Prof. Dr. Selim Ünlü Explains: All Viruses Will Be Visible in a Single Drop of Blood!

Prof. Dr. Selim Ünlü, who conducts his scientific work at Boston University, was a guest of Bahçeşehir University to share his research and research methods. The scientist, a recipient of the TÜBİTAK Special Award, presented the projects that brought him success at the conference. Ünlü had been granted this award for his work enabling much faster data transmission and increased detector sensitivity through a new method he applied to photodetectors that convert light into electronic information in telecommunications.

Prof. Dr. Selim Ünlü, a Boston University faculty member who has earned a well-deserved worldwide reputation for his pioneering research in protein detection in biology and nanometer-scale imaging of biomolecules, told academics and students about inexpensive and reliable virus diagnosis methods that can detect many diseases at the same time, replacing the expensive and time-consuming tests performed separately for each disease risk.

"You can only work with viruses such as Ebola, Marburg and Lassa in special laboratories. For convenience, model viruses that resemble the viruses of these diseases, such as VSV, can be used. By manipulating some of the proteins on their surface, we can reach all three. We are developing a method to do this. We set out with the idea that if we can see a single virus, we can increase our sensitivity. The source we use to see the virus is light. We can measure virus sizes within one minute. We can also measure the shape of nanoscale particles. We claim that we can see this in a single drop of blood," said Prof. Dr. Selim Ünlü, who also described blood as "a sewer system."

Bahçeşehir University President Prof. Dr. Şenay Yalçın, who also spoke at the conference, said, "We have seen where the simple laws of basic sciences can be used. We are also establishing a research center in the field of Life Sciences. Boston University is welcoming our master's and doctoral students with open arms" .

At the end of the conference, Prof. Selim Ünlü, who said, "Scientific work is not bound to a single discipline or country. I am proud to share my projects with Bahçeşehir University" , was presented with two of our university's widely acclaimed publications, "Bilinmeyen Türkler" (Unknown Turks) and "Batı'ya Doğru Akan Nehir" (The River Flowing to the West). Ünlü received these gifts from Prof. Dr. Erol Sezer, a faculty member of the Bahçeşehir University Faculty of Engineering, whose student he once was. Of his professor, Prof. Selim Ünlü said, "I learned a great deal from him" .