Nanotechnology Methods for Neurological Diseases and Brain Tumors

Yasemin Gürsoy Özdemir (M.D., Ph.D.) is a Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience at Koç University, School of Medicine in Istanbul, Turkey. Dr. Gürsoy Özdemir’s main research interests are basic pathophysiological aspects of neurological diseases, especially migraine, headache, stroke, neurodegenerative diseases and their translation to clinical neurology. She conducted several experimental studies about blood brain barrier changes during neurological diseases and targeted drug delivery strategies. She is the author of several research articles published in peer-reviewed indexed journals. She did her post-doctoral studies at Mass General Hospital, Harvard University, Boston. She was associate director of Hacettepe University Institute of Neurological Sciences and Psychiatry between 2011-2014. She gave numerous lectures at both Faculty of Medicine during Neurology board and Institute of Neurological Sciences and Psychiatry at PhD programs. She received several awards such as Research Encouragement Award of Brain Research Organization, Young Researcher Awards of Hacettepe University, Turkish Academy of Sciences and Young Investigator Award from The Scientific and Technological Council of Turkey (TUBITAK). Dr. Bozdağ Pehlivan is an Associate Professor at Hacettepe University, Faculty of Pharmacy Pharmaceutical Technology Department in Ankara, Turkey. Her research interests are design and in vitro/in vivo evaluation of nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems, targeted drug delivery for brain tumors, and ocular drug delivery. She is author of several research articles published in peer-reviewed indexed journals on the topic. She is a member of American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists. She received several awards such as the Hacettepe University Research Group Award and Awards in the Hacettepe Technopolis Innovation Competition: Health Sciences and Technologies category (2008 and 2009). Emine Sekerdag (MSc.), earned both her Bachelor of Science degree and Master of Science degree of Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences at Leiden University in The Netherlands. She performed the first part of her Master study at the Drug Delivery Technology department of the Leiden Academic Center for Drug Research (LACDR) at Leiden University, where she worked on transdermal drug delivery with vaccine coated solid microneedles for which she developed a coating procedure. She also obtained in vitro/in vivo experience in this field, and drug delivery technologies became one of her passions. She completed the last part of her Master at the Pharmaceutical Technology department of Hacettepe University in Ankara, Turkey, working with hybrid nanoparticles for brain targeted nasal drug delivery. Currently, she is a PhD candidate at the Neuroscience Department of Koҫ University, working with targeted treatment strategies for neurological disorders.

• 1. The rationale to reach the brain2. Nose-to-brain drug delivery3. Nanoscience in targeted brain drug delivery4. Brain targeted experimental models5. Targeted treatment strategies for neurological diseases6. Brain Tumors