Cengizhan Öztürk

Cengizhan Öztürk (MD, Marmara University School of Medicine, 1984; PhD, Biomedical Engineering, Drexel University, 1997) completed his postdoctoral studies at the Medical Imaging Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University (JHU MIL). He joined Boğaziçi University’s Institute of Biomedical Engineering as a faculty member in 2000. Between 2002 and 2008, he worked as a visiting scientist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH, NHLBI - National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute). In addition to his ongoing medical imaging-focused research projects, his recent work emphasizes the development of novel imaging systems and biomedical devices in Turkey, aligned with the principles of “democratizing and making research accessible” (https://xlab.bogazici.edu.tr).

Between 2008 and 2013, Prof. Cengizhan Öztürk served as the coordinator and later as the founding director during the establishment phase of the Center for Life Sciences and Technologies at Boğaziçi University (Boğaziçi LifeSci, https://lifesci.bogazici.edu.tr).  Its Medical Device Development Laboratory operates an ISO13485 accredited Cleanroom dedicated for in vivo medical devices. Boğaziçi LifeSci’s additional infrastructure include Animal Care and Production Unit (Vivarium), Test-Analysis Unit and a newly established Preclinical Imaging Unit. Boğaziçi LifeSci is currently in its second major development phase, focusing on targeted therapy technologies. Boğaziçi Center for Targeted Therapy Technologies (Boğaziçi CT3) has been established at the end of 2024 with a special national grant (Law 6550), to become not only an academic Center of Excellence in targeted therapies (in vivo devices, specialized cells and targeted nanomedicines) but also a regional hub for its translation into clinics and economic value.

Since 2014, Dr. Öztürk was working as the founding coordinator of Istanbul Health Industry Cluster (ISEK), and as of 2023, he serves as the founding President of the Board of Directors for the newly established ISEK Association (http://i-sek.org). Boğaziçi CT3 and ISEK support incubation and acceleration programs for MedTech startups at Teknopark Istanbul’s BioCube which provides also ready-to-move-in wet labs and GMP-ready pilot production facilities.