Our Alumna Featured in the 2026 Forbes 30 Under 30 List for Her Neurodegeneration and Tissue Repair Research

Our alumna Dr. Xhoela Bame, who earned her bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology and Genetics at Istanbul Technical University (ITU), has achieved a remarkable distinction. Dr. Bame has been selected for Forbes magazine’s “2026 Europe 30 Under 30 in Science and Healthcare” list in recognition of her work in the field of neurodegeneration and tissue repair.

Forbes announced its “Europe 30 Under 30” list on 14 April 2026.

Dr. Xhoela Bame, a 2020 graduate of our Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, has been included in the 2026 Forbes Europe 30 Under 30 List. Owing to her pioneering and foundational work in neurodegeneration and tissue repair, Dr. Bame has been recognized in the Science and Healthcare category as one of the young innovators and game-changers with the potential to transform the world.

Forbes provided the following profile of our alumna upon her selection:

“Bame aims to unlock the mysteries behind neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and ALS. She's identified the biological clocks behind brain repair and aging, discovered how to detect signs of degeneration months before symptoms appear, and is now applying her previous methods to discover regenerative drugs to treat cardiometabolic disorders like heart failure to help the body heal itself.”

About Dr. Xhoela Bame

She joined Istanbul Technical University after winning the Albanian Government Scholarship of Excellence in 2016. She continued this track of excellence at ITU, graduating with the highest distinction and ranking first in the Faculty of Science and Letters.

She was a Molecular Biology and Genetics major and went on to expand her skills in different areas, with her advocacy leading to making the Economics minor degree available for students in the Faculty of Science and Letters, which she then completed with excellent results. She worked in MOBGAM (Dr. Orhan Öcalgiray Molecular Biology-Biotechnology & Genetics Research Center) tackling questions of neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration and was further awarded two Erasmus fellowships to advance her research skills. She then completed her PhD at Dartmouth College in the USA, where she made significant contributions to the field of neuroscience, and is now a Novo Nordisk-Oxford Research Fellow at the University of Oxford in the UK. She is currently leading work in drug discovery for metabolic and cardiovascular diseases.

When asked how ITU helped her career, she said:

“ITU was my first step into the world of research and an international career. Its dual nature of technical intensity and diversity in fields and cultures shaped a well-rounded character in me, pushing me to solve problems unorthodoxly and see the world from a broader, multifaceted perspective. I am grateful for the foundations it laid and the lasting relationships I built there.”

We congratulate our alumna, Dr. Xhoela Bame.

Official Forbes profile page: https://www.forbes.com/profile/xhoela-bame/?list=30under30-europe-science-healthcare/

Bame as the Valedictorian at the ITU Graduation Ceremony:

Bame in MOBGAM: