Turkey's Biotechnology Hub is Rising: Varliciment Begins a New Era in Domestic Pharmaceuticals.

Biotechnology Valley with Varlicment: Türkiye's Healthcare Sector

It will be an Independence Base

Varliciment, the first original biotechnological drug candidate developed in Türkiye, has become Türkiye's strong response against external dependence. This innovation, born at the heart of science, will give life to a domestic and national future in the Biotechnology Valley.

Turkey has reached a historic milestone in the field of biotechnology. Varliciment, developed through scientific studies conducted at the Izmir Biomedical and Genome Center (IBG), is one of the first original biotechnological drug candidates produced in Türkiye, opening a new era that will reduce dependence on foreign countries in healthcare.

The project, conducted with the financial and scientific support of VSY Biotechnology during a five-year R&D process, created a strong collaboration model in the Turkish biotechnology ecosystem. The project was led by Dr. Sibel Kalyoncu Uzunlar and Dr. Gülçin Çakan Akdoğan, both graduates of Boğaziçi and Koç Universities, who completed their doctorates in the USA before returning to Turkey and working with their team at the Izmir Biomedical and Genome Center. The developed molecule was named “ Varliciment,” inspired by the surname of Dr. Ercan Varlıbaş , Chairman of the Board of VSY Biotechnology , which provided scientific, financial, and strategic support to the project.

Dr. Varlıbaş emphasized that the project is not only a scientific achievement but also a step that embodies Türkiye's vision in the field of biotechnology.

“ As VSY Biotechnology, we started this project with the Izmir Biomedical and Genome Center approximately five years ago with the goal of developing a new biotechnological drug molecule. Currently, our results are quite good. Our molecule has been isolated, identified, and our laboratory data is successful. If clinical trials in humans also yield positive results, this drug will be produced in the Biotechnology Valley and will enter the commercialization process. We have about three more years ahead of us, but the foundations have been laid solidly.”

With these words, Dr. Varlıbaş summarized Turkey's goal of bringing together its domestic pharmaceutical production power with the industry, and also, as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Biotechnology Valley, he drew attention to the future of the process:

“Varliciment is not just a therapeutic breakthrough; it is proof that Türkiye can develop its own medicine with its own scientists and its own infrastructure. Turkey is no longer a consumer country in biotechnology, but a producer. This success is the beginning of the transformation we have dreamed of for years. In the coming period, the Biotechnology Valley will be the center where domestic medicines, vaccines, and innovative treatment technologies are born. Türkiye's future will be shaped in this model based on science and production.”

The Biotechnology Valley , with its rapidly developing infrastructure in Tuzla, Istanbul, is positioned not only as a production hub but also as an innovation center where research, entrepreneurship, and industrial collaborations coexist. This vision, which unites Turkey's scientific and industrial power, is becoming a reality with Varliciment.

Varliciment's high efficacy rate in preclinical studies suggests it has the potential to halt the progression of vision loss by preventing leakage from blood vessels in the eye. It is also noted that the molecule's smaller structure compared to existing imported drugs allows it to bind more strongly to proteins, increasing treatment success. This step is not just the story of a drug; it is poised to go down in history as a demonstration of Turkey's entry into its own era in science .