İş Venture Capital, an affiliate of Türkiye İş Bankası, organized a celebratory event for the election of Professor Gökhan Hotamışlıgil, James Stevens Simmons Professor of Genetics and Metabolism at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS).

The statement noted that Prof. Dr. Hotamışlıgil was elected as a member of NAS, which was established in 1863 during the tenure of former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and admits only individuals who have demonstrated outstanding and continuous achievement in scientific research.

In this context, the company celebrated Hotamışlıgil's success, whose research it has invested in through "Enlila," the biotechnology venture it established last year, with an event that brought together figures from academia, entrepreneurship, and the investment world.

Additionally, within the "81 Forests in 81 Provinces" project, a certificate for 81 saplings planted in Hotamışlıgil's name, representing young people across Turkey who dream of becoming scientists, was presented to him.

The company's journey in biotechnology began last year with the establishment of Enlila. Enlila was launched to support Hotamışlıgil's work on the treatment of obesity and age-related diseases in his laboratory at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, within the framework of a sponsored research and license agreement signed by İş Venture Capital with Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

The venture has a financial commitment of approximately $39 million for research over 10 years.

Finally, İş Venture Capital, through its portfolio company Enlila, acquired a 50.1% majority stake in U.S.-based Crescenta Biosciences. An agreement was reached for $24 million for the company, co-founded by Princeton academic and entrepreneur Emre Koyuncu.

In his speech at the event, Prof. Dr. Gökhan Hotamışlıgil emphasized that science is a team effort. Hotamışlıgil stated that the most meaningful reward for him is being able to continue producing science for over 30 years.

Hotamışlıgil stated that the number of tools that will shed light on the future and keep people together is decreasing, and science is one of these tools. He commented, "Science offers the opportunity to leave an inexhaustible legacy to the next generation. If you leave money, it runs out; if you leave a house, it gets old. But if you can raise people who have internalized a scientific framework, you leave a lasting work and bring people together."

Hotamışlıgil conveyed that the perception that artificial intelligence will solve everything and that humans will no longer be needed is incorrect. Hotamışlıgil, stating that those working in scientific fields such as biology and biomedical science should not despair, pointed out that it is possible to accelerate science with the immense power brought by artificial intelligence.

Hakan Aran, CEO of Türkiye İş Bankası, stated that Hotamışlıgil's success is a valuable recognition of his scientific work spanning over 30 years.

Aran noted that he congratulated Hotamışlıgil on this occasion. He stated, "The presence of a Turkish scientist in an academic institution, one of the world's most prestigious scientific bodies, and the fact that Turkey's name is associated with scientific and academic work contributing to humanity, is a source of pride in itself for our country."

Aran pointed out that there are young people studying in fields such as genetics, medicine, and engineering. He conveyed that they organized the gathering not only to celebrate Hotamışlıgil's success but also for this success to inspire the next generation.

Aran drew attention to the role of inspiring pioneering scientists behind these achievements. He commented, "Prof. Dr. Aziz Sancar, who was previously elected to the Academy, also grew up in a family of 8 children in the Savur district of Mardin and received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2015. Hotamışlıgil, on this path opened by pioneering scientists like Sancar, achieves these successes through years of labor, countless experiments, sleepless nights, fatigue, and occasional disappointments, yet they are made possible by the unwavering determination of that scientist who never gives up despite everything."

Kubilay Aykol, General Manager of İş Venture Capital, said: "Together with our esteemed Gökhan, we established Enlila in partnership with Harvard, and then, again at his suggestion, we brought Crescenta, co-founded by Emre Koyuncu, into the Enlila family. This way, we seized the opportunity to bring together academic, financial, and entrepreneurial power."