Çağhan Kızıl

Çağhan Kızıl
Born (1981-10-14) October 14, 1981
Zonguldak, Turkey
Alma mater
Known forNeural stem cells
Zebrafish
Alzheimer's disease
Scientific career
FieldsNeuroscience
Genetics
Functional genomics
Workplaces
Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard
Websitewww.neurology.columbia.edu/profile/caghan-kizil-phd
www.kizillab.org

Çağhan Kızıl (born October 14, 1981) is a Turkish/German neuroscientist and geneticist, and Professor of Neurological Sciences at the Department of Neurology and the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons Columbia University Irving Medical Center.[1][2]

His research culminates interdisciplinary approaches harboring genetics, neuroscience, cell biology, neuroimmunology, biotechnology and drug development. His team focuses on learning from Zebrafish how to enable the adult brain to better cope with neurodegenerative diseases and regenerate. By generating the first adult zebrafish brain Alzheimer's model,[3][4] and single cell sequencing-based investigation of the stem cell plasticity in this model,[5][6][7] he aims to understand the molecular programs for zebrafish brain to induce regenerative neural stem cell plasticity and to investigate the functions of human genes related to Alzheimer's disease in zebrafish brain.[8] He develops tools for comparative studies in mammalian brains such as 3D human brain models as novel in vitro platforms for drug development.[9][10]

In 2024, Kizil and colleagues identified a rare protective variant in the fibronectin 1 (FN1) gene that was associated with a substantially reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease among carriers of the high-risk APOE ε4 allele.[11] The study combined large-scale human genetic analyses with postmortem brain tissue and experimental validation in zebrafish, implicating fibronectin at the blood–brain barrier as a key mediator of Alzheimer's disease risk and a potential therapeutic target. The findings received broad coverage in the scientific and popular press, including by Alzforum, which described the work as identifying a rare protective variant that may explain resilience to APOE ε4-associated Alzheimer's disease, and Newsweek, which highlighted its implications for new therapeutic strategies.[12][13]

Previously, he was leading Helmholtz research group in German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases within Helmholtz Association.[14][15] He established his lab after receiving Helmholtz Young investigator award in 2013.[16][17][18] In 2014, he became Docent (Associate Professor) by Council of Higher Education (Turkey). In 2019, he became a tenured group leader in DZNE Dresden within the Helmholtz Association. He was the founder CEO of the first spin-off company of German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Neuron-D GmbH [19] that specializes on 3D high-throughput drug screening platform for neurological diseases.[20]

References

  1. ↑ "Announcement for Visiting Position and Award", LinkedIn, April 23, 2021
  2. ↑ "Department of Neurology Faculty Profile", Columbia University, November 23, 2022
  3. ↑ "Advances in Alzheimer's research by Dr. Çağhan Kızıl and his research group, TU Dresden press release", TU Dresden, April 22, 2019
  4. ↑ Bhattarai, P. (2016). "IL4/STAT6 Signaling Activates Neural Stem Cell Proliferation and Neurogenesis upon Amyloid-β42 Aggregation in Adult Zebrafish Brain". Cell Reports. 17 (4): 941–948. doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2016.09.075. PMID 27760324.
  5. ↑ "How fish brain cells react to Alzheimer's disease, DZNE press release", German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Helmholtz Association, April 23, 2019
  6. ↑ Cosacak, M. I. (2019). "Single-Cell Transcriptomics Analyses of Neural Stem Cell Heterogeneity and Contextual Plasticity in a Zebrafish Brain Model of Amyloid Toxicity". Cell Reports. 27 (4): 1307–1318. doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2019.03.090. PMID 31018142.
  7. ↑ Bhattarai, P. (2020). "Neuron-glia interaction through Serotonin-BDNF-NGFR axis enables regenerative neurogenesis in Alzheimer's model of adult zebrafish brain". PLOS Biology. 18 (1) e3000585. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.3000585. PMC 6964913. PMID 31905199.
  8. ↑ "Missing Link Between Alzheimer's and Vascular Disease Found?", Columbia University Irving Medical Center Newsroom, May 24, 2022
  9. ↑ "Alzheimer's in mini format", DZNE Press release, April 22, 2019
  10. ↑ Papadimitriou, C. (2018). "3D Culture Method for Alzheimer's Disease Modeling Reveals Interleukin-4 Rescues Aβ42-Induced Loss of Human Neural Stem Cell Plasticity". Developmental Cell. 46 (1): 85–101. doi:10.1016/j.devcel.2018.06.005. PMID 29974866.
  11. ↑ Bhattarai, P.; Gunasekaran, T. I.; Belloy, M. E. (2024-04-10). "Rare genetic variation in fibronectin 1 (FN1) protects against APOEε4 in Alzheimer's disease". Acta Neuropathologica. 147 (1): 70. doi:10.1007/s00401-024-02721-1. PMC 11006751. PMID 38598053.
  12. ↑ "Does a Rare Fibronectin Variant Protect Against APOE4?". Alzforum. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  13. ↑ Dewan, Pandora (10 April 2024). "Alzheimer's Breakthrough as 'Protective' Gene May Open Up New Treatments". Newsweek. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  14. ↑ "Çağhan Kızıl's website - DZNE", DZNE, April 22, 2019
  15. ↑ "Kizil Lab's website – Kizil Lab", Kizil Lab, April 22, 2019
  16. ↑ "1.7 million Euros for young Dresden based researcher", DZNE Press release, April 22, 2019
  17. ↑ "New Helmholtz young investigators", Helmholtz Association, April 22, 2019
  18. ↑ "Zebra Balığı Alzheimer'dan Çıkış Yolumuz mu? | Çağhan KIZIL | TEDxAnkara", TEDx Ankara, February 20, 2019
  19. ↑ "DZNE's First Spin-off “Neuron–D” Uses Innovative Technology for Drug Testing", DZNE Press release, March 18, 2021
  20. ↑ "NEURON-D by DZNE, Video", DZNE introduction video, March 18, 2021
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