Publications by authors named "Melike Firlak"

The release of metformin, a drug used in the treatment of cancer and diabetes, from poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate), pHEMA, hydrogel-based microneedle patches is demonstrated in vitro. Tuning the composition of the pHEMA hydrogels enables preparation of robust microneedle patches with mechanical properties such that they would penetrate skin (insertion force of a single microneedle to be ≈40 N). Swelling experiments conducted at 20, 35, and 60 °C show temperature-dependent degrees of swelling and diffusion kinetics.

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Electroactive hydrogels based on derivatives of polyethyleneglycol (PEG), chitosan and polypyrrole were prepared via a combination of photopolymerization and oxidative chemical polymerization, and optionally doped with anions (e.g., lignin, drugs, etc.

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The CRISPR-Cas9 system has facilitated the genetic modification of various model organisms and cell lines. The outcomes of any CRISPR-Cas9 assay should be investigated to ensure/improve the precision of genome engineering. In this study, carbon nanotube-modified disposable pencil graphite electrodes (CNT/PGEs) were used to develop a label-free electrochemical nanogenosensor for the detection of point mutations generated in the genome by using the CRISPR-Cas9 system.

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In situ forming hydrogels are a class of biomaterials that can fulfil a variety of important biomedically relevant functions and hold promise for the emerging field of patient-specific treatments (e.g., cell therapy, drug delivery).

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The delivery of drugs in a controllable fashion is a topic of intense research activity in both academia and industry because of its impact in healthcare. Implantable electronic interfaces for the body have great potential for positive economic, health, and societal impacts; however, the implantation of such interfaces results in inflammatory responses due to a mechanical mismatch between the inorganic substrate and soft tissue, and also results in the potential for microbial infection during complex surgical procedures. Here, we report the use of conducting polypyrrole (PPY)-based coatings loaded with clinically relevant drugs (either an anti-inflammatory, dexamethasone phosphate (DMP), or an antibiotic, meropenem (MER)).

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Endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) are exogenous substances that cause adverse health effects in an intact organism, or its progeny, subsequent to the changes in endocrine function. Recent studies have shown that wastewater treatment plant effluents play an important role in the release of EDCs into aquatic environments. Therefore, in this study, influent and effluent samples from three different wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Istanbul were analysed for the presence of the principal EDCs.

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