Dr. Burçak Alp, an Assistant Professor at İzmir University of Economics, redirected her scientific focus to tendon research after suffering a tendon injury during her PhD studies in the UK. She now aims to develop an artificial tendon within two years.
A graduate of Hacettepe University's Department of Food Engineering, Dr. Alp went to the UK in 1998 to pursue her doctoral studies.
She began working as a research assistant at the Tissue Engineering Department of University College London and, following her tendon injury, decided to concentrate her research in this area.
Dr. Alp intensified her studies with a group of scientists and produced collagen using ostrich legs. The research team obtained a patent in the UK for this collagen at the time.
In 2014, she returned to Turkey and began working at the Biomedical Engineering Department of İzmir University of Economics. Together with Prof. Dr. Murat Bengisu and Asst. Prof. Dr. Işınay Ebru Yüzay, she now aims to develop an artificial tendon within two years.
In a statement, Dr. Alp said:
"In treating tendon injuries, a healthy tendon segment is usually harvested from another part of the body and transferred to the injured area. This requires an additional operation, causing extra stress and pain for the patient. There is no guarantee that the transplanted tissue will yield successful results. That’s why we aim to develop artificial tendon tissue in a laboratory setting within two years."
Dr. Alp explained that their goal is to combine the produced collagen with 3D bioprinting technology to create a material that mimics tendon structure in the lab. After adding cells to this base, they hope to obtain a fully functional artificial tendon. She added that she is currently training her students in 3D bioprinting techniques and aims to produce a tendon-like material within two years.
Sharing her wish to continue the research she started in the UK in her home country, she said:
"Our work is highly comprehensive. Returning to Turkey was always on my mind. In fact, there are many scientists who would return to Turkey if given the right opportunity."
Prof. Dr. Murat Bengisu, who supports Dr. Alp’s work, also emphasized their goal of using the bioprinting method to produce tendons from collagen.
He added:
"3D bioprinting systems have been studied for a long time. One of the advantages of this method is the ability to replicate naturally growing structures starting from small units. Printing with live cells has already begun. This is exactly what our research is focused on."
Source: NTV