24 September 2024 – Bora Tastan’s EMBO Fellowship enabled his move to Luxembourg to continue his research into the underlying mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease.
“NLRP3 inflammasome activation is part of our innate immune system. We still don’t completely understand how and why this contributes to pathologies and subsequent neurodegeneration,” he says. “I believe that our investigations will provide valuable mechanistic insights, which could turn into potential therapeutic targets for the treatment or management of these devastating conditions and disorders.”
After undergraduate and PhD studies in Izmir, he was attracted to Luxembourg’s vibrant and multicultural research environment and the country’s reputation for the quality of the work-life balance.
“The whole country is multicultural. You really feel that Luxembourg is a melting pot of these diverse cultures,” he says. “The government is also investing in infrastructures and research, and working in the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine is an amazing opportunity.”
Tastan is passionate about making a difference to society from his work. “My motto in life is seeing the world not as it is, but as it should be. My EMBO Fellowship is making this motto become reality,” he says.
“I also received an EMBO Scientific Exchange Grant – both opened doors to networking opportunities in different countries and collaborations. When talking with younger scientists, I’d really like to emphasize the importance of international opportunities in shaping a successful career in the life sciences.”
He acknowledges some might be challenged by the idea of working abroad or collaborating with diverse cultural and scientific backgrounds. “These are the opportunities that give us new edges and new angles to our research and to our scientific personalities,” he says.
