Ceren YiImaz

Visiting Fulbright Fellow

I am from Ankara, Turkey. I obtained my M.D. degree from Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine. My curiosity in regenerative medicine encouraged me to pursue a Ph.D. on Stem Cell Sciences at Hacettepe University, Graduate School of Health Sciences in 2018 meanwhile working as an emergency medicine practitioner doctor. I am awarded a Fulbright Ph.D. Dissertation Researh Grant and joined Truskey Lab in January 2021. I am currently working on two projects, one is focused on inducing differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to endothelial cells (ECs) by CRISPR/dCas9 based activation of synthetic transcriptional factors, the other one is understanding the effects of branched chain amino acids on the function of ECs and vascular smooth muscle cells.

My dissertation research is focused on creating a tissue-engineered blood vessel model of vascular malformations using human iPSC-derived vascular cells to be applied in a microphysiological system for investigating pathophysiology and screening drugs. I am enthusiastic to become a scientist-clinician who aspires to discover effective regenerative and restorative strategies for the treatment of vascular anomalies throughout my future career. I enjoy playing flute, singing, drawing and doing yoga in my spare time.

Contact Information

• Email Address: ceren.yilmaz@duke.edu