Research led by Asst. Prof. Serkan Kır, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, which studies ways to prevent muscle loss that significantly impacts the quality of life in cancer patients, has been published in Nature Magazine.

Serkan Kır, along with his doctoral students Şevval Nur Bilgiç and Aylin Domaniku, aims to comprehend the development of cachexia, a common syndrome characterized by weight loss in cancer patients, and mainly works to prevent skeletal muscle loss associated with cachexia by developing new molecular solutions. The study has revealed a new molecular pathway involved in muscle atrophy. The fact that the activities of some components of this molecular pathway can be altered by drug usage indicates a strong potential for treating muscle loss.

The research team believes that this newly discovered molecular pathway could also play a role in complications leading to muscle loss, such as muscular dystrophy diseases and age-related muscle loss called sarcopenia, beyond cachexia. In their subsequent studies, the team plans to explore the roles of the relevant protein targets in other muscle loss disorders.