Rafia Gul

The synergy between biological and bioengineering advances is crucial for developing novel and impactful translational therapies. This vision guided my decision to apply for the Bioengineering Doctoral program at the Izmir Institute of Technology, following the completion of my MPhil in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan. During the MPhil research I developed a kit for diagnosis of cardiac hypertrophy at an early stage before its progression to heart failure. After working on this project, which led to the filing of a patent, I realized the need to bridge the gap between academia and industry. One of the fields that requires an interdisciplinary research approach is hard dental tissue regeneration. Tooth defects are an extremely common health condition, affecting millions of individuals worldwide. However, regenerative dentistry remains challenging due to the complexity of dental hard tissues. To overcome these challenges and translate pre-clinical research into bedside applications, I joined BIOTIN doctoral project, “Machine learning assisted predictive design of bio glass nanoparticles for tissue regeneration”. In this project, I will design peptide-modified bio-nano glass biomaterial for biomimetic dental tissue repair. The long-term goal of this project is to develop a hard tissue regeneration therapy that will facilitate the discovery of tissue-specific therapeutics using various algorithms. This interdisciplinary project will address significant gaps in scientific literature and contribute to the development of a new line of dental care products. Apart from scientific curiosity, I enjoy spending time on my favorite pastimes, which include cooking, gardening, photography, and adventure sports.