Neurological Disorders

Mahmut Safak

Mahmut Safak, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Neuroscience
Temple University, USA

Biography

Dr. Mahmut Safak is currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Neuroscience, Temple University School of Medicine Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, USA. He completed his Ph.D work in the laboratory of Dr. Kamel Khalili at Thomas Jefferson University School of Medicine, Philadelphia in 1998, focusing on the molecular characterization of one of the JC virus isolates, Phila-1. He also did his postdoctoral work at the laboratory of Dr. Kamel Khalili. During his postdoctoral years, he characterized many viral/host protein interactions and investigated the relevance of these interactions to JC virus life cycle. His lab is one of the leading labs in JC virus biology and investigation of the agnoprotein function. He extensively published in the field of polyomviruses. These include research articles, reviews, and book chapters. He is a member of many scientific societies.

Research Interest

Understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of human polyoma JC virus life cycle.
Understanding of the functional roles of JC virus regulatory Agnoprotein in viral replication cycle.
Investigation of the essential role of polyomavirus small tumor antigen in cell transformation.
Developing novel therapeutic strategies against agnoprotein dimerization domain to inhibit its function during the viral replication cycle.
Identification and characterization of agnoprotein partners in host cells and investigation of their roles in JC virus replication cycle.