Academic year at ITU begins with opening lecture by Prof. Dr. Aziz Sancar

The ceremony held at the ITU Süleyman Demirel Cultural Center began with a moment of silence and the singing of the National Anthem. During the event, the ITU Turkish Music State Conservatory Ensemble performed a selection of Turkish music. Nobel laureate Turkish scientist Prof. Dr. Aziz Sancar delivered the opening lecture titled "A Potential Candidate for Brain Cancer Treatment."

Following the speech, ITU Rector Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal presented a commemorative gift to Sancar. Prof. Dr. Mandal and Prof. Dr. Sancar then presented certificates of congratulations to the students who enrolled at ITU with the highest scores in the 2024 Higher Education Institutions Examination.

At the ceremony, the ITU Turkish Music State Conservatory Ensemble performed a Turkish music concert. Nobel laureate Turkish scientist Prof. Dr. Aziz Sancar delivered the opening lecture titled "A Potential Candidate for Brain Cancer Treatment." Following the speech, ITU Rector Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal presented a commemorative gift to Sancar.

Prof. Dr. Mandal and Prof. Dr. Sancar subsequently presented certificates of congratulations to the students who enrolled at ITU with the highest scores in the 2024 Higher Education Institutions Examination (YKS). During the ceremony, awards were also presented to faculty members who received the 2024 TUBA-TEKNOFEST Doctoral Science Awards. In a statement to journalists regarding the ceremony, ITU Rector Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal expressed his wishes for a successful 2024-2025 academic year.

Stating that the academic year opening at universities is the most important meeting point of that year, and even the future of the university, Mandal said, "We held our academic year opening in the first year of my rectorship with the participation of Prof. Dr. Aziz Sancar, a scientist of Turkey, whom we all take as an example and are proud of, who works day and night not just to receive awards, but to use science for humanity." Prof. Dr. Mandal stated that Aziz Sancar is a lover of Turkey, the Turkic states, and the Turkic republics, adding, "But at the same time, he is a good scientist. The field he works in, especially these days—if you paid attention to his presentation today, none of it had been published. So what does this mean? In fact, many scientists publish their work in articles after they have completed it." Expressing that the information Aziz Sancar presented today were results that had come out of his laboratory for the first time, Mandal continued as follows:

"The professor's work has a major solution aimed at preventing brain cancer, brain tumors—that is, preventing cancer, first by slowing it down and then by stopping it. He is a professor who made the discovery of using a known molecule, known as 'EDU,' for this purpose. Our professor is currently testing this on special mice, and as we heard from his remarks just a moment ago, it is progressing quite successfully. The professor is conducting his studies in detail, comparing them with other molecules. He is trying to combine them with other molecules simultaneously and is working to create the ideal conditions for application. As I said, this is currently progressing quite successfully in special mice. The professor is leaving here, will return to America, go to his laboratory, and work to create a solution for humanity."