Inside the lab reshaping transplant research in Türkiye

Led by Caner Süsal, project coordinator at Koç University, TIREX is creating Türkiye's first dedicated centre of excellence for transplantation research. Its mission is to build modern infrastructure, train young scientists and connect Türkiye's clinical expertise to cutting-edge immunology research across Europe and the Middle East.

"In Türkiye, we perform many transplants, but the scientific studies that should go with this clinical work were missing," explains Süsal. "With TIREX, we want to establish a real transplantation research culture that will last beyond the project."

As well as coordinating TIREX, Süsal acts as European Research Area (ERA) Chair holder. EU-funded ERA Chair actions help researchers to engage with institutions in 'Widening Countries' - countries where research and innovation performance could benefit from a boost.

Building brains, not just labs

From the start, TIREX invested heavily in people. It recruited skilled researchers and trained up a new generation of scientists and clinicians with its advanced immunology and transplantation MSc and PhD programmes. In the past, many researchers went abroad to gain experience; now they're bringing that expertise home.

The project is transforming Koç University's laboratories. High-throughput flow cytometry, genetic typing and molecular diagnostics equipment now power analyses that once had to be outsourced abroad. Researchers are using AI and advanced data analytics to spot immunological patterns that predict rejection and improve success rates.

"Before TIREX, even for routine immune monitoring we had to send samples away," says Süsal. "Now we can perform analysis here, faster, at lower cost, and with full control of our data."

These capabilities are changing clinical practice. The centre now supports transplant clinicians, also from other centres, with precise immunological diagnostics, improving donor-recipient matching and patient outcomes. Meanwhile, researchers are exploring better organ preservation and post-transplant care, ensuring that innovation in the lab translates directly into benefits for patients.

Closer collaboration between the clinic and lab means that data from patients directly informs ongoing research, strengthening the feedback loop between science and treatment. Additionally, TIREX is building a national biobank of samples and clinical data, a resource that will continue to grow and support future studies, such as the development of genetically modified therapeutic immune cells to help cure cancer and diabetes patients.

Collaboration on a global scale

One of the project's biggest successes so far has been connecting Türkiye's researchers with the global transplantation community, forging collaborations with leading centres in Canada, Germany, France, the Netherlands and the United States.

These partnerships, Süsal explains, work both ways. "Our international partners understand that collaboration is reciprocal. We bring strong clinical and experimental experience and very diverse patient populations, and they bring complementary advanced tools and big data. When we work together, things move faster."

That collaboration was on full display at the CTS-TIREX Expert Meeting in Istanbul in 2024, which brought leading scientists and clinicians together to discuss breakthroughs in immunogenetics and organ transplantation. Süsal, who previously coordinated the Collaborative Transplant Study (CTS) in Heidelberg, says the CTS partnership is central to TIREX's data-driven research and credibility.

The new infrastructure has already supported several joint research studies and publications with partners from Europe, Canada and Qatar, broadening Türkiye's contribution to international transplant science.

TIREX also brings together local, regional and international partners from south-eastern Europe to the Middle East and Asia to build a leading knowledge hub for transplant immunology and innovation, while its growing network is connecting biotech start-ups and industry to fuel new advances across Türkiye's healthcare sector.

A research culture built to last

The project is changing how transplantation research works in Türkiye. New laboratory infrastructure, skilled researchers, and national as well as international partnerships are already in place, creating a sustainable base for advanced scientific work.

Süsal sees this as simply the beginning: "We don't want a project that just ends after five years, but to create a foundation that will continue to grow, a research culture that will sustain itself."

As the project moves towards completion in May 2026, TIREX will continue to expand its research capacity and international partnerships. By combining clinical expertise with data-driven science, it is putting Türkiye firmly on the global transplant map.