The 3rd AnkaTheraHub Scientific Meeting Held in Ankara Focused on Cancer and the Environment
The 3rd Scientific Meeting organized as part of the technical assistance project of AnkaTheraHub project took place on October 2, 2024, at the Ankara University. This international event, titled “The Relationship Between Air Quality, Polluting Molecules and Cancer-Causing Mutations” brought together esteemed figures from the academic world.
After the opening speech by Assist. Prof. Dr. Aşan Bacak (Technical and Analytical Coordinator of AnkaTheraHub), the Vice Chancellor of Ankara University, Prof. Dr. Kaan Orhan, welcomed the participants and emphasized that such scientific events benefit universities and society significantly.
The first presentation was delivered by Prof. Dr. Hakan Akbulut, Director of AnkaTheraHub (Ankara, TR). In his talk titled “How Pollutants Cause Cancer” he addressed the types of cancer and the negative effects of pollutant molecules on human health, in particular those produced by smoking cigarettes.
Prof. Dr. Dudley Shallcross from the Bristol University Chemistry School (UK) highlighted the strong connection between air pollution and cancer in his talk titled “The Relation Between Atmospheric Pollution and Cancer” sharing international studies in this field.
Prof. Dr. Gonca Çakmak from Gazi University (Ankara, TR) presented on “Molecular Epidemiology Studies in Children’s Environmental Health” explaining that children are more sensitive to environmental pollutants and discussing the long-term effects of these pollutants on children’s health.
Another important speaker, Prof. Dr. Eftade Gaga from Eskişehir Technical University (TR), drew attention to the role of chemicals in air pollution and their effects on human health in her presentation titled “The Air We Breathe Indoors and Outdoors: A Cocktail of Chemicals, Including Plastics”.
After a break, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Cemal Saydam from Hacettepe University (Ankara, TR) connected online to present “The Effects of Saharan Dust on Human Health”.
Following this, Prof. Dr. Ömer Yavaş from Ankara University (TR) presented the “Importance of Particle Accelerators and Radiation Technologies for Life-Science Research” describing studies that open new horizons for the use of these advanced technologies in the field of health sciences.
The event concluded with a comprehensive presentation by Dr. Cafer Yıldırım from the Ankara University (TR) on “EU Funding Opportunities and Bursaries”, after which participants, moderated by Dr. Aşan Bacak, directed their questions to the speakers and shared their own knowledge and experiences.
The event brought together prominent figures from the scientific community conducting significant research in various disciplines such as Cancer, Physics, Pharmacology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences, paving the way for increased scientific collaborations. The meeting opened new paths for collaborations between the Ankara University Cancer Research Institute, AnkaTheraHub, and the Bristol University Chemistry School.
During the discussions on scientific collaborations, the Atmosphere and Environmental Chemistry Laboratory led by Dr. Bacak, the AnkaTheraHub Center led by Prof. Dr. Akbulut, and the Atmospheric Research Laboratory led by Prof. Dr. Shallcross formed a scientific partnership protocol[1] to better understand the effects of pollutants in indoor environments.
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