Ilyas Chachoua

Dr. Ilyas Chachoua is an Assistant Professor in the MBG department at Bilkent University, where he leads research on 3D chromatin organization in hematological malignancies. His academic journey includes foundational training in biochemistry and molecular oncology across Algeria, Ukraine, Belgium, and Sweden.

Education:

• Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, Setif University, Algeria (2008)
• Master's degree, Taurida National University, Ukraine (2010)
• PhD, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium (2017)

Research Focus: Dr. Chachoua's laboratory investigates two primary areas:

• Gene Gating Mechanisms: Examining how nuclear positioning of genes influences mRNA stability via chromatin remodelers (CTCF, cohesin), nucleoporins, and non-coding RNAs in cancer cells
• Calreticulin Mutants in MPNs: Studying structural and functional impacts of mutant calreticulin on thrombopoietin receptor activation in myeloproliferative neoplasms

Publication Trends: His research outputs in journals like Nature Communications and Blood demonstrate consistent focus on:

• Oncogenic signaling pathways in hematological malignancies
• Three-dimensional genome architecture and transcription regulation
• Structural biology of cancer-associated mutants
• Cross-disciplinary approaches combining molecular biology and biophysics

Laboratory: The research group employs advanced techniques including CRISPR/Cas9, chromatin conformation capture, and confocal microscopy to study nuclear organization in cancer models.