The study of “Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 N501Y mutation in Northern Cyprus” by scientists from Near East University received the first prize in oral presentation at the “6th Erciyes Medical Genetics Congress with International Participation”
Date Added: 05 October 2021, 00:46


Near East University continues to make an impact in the scientific world with the scientific projects it carries out during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study titled “Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 N501Y mutation in Northern Cyprus” which was contributed by Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ, Prof. Dr. Huseyin Kaya Süer, Prof. Dr. Murat Sayan, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mahmut Çerkez Ergören, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Buket Baddal, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pınar Tulay, Assist. Prof. Dr. Cenk Serhan Özverel, Dr. Emrah Güler and Dr. Gülten Tuncel contributed as a researcher, was awarded the first place in oral presentation by the jury at the “6th Erciyes Medical Genetics Congress with International Participation”.

The predominance process of the alpha variant in the TRNC was analyzed
A total of 100 papers, oral and poster, were presented at the 6th Erciyes Medical Genetics Congress with International Participation. In the study of Near East University researchers, which was awarded the first place in oral presentation, The distribution of the N501Y mutation, which is known to increase the binding power of the virus to the host cell and the spike protein used by the virus to bind to the human ACE2 receptor, was evaluated according to months in the samples of patients who were found to be SARS-CoV-2 positive at the Near East University DESAM Institute COVID-19 PCR Diagnostic Laboratory between November 2020 and May 2021. In the study, which emphasized that the first patient carrying the N501Y mutation and known as the English (Alpha) variant entered the TRNC at the beginning of January 2021, the prevalence of the variants carrying N501Y in a short period of time in the country was analyzed, starting from this date.

In the Congress, Faculty of Medicine Faculty Member Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mahmut Çerkez Ergören shared the results of the research titled “Direct whole-exome sequencing analysis of the host cell infection mediators of COVID-19 disease in the Turkish population, ACE2 and TMPRSS2 gene variants”, with the scientific world on behalf of all participating centers.