Prof. Dr. SALİH ŞANLIOĞLU

A Short Biography of Salih Sanlioglu, VMD, PhD

After graduating from the School of Veterinary Medicine at Selcuk University in Turkiye, Dr. Salih Sanlioglu, VMD, PhD, continued his academic journey at the Ohio State University College of Medicine. There, he earned both his Master’s degree (1992) and PhD (1996) in Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics. He then completed postdoctoral training at the Human Gene Therapy Institute at the University of Pennsylvania in 1997, followed by a research fellowship in internal medicine at the University of Iowa’s Gene Therapy Center in 2002.

Dr. Sanlioglu later joined the medical faculty at Akdeniz University in Antalya, Turkiye, where he established the nation’s first human gene and cell therapy facility, accessible at http://genetherapy.akdeniz.edu.tr.

His early research in gene therapy focused on elucidating the mechanisms of adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated gene delivery, with results featured on the covers of the Journal of Virology and Virology Journal. He then advanced the use of adenoviruses to deliver genes encoding apoptosis-inducing ligands, such as TRAIL, for cancer therapy—work that drew recognition from journals including Cancer Gene Therapy and Human Gene Therapy.

Dr. Sanlioglu further demonstrated the potential of adenoviral vectors to reprogram pancreatic islets for cell therapy in Type 1 diabetes. Recognizing the significance of diabetes as a target for gene therapy, he later adopted third-generation lentiviral vectors to deliver anti-diabetic genes in models of obesity and diabetes. These vectors offered long-term gene expression with minimal adverse effects. His pioneering research in this area was featured on the covers of Human Gene Therapy and Nature Gene Therapy Journal.

More recently, his research has expanded to include viral vector-mediated gene delivery to prevent retinal degeneration and the use of gene editing tools such as CRISPR/Cas9 to correct disease-causing mutations. He is also actively involved in developing viral vector-based gene therapy vaccines for pandemic diseases, including COVID-19.

Dr. Sanlioglu currently serves as the Director of the Center for Gene and Cell Therapy and chairs the newly established Department of Gene and Cell Therapy at Akdeniz University. His ongoing contributions continue to drive innovation and progress in the field of gene therapy.