Professor Erdal Karaöz, Ph.D., is one of Turkey’s leading pioneers in stem cell research, regenerative medicine, and tissue engineering. After earning his medical degree from Dicle University in 1986, he completed his Ph.D. in Histology and Embryology at Gazi University Faculty of Medicine in 1994, becoming Associate Professor in 1996 and full Professor in 2002. Since 2000, his work has focused on stem cell, tissue engineering, and gene therapy, and in 2005 he conducted advanced studies in embryonic stem cell and islet transplantation at Harvard University in Boston.

In 2006, Professor Karaöz founded the Kocaeli University Stem Cell and Gene Therapies Research and Application Center (KÖGEM)—the first institutional R&D center for stem cell research in Turkey. During his tenure, he organized over twenty national and international courses in stem cell and tissue engineering, training hundreds of scientists. He also established the first postgraduate and Ph.D. programs in stem cell studies in Turkey, creating a foundation for academic education in regenerative medicine. His scholarly output includes four books, fourteen book chapters, and nearly two hundred peer-reviewed articles, the majority of which are international.

In 2014, Dr. Karaöz transitioned to Liv Hospital in Istanbul as the Director of the Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Production Centers, where he established Turkey’s first GMP-compliant laboratory for stem cell therapies within a private hospital. His ongoing research explores the immunosuppressive, anti-inflammatory, and regenerative properties of mesenchymal stem cells, as well as stem cell applications for complex diseases including muscular dystrophies, spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, and autism. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he oversaw the ministry-approved stem cell treatment processes for approximately four hundred critical care patients.

Professor Karaöz also served as the founding Vice Rector and later Rector of Istinye University, where he developed the institution’s entire research and development infrastructure and established multiple research centers in fields such as molecular cancer, artificial intelligence in medicine, and aging studies. He continues to direct LivMedCell, the Regenerative Medicine Stem Cell Center at Liv Hospital, while leading several biotechnology initiatives focused on developing stem cell–based therapeutic products. As founder and board chair of Hazkar Sağlık Hizmetleri Ltd. Şti. and co-founder and CBO of Virostem Biotechnology A.Ş., Professor Karaöz remains at the forefront of regenerative medicine innovation in Turkey and beyond.