After graduating from Boğaziçi University, Dr. Karataş completed his Masters and PhD degrees at Yeditepe University and Istanbul University Aziz Sancar Institute of Experimental Medicine, respectively. He worked as a research assistant for 2 years at IGBMC in Strasbourg, France, investigating the epigenetic background of nervous system development in D. melanogaster models, and as a postdoctoral associate at Baylor College of Medicine, USA, he conducted a funded research program in prostate cancer signal transduction and molecular genetics. He currently directs his laboratory, focusing specifically on head and neck carcinogenesis. He was a member of the advisory board of the TÜBİTAK Health Sciences Research Group between 2021-2024 and he is a co-founder of Ecotech Biotechnology, which has been producing innovative research products since 2018.
My research relates to developing computational models and mathematical tools for analyzing pre-clinical and clinical data to better understand complex biological systems. Using the power of computational modeling, I search for new ways of understanding the mechanism underlying biological observations.
My research is particularly focused on the electrophysiological properties of excitable cells, tissues, and organs, with a deep interest in cardiac electrophysiology and heart rhythm disorders, such as atrial fibrillation (AF). I develop qualitative models based on physiological knowledge to explain or verify mechanisms underlying complex biological phenomena (such as AF), as well as data-driven models to explain experimental observations. I specifically focus on the complex interactions and feedback mechanisms, which regulate cell and tissue-level electrophysiological remodeling. I investigate how these feedback mechanisms are naturally employed to sustain homeostatic state and functionality, and more importantly, how/why these mechanisms fail and give rise to the emergence of pathological conditions. I study these mechanisms to understand and quantify the electrophysiological impairments, as well as propose new prevention and treatment strategies for pathological conditions. I also use computational models to explore patient-specific disease progression trajectories.