A Breakthrough Discovery by Prof. Dr. Murat Günel

Prof. Dr. Murat Günel, Member of the Bahçeşehir University Board of Trustees, who was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Bahçeşehir University, has discovered the gene that distinguishes humans from other species and shapes the human brain, laying the groundwork for the formation of intelligence.

The discovery of the gene named laminin-gamma3, which plays an important role in the formation of the brain, is critical for preventing brain diseases through preventive medicine. It is also thought that the discovery of such genes may pave the way for finding treatments for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, which affect the brain later in life.

Prof. Dr. Murat Günel, Member of the Bahçeşehir University Board of Trustees, Chief of the Section of Neurovascular Surgery and Director of the Neurogenetics Program at Yale University, stated that until now it was not known how the surface folds that give the human brain its typical appearance are formed.

Stating that these folds, one of the most distinctive and important features of the human brain, have been shown to be the secret behind the development of human intelligence by increasing the surface area of the brain, Günel noted that the genes involved in the formation of these folds had not been found until now.

Günel announced that the team he leads, in cooperation with Türkiye, has discovered a new gene that distinguishes humans from other species and shapes the human brain, laying the groundwork for the formation of intelligence. Dr. Hande Kaymakçalan, a Bahçeşehir University faculty member who completed her specialization in medical genetics at Yale, is among those who supported the study.