The project titled “Investigation of the Potential Use of Haloarchaeal Bacterioruberin in Vegan Sunscreens”, prepared under the supervision of Dr. Fevziye Işıl Kesbiç, Lecturer at Kastamonu University Central Research Laboratory, has been awarded support within the scope of the TÜBİTAK-3501 Career Development Program.

Within the project, Prof. Dr. Özgür Kaynar, Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and faculty member of the Department of Biochemistry, will be an advisor. Dr. Aslı Uğurlu Bayarslan, faculty member of the Department of Biology at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Serkan Erol, faculty member of the Department of Biochemistry at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Balıkesir University, will serve as a researcher.

The project aims to biotechnologically evaluate the natural pigment bacterioruberin, produced by haloarchaeal microorganisms living under extreme conditions. The original aspect of the study lies in its focus on the development of natural, sustainable, and animal-free products, which have come to the forefront in recent years in the fields of cosmetics and dermatology.

The findings are expected to contribute to developing eco-friendly and vegan sunscreens and add innovative value to Türkiye’s biotechnological production capacity.

Our Rector, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Hamdi Topal, congratulated the academics for their work and expressed his gratitude to the President of the Council of Higher Education, Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar, and YÖK members for their support of high-quality academic studies. He also thanked TÜBİTAK President Prof. Dr. Orhan Aydın for encouraging the University’s research efforts.