Orhan Adalı

Orhan Adalı is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Middle East Technical University (METU). His research focuses on drug metabolism, environmental toxicology, and genetic polymorphisms influencing disease susceptibility. He holds a B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. from METU, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at NIH. His work integrates molecular biology techniques to study cytochrome P450 (CYP) and flavin monooxygenase (FMO) enzymes, particularly their roles in carcinogenesis, diabetes, and neurological disorders like multiple sclerosis. He has advised 64 theses and published over 100 papers, with notable studies on probiotic-drug interactions, CYP enzyme regulation, and vitamin D metabolism in disease contexts. His research also explores the pharmacogenetic implications of genetic variants in Turkish populations.

• Education:
• B.Sc. (1980), M.Sc. (1983), Ph.D. (1988) in Biology/Biochemistry, METU
• Postdoc (1997), NIH, USA

Research Interests:

• CYP and FMO enzyme systems in drug metabolism and carcinogen activation
• Genetic polymorphisms in CYP, FMO, and paraoxonase genes linked to diseases (stroke, cancer, diabetes)
• Vitamin D metabolism and its role in multiple sclerosis
• Probiotic interactions with cancer cells and antioxidant mechanisms
• Plant-derived compounds (e.g., tannic acid, ellagic acid) as modulators of xenobiotic enzymes

Recent Research Trends: Recent articles emphasize probiotic-drug interactions in cancer therapy, CYP2W1’s role in tumorigenesis, and plant extracts’ anti-inflammatory effects. His work bridges basic enzyme studies with clinical implications in personalized medicine and disease prevention.

Academic Contributions: With 104 publications and 710+ citations, Prof. Adalı has led 56 research projects. His lab explores molecular mechanisms underlying drug efficacy and toxicity, contributing to pharmacogenetic insights for precision healthcare.