Zeynep Madak-Erdogan

Zeynep Madak-Erdogan investigates the intersection of estrogen receptor signaling, metabolism, and cancer risk in non-reproductive tissues, demonstrating how estrogen-mediated metabolic reprogramming in adipose tissue and liver contributes to cancer development in obese postmenopausal women. Her research at the University of Illinois has revealed that estrogen receptor alpha drives metabolic changes in non-reproductive tissues that create a pro-tumorigenic environment through inflammation and altered lipid metabolism. Her work is defining how menopausal hormone therapy and dietary phytoestrogens modulate cancer risk through metabolic mechanisms.