Building Functional Models: From Transgenic Mouse Generation to CRISPR-Based Mutational Screening in Cells

GRADUATE SCHOOL, BIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRAM

SEMINAR

Building Functional Models: From Transgenic Mouse Generation to CRISPR-Based Mutational Screening in Cells
Derya Deniz Özdemir

Koç University Translational Medicine Research Center (KUTTAM)

ABSTRACT
The generation of transgenic mouse models forms the foundation of functional genetics,
providing powerful in vivo systems to investigate gene function, developmental processes, and
disease mechanisms. In this seminar, I will outline practical and strategic aspects of transgenic
model generation using CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing. I will then introduce a novel in
vitro CRISPR saturation mutagenesis platform that enables systematic testing of genotype–
phenotype relationships within a single experimental setup. Together, these in vivo and in vitro
approaches illustrate how integrated genome editing strategies can advance our
understanding of gene function, refine mechanistic hypotheses, and bridge experimental
findings across model systems.

BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Özdemir is a researcher at Koç University School of Medicine and the Koç University
Translational Medicine Research Center (KUTTAM), where she leads the Transgenic Core
Laboratory, generating mouse models to investigate gene function and model human diseases
in collaboration with multiple research groups. She received her BSc in Molecular Biology and
Genetics from Boğaziçi University and completed her PhD at the MRC Human Genetics Unit in
Edinburgh, where she studied the genetic and developmental interaction between WT1 and
β-catenin in kidney development and Wilms’ tumour. Following her doctoral training, she
joined the Roslin Institute as a postdoctoral researcher, focusing on genome editing and β-
catenin signalling in cancer. At Koç University, her research group investigates gene function
in disease models, with a particular focus on the canonical Wnt pathway and β-catenin hotspot
mutations.