regulatory influence of naturally occurring truncated isoforms on this process remains profoundly underexplored. To decode these atomic-level interactions, we integrated genomics-guided predictions with mass

We have investigated amyloid plaque generation by overcoming the structural and hydrophobic constraints of the γ-secretase complex. We engineered the first fully water-soluble variant of the γ-secretase transmembrane scaffold utilizing the QTY code. Through 250-nanosecond molecular dynamics simulations, we demonstrated that this altered complex preserves its essential helical topology and effectively binds the Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP). We successfully mapped critical r

Google DeepMind recently featured us (Alper and Taner Karagöl) in a milestone post titled "AlphaFold: Five Years of Impact." Authored by Nobel laureates Demis Hassabis and John Jumper, the article recognizes our scientific contributions to. Being highlighted by the developers of this breakthrough technology emphasizes the global impact of our unique research. Our research trajectory began during the pandemic through independent study. Since that time, we have established a fr

Our recent study, "Splice Isoform Induced Selective Inhibition of Vesicular Monoamine Transporter Assembly Revealed by Multi-level Combinatorial Analysis," investigates the regulation of monoamine loading into synaptic vesicles. This process is a rate-limiting step that directly shapes neurotransmission across dopaminergic, serotonergic, and noradrenergic pathways. Vesicular Monoamine Transporters determine synaptic tone and have traditionally been modeled as functioning prim

We recently delivered a talk titled "Designing Molecular Machines for the Next Century of Medicine" at the 29th International Medical Sciences Congress, hosted by Istanbul University. This congress consistently ranks among the premier scientific events in Turkey. The discussion focused on applying computational methodologies to engineer targeted therapeutic interventions. We are pleased to report that two of our students also presented posters detailing the structural biology

I am pleased to share that our comprehensive study on the evolutionary dynamics of membrane alpha-helical proteins has been published in the Journal of Molecular Evolution. The research is titled "Co-evolution of alpha-helical transmembrane protein residues: large-scale variant profiling and complete mutational landscape of 2277 known PDB entries representing 504 unique human protein sequences." The paper details a large-scale analysis of 2277 high-resolution protein structur

I had the privilege of giving a short talk at the Nature Conference: AI for Discovery and Research Automation, an event organized by Nature Machine Intelligence and Nature Communications. This global gathering focused on the transformative role of artificial intelligence in modern science and how it bridges the gap between computational and experimental biology. My presentation, Computational Data Driven Methods in Discovery of Native Neurological Transporter Modulators, deta

We participated in the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) Annual Meeting, Neuroscience 2025 and shared our recent findings through two late-breaking presentations. The first presentation focused on the Computational design of lipid-soluble ApoE N-terminal segment using reverse-QTY code. In this work, we utilized a "reverse-QTY" strategy to computationally engineer lipid-soluble protein segments. This approach allowed us to analyze the N-terminal dynamics of ApoE within a lipid en

The Glutamate Transporter EAA1 is essential for regulating excitatory neurotransmitter levels in the central nervous system. We investigated how alternative splicing influences the structural stability and biophysical behavior of EAA1 peptides. Our work focuses on the molecular triggers that cause these specific splice variants to aggregate. We characterized a significant conformational shift where the peptides transition from a native alpha helical state into beta sheet form

I am honored to receive the Dean’s Award for Scientific Excellence 2025. This recognition is reserved for top-performing students who have demonstrated outstanding research achievements throughout their medical training at the Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine. The award recognizes my research work titled "Developing New Therapeutic Strategies Targeting the Molecular Architecture of Neuronal Transporters." In this project, I focused on analyzing the structural mechanics

I traveled to Geneva, Switzerland, to attend the Sixth International Proteins and Peptides Conference. This gathering was co organized by Menicon, MIT, and the University of Geneva. It was a fantastic environment to engage with the global structural biology community and discuss the latest advances in protein engineering. During the conference, Alper Karagöl and I gave a full talk on two topics. The first was titled Variant Dynamics of the Molecular Environment. In this sessi

Synaptogyrins are vital proteins that regulate neurotransmitter release and synaptic plasticity within synaptic vesicles. Changes in vesicular pH are frequently observed in ageing and neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer's disease, yet the molecular impact on synaptogyrin function has remained largely unexplored. In our latest preprint, my brother Alper Karagöl and I investigated these underlying mechanisms by comparing two closely related isoforms, synaptogyrin 1 and

In our newly published paper, our team explored a way to study the complex structures of seven bacterial alpha-helical integral membrane enzymes, including critical targets like PlsY, PgpB, and Lit from bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Bacillus cereus. These proteins carry out critical catalytic functions in cellular communication, making them essential targets for developing new therapeutic interventions and antimicrobial drugs. However, studying integral membrane prote