Assoc. Prof. S. Sibel Erdem

[email protected]

Sibel Erdem received a B.S. degree in Chemical Education from Marmara University. She then earned her Ph.D. degree in Bioorganic/Biochemistry at the Louisiana State University where her research focused on the development of new synthetic method for the synthesis of near-IR fluorophores and fluorescence based assays for diverse applications from single gene mutation detection in DNA to monitoring inhibitor/activator action on therapeutic targets. After completion of her graduate studies she has accepted a postdoctoral fellowship position at the Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in 2009. During her postdoctoral studies she worked in two different centers at the HMS. In the first phase of her postdoctoral studies, Dr. Erdem joined Dr. Jason McCarthy’s laboratory in the Center for Systems Biology at HMS and MGH. She has become immersed in preparation of drug delivery vehicles decorated with light-activated molecules for detection and treatment of cardiovascular diseases using photodynamic therapy. After completion of her studies, she joined to Dr. Tayyaba Hasan’s laboratory in the department of Wellman Center for Photomedicine at HMS and MGH, where she worked on the development of fluorescent probes for point-of–care system to determine beta lactamase resistance and antibiotic susceptibility of the pathogens as well as preparation of activatable immunoconjugates for photodynamic therapy based selective treatment and monitoring of disseminated cancer micrometastases.

Dr. Erdem is currently holding a faculty position in the Department of Medical Biochemistry in the International School of Medicine. Her main research interests are: targeted drugs and nanoparticle based drug delivery systems for photodynamic therapy of cancer, biomarker based fluorescent probes for detection and treatment of cancer and other diseases, Light activated molecules for medical applications