Dr. Irem Culha Taskin

Joining in July 2024, Irem is the new postdoctoral researcher at Dr. Yao's lab. She majored in Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, and during her studies after observing the clinical outcome of various neurological disorders she decided to pursue her career in understanding mechanisms of them further. She earned her masters degree in Physiology from the Yeditepe University, Istanbul and continued her academic journey with a PhD in Neuroscience from Istanbul Medipol University, Istanbul. She is experienced in conducting cutting-edge research in neuroprotection and neurodegenerative disorders, specifically focused on rodent spinal cord injury models. She is equipped with various techniques including confocal microscopy, IHC techniques, surgical techniques along with various cellular and molecular biology methods. During her PhD in Neuroscience, Irem studied the effects of circadian rhythm factor Bmal1's inhibition following experimental spinal cord injury and its effects on neuronal plasticity, regeneration and motor function recovery.

At Dr. Yao's lab, Irem aims to focus on understanding the role of pericytic integrin β1 in maintaining BBB integrity and the pivotal function of pericytes in neurological conditions such as intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO). Integrin β1 regulate the formation and survival of new vessels and is crucial for mediating adhesion between endothelial cells and pericytes, which are essential components of the neurovascular unit along with cerebral microvascular endothelial cells and astrocytes. Pericytes actively regulate vascular permeability at the capillary level in the brain, and their deficiency can lead to immature vessels and increased trans-endothelial permeability, impacting neurological function profoundly.