Under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Mehmet Zülfü Yıldız, faculty member of the Biology Department of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Adıyaman University, was carrying out an important study in the Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia Regions within the scope of the TÜBİTAK-supported project “Proteomic Characterization of Wagner Viper Venom and Investigation of its Potential Anticancer Activity”.
The project aimed to determine the venom content of the endemic Wagner viper, investigate its anticancer properties and reveal its biotechnological use potential. For this purpose, a 5-day field study was conducted in the rural areas of Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Tunceli, Erzurum and Bingöl. Dr. Lecturer Naşit İğci from Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş Veli University, Dr. Lecturer Suna Karadeniz Saygılı from Kütahya Health Sciences University and Dr. Lecturer Bahadır Akman from Iğdır University also supported the research.
As part of the studies, snakes caught in the region were released back into nature after the venom samples were analyzed.
Prof. Dr. Zulfu Yildiz:“There are substances in snake venom that are good for various diseases. In our TÜBİTAK-supported project, we plan to determine the venom content of the Wagner viper, which is endemic in our country, and conduct experiments on ovarian cancer. As a result of our research, we have determined that the Wagner viper is widespread in the Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia Regions. As part of this project, we will find snakes, take venom samples and investigate substances that may be effective in cancer.”
