Dr. Fabiano Santos, Senior Program Specialist at the Canada-based International Development Research Centre (IDRC), visited the NDAL team at Koç University Hospital on July 2, 2025.
The visit was carried out within the scope of the IDRC project “The oral and gut microbiome and their derived metabolites in sex differences in ALS,” in which KUTTAM-NDAL is a partner institution. Discussions focused on the scientific objectives and administrative processes of the study, which aims to investigate the role of infectious agents in ALS pathogenesis, with particular emphasis on the microbiome and enteroviral infections.
In the first part of the meeting, Dr. Santos met with clinicians at the Muscle Disease Center. Prof. Dr. Piraye Oflazer and Dr. Ayşe Nur Özdağ Acarlı outlined the clinical dimension of the study. Later, Dr. Santos toured the NDAL laboratory, where project coordinator Prof. Dr. Nazlı Başak introduced the center and presented updates on the project’s progress. Following this, Dr. Santos gave an overview of IDRC’s research priorities, collaboration opportunities, and potential funding mechanisms.
Dr. Santos’ visit marked a significant step in strengthening NDAL’s international research network.
At the 9th Major Community Gathering, the Suna’nın Kızları communities came together to review the past year’s outcomes and align on project plans for 2026. Participants explored new ideas and collaboration opportunities on how the model and programs co-developed with 33 civil society organizations over the past four years can further support and reinforce one another.
The Istanbul Research Institute continues to offer free guided tours of the exhibition The Photography Studio of an Adventurous Architect: Arif Hikmet Koyunoğlu 1893–1982, which sheds light on the life of one of the most unconventional architects of his time, spanning the late Ottoman and early Republican periods.
The catalogue Extraordinary Minas: The Story of Inspiration and Innovation in Kütahya Tiles and Ceramics examines the efforts of Kütahya masters in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to revive the disappearing craftsmanship of tile-making by focusing on a master and a group of his work, by presenting objects from the Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation Kütahya Tiles and Ceramics Collection.