Batuhan Baytekin

CV

Batuhan Baytekin earned his master’s degree at Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara, Turkey, where he was trained in peptide chemistry and small molecule synthesis. He was mentored by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Salih Ozcubukcu and Assist. Prof. Dr. Melek Parlak Khalily. His master’s journey included two exciting projects: developing CBD-encapsulated peptide hydrogels for wound dressing applications and synthesizing biphenylalanine derivatives for use in prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) targeting peptides.

After graduating in 2023, he joined the OBCR group as a Ph.D. student in 2024. His current research is carried out in the context of the interuniversity project SOCan, which aims to develop a ground-breaking singlet oxygen-based photoelectrochemistry-based ‘SOCan technology’ for the fast detection of clinically relevant levels of nucleic acid cancer biomarkers in patient samples. Batuhan hereby focuses on designing and synthesizing modified PNA probes to improve selectivity and sensitivity.

Research Project

Design and Synthesis of Modified Peptide Nucleic Acid (PNA) Capture Probes for Photoelectrochemical Cancer Biomarker Detection with Enhanced Selectivity

In the context of the interuniversity SOCan collaboration, a new methodology to significantly aid early cancer detection in liquid biopsy samples was developed, based on the use of DNA probes that allow detection of nucleic acid biomarkers. The detection concept is based on the reliability of ¹O₂-based photoelectrochemical (PEC) detection combined with catalytic signal amplification by a photosensitizer (PS) molecule that needs only air O₂ and light (e.g. from a light-emitting diode (LED)) for functioning (Figure). The analytical signal is triggered only by light, and it can thus be clearly distinguished from the background (e.g. buffer, plasma, saliva) by switching off the light. Hydroquinone (HQ) is used as the redox reporter in this sensing paradigm with the formation of benzoquinone (BQ), to create an electrocatalytic loop at the electrode surface, and to capture short-lived ¹O₂, ensuring sensitive detections and robust signals.

Currently, we are investigating synthetic DNA analogs, namely peptide nucleic acids (PNA), as new capture probes, and developing a hybrid PNA/DNA approach to detect nucleic acid biomarkers for the first time using PNA as capture probes. The neutral poly-amidic backbone confers higher stability to the PNA/DNA duplex as compared to DNA/DNA duplexes, which are thus less affected by variations of experimental conditions (i.e., ionic strength, solvent polarity, or presence of chaotropic agents). The sequence of the PNA capture probes is designed to distinguish between mutated and wild-type ssDNAs (single-strand DNAs) by a single-base mismatch. Hence, the novelty lies in combining the unique features of peptide nucleic acids (PNA) as next-generation capture probes and labeled detection probes in a hybrid assay to enhance selectivity as well as sensitivity.