Sebla Kutluay Joins Midwest D-CFAR Advanced Technology Core
June 26, 2026
Sebla Kutluay, PhD
We are thrilled to announce that Sebla Kutluay, PhD has joined the Midwest D-CFAR as Co-Director of the Advanced Technology Core (ATC). Dr. Kutluay will work with George Kyei, MD, MPhil, PhD—Director of the ATC —to promote advanced technologies to advance the health of people living with HIV.
Though Dr. Kutluay and Dr. Kyei have not collaborated formally prior to this venture, Dr. Kutluay is excited to work with him “as our complementary expertise in fundamental virology and translational science will provide unique perspectives to help advance the goals of the D-CFAR.” Specifically, this complementary expertise can help “early-stage investigators navigate job and funding opportunities in basic biology departments vs. more clinically oriented institutions.”
Dr. Kutluay obtained her B.S. in Biological Sciences and Bioengineering Program with a Chemistry Minor from Sabanci University, Turkey. She then moved to the U.S. to complete her graduate studies at Michigan State University, under the mentorship of Steven J. Triezenberg where she studied the role of epigenetic regulation in defining lytic vs. latent phases of herpes simplex virus replication. Dr. Kutluay completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center/Rockefeller University where she studied fundamental aspects of virus replication and virion genesis. Since 2015, Dr. Kutluay has been a faculty member in the Department of Molecular Microbiology at Washington University. Her lab studies RNA-centric processes in HIV-1 replication including genome trafficking, packaging and the role of viral genome in virion maturation.
Dr. Kutluay is looking forward to joining the Midwest D-CFAR’s interdisciplinary community of scientists, public health practitioners, and community leaders: “As a basic molecular virologist, we are hyper-focused on understanding the molecular underpinnings of how HIV-1 infects host cells and cause disease. With the high-paced research enterprise it is often difficult to reach out to the community and showcase all the hard work we put into HIV research and the big discoveries made in the lab. Vice versa, it is extremely motivating for me and my lab to hear about the impactful work that implementation scientists and community leaders are doing in the Midwest region.
Additionally, Dr. Kutluay is excited to support early-stage HIV investigators through formal mentoring activities, as well as informal networking: “I am also very excited to help out advancing the careers of trainees through mentoring […] The ATC can support early-stage investigators through formal mentoring activities as well as informal discussions about career progression […] I do believe that providing early-stage investigators with a supportive community for more frequent informal interactions goes a long way.”
The ATC provides training and consultation services in advanced technologies pertinent to the NIH HIV/AIDS priority areas and fosters collaboration between investigators with diverse expertise. Consultation services include support with study design, assay development, biosafety, and grant proposals. Additionally, the ATC offers training and guidance on using experimental services to facilitate HIV-focused virology, biochemistry, and cell biology studies. Finally, the ATC provides managed and enhanced access to key technologies in five centers that provide state-of-the-art technology in sequencing, imaging, immunophenotyping, and drug discovery. Learn more about the services offered by the ATC here.
Written by Kate Gershwin.