Turkish doctor received grant from the British Royal Academy for her invention

Dr. Asiye Karakullukçu developed a biosensor that enables to detect and diagnose the ‘hospital infections’ within minutes, which causes thousands of deaths every year because it can show up almost 48 hours after hospitalization.

Istanbul Gelisim University (IGU) School of Health Sciences Faculty Member Dr. Asiye Karakullukçu received the “Leaders in Innovation Fellowship” (LIF) grant from the UK “Royal Engineering Academy” for her invention. In addition, the success of Karakullukçu was published in the July bulletin of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE LOSE THEIR LIVES

Karakullukçu put emphasis on that thousands of people lose their lives each year due to late diagnosis of hospital infection. Talking about her invention, Karakullukçu said: “The diagnosis which is identified by clinical samples such as urine, blood, sputum takes time up to 3 days in some cases. This long process quite often makes the infection irreversible. Our aim is to produce a handheld rapid diagnostic gadget that can be easily used for the diagnosis of infectious diseases with the sensor we have developed. Thus, instead of taking specific samples such as sputum, urine from the patient, we will be able to diagnose whether there is a hospital infection through a drop of blood within minutes.”

IGU Chairman of the Board of Trustees Abdülkadir Gayretli said: “There is no alternative to the diagnostic gadget developed by Dr. Asiye Karakullukçu for the hospital infections all over the world. The invention will have made tremendous impact in the world.”