Mersin University Achieves Scientific Breakthrough: Patent Process Begins for 4 New Inventions

Our university continues to register its innovative studies that generate scientific and technological value. The Intellectual Property Rights Board, chaired by our Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Hakan Öztürk, met on July 6, 2026, and took the first step to initiate the patent process for four inventions.

The meeting, coordinated by the Technology Transfer Office (TTO), included Prof. Dr. Rükan Genç Altürk, Prof. Dr. Seyhan Şahan Fırat, Prof. Dr. Caner Özdemir, Prof. Dr. Suphan Karaytuğ, Prof. Dr. Nadir Dizge, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fahri Özsungur, and the Intellectual and Industrial Property Rights Officer, Ramazan Duman.

The first study evaluated by the Board was the invention titled “Protein O-Fucosyltransferase 1 (POFUT1) Target Inhibitors and Their Potential Use in Cancer Treatment,” developed in collaboration with Mersin University, Atatürk University, Erzurum Technical University, Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University, and Koç University.

This discovery, bearing the signature of a team including Prof. Dr. Öztekin Algül, a faculty member at Mersin University Faculty of Pharmacy and also the Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy at Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University, aims to provide a solution to the clinical need in the early-stage diagnosis of head and neck cancers.

Providing information on the subject, Prof. Dr. Öztekin Algül stated that in head and neck tumors, which are among the most common types of cancer with 700,000 cases annually globally, there has not been a significant increase in overall survival rates in recent years due to advanced-stage diagnosis. Emphasizing that despite advances in surgical and radiotherapy techniques, primary lesion recurrence is frequently observed, Prof. Dr. Algül noted that with this discovery, they focused on the POFUT1 gene, which is the root cause of cancer. Algül stated, “Within the scope of our invention, POFUT1 inhibitors were synthesized. A new molecule library with high anticancer activity, previously unreported in the literature, was created. Syntheses were carried out in three groups through molecular docking and optimization studies. In vitro and in vivo activity studies of the compounds were completed.”

Environmental Engineering: Waste Management and Recycling Technologies

Other innovative studies highlighted at the meeting were projects developed by Prof. Dr. Nadir Dizge and his team from the Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering.

The invention titled “Phosphorus and Nitrogen Recovery by Electrochemical MAP Crystallization Based on Activated Carbon Fabric Electrode,” prepared by Prof. Dr. Nadir Dizge and researcher Dr. Zelal Işık, initiates a new era in environmental technologies. This invention enables the nucleation and growth of crystals directly on the electrode surface using Mg2+ ions produced by magnesium anode dissolution on the activated carbon fabric electrode surface.

Prof. Dr. Nadir Dizge, Assoc. Dr. Another invention, bearing the signatures of Hüdaverdi Arslan and Dr. Zelal Işık, is "Slow-Release Fertilizer Produced from Waste Tomato Stem Ash via Phosphoric Acid Activation and Production Method," developed for the agricultural sector.

An Environmentally Friendly Step with Carbon Capture Technology

The latest invention, developed by Prof. Dr. Nadir Dizge together with researcher Pınar Belibağlı, is titled "Biodegradable Alginate Composite Beads Suitable for Atmospheric CO2 Capture and Soil Utilization." This innovative work aims to develop biodegradable, Ca(OH)2 immobilized alginate-based composite beads that can passively or with very low energy consumption reduce the carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration in indoor air.