webinar

COMSTECH Webinar
Co-Combustion of Coal and Biomass for Clean Electricity Generation

Date: Friday, 11^th August 2023
Time: 03:00 pm (Pakistan Standard Time)
Online participation only.

Flyer attached,

Speaker/Convener
Prof. Dr. Shahid Munir
Chairperson
Punjab Higher Education Commission

Speakers Profile:

Prof. Dr. Shahid Munir did his BSC Chemical Engineering and MSC Chemical Engineering from the Institute of Chemical Engineering & technology, University of the Punjab, Lahore. He won gold medal by securing first position in MSc Chemical Engineering. He has 10 years of industrial experience on his credit. He obtained outstanding performance award from Punjab University in 2005. He did his PhD from University of Leeds, UK. His area of research in Biomass-Coal Co-Combustion and his research work has been published in international and national journals of high impact factor.

He worked as controller Examination, University of the Punjab from 2014 to 2018. He served as Director Centre for Coal Technology, University of the Punjab form 2011-2018. He secured funding of around Rs.2.0 billion in the projects and launched many academic programs including those that were not being taught in the country. He transformed centre for coal technology into Institute of Energy and Environmental Engineering in Punjab University. He has been member of panel of experts of Punjab Power Development Board for the Establishment of Coal Fired Power Plants in Punjab. He was first one who challenged the Thar coral underground coal gasification project of Dr. Samar Mubarakmand and suggested open pit mining in that coal field. Now, according to his proposed technology coal is being mined at Thar and power generation is going on.

Prof. Dr. Shahid Munir served as a Vice Chancellor of the University of Jhang from 2018-2022. Keeping in view his outstanding performance, he was appointed as Vice Chancellor on additional charge at, University of Mianwali from July 2020 to February 2021 to initiate that university from scratch that he did in similar fashion in Jhang. Moreover, he assumed the additional charge of the post of Vice Chancellor, University of Sargodha from 18 June 2021 to 17 September 2021. He worked hard to de-politicise the University of Sargodha and implemented meritocracy. He has been member of more than 100 statutory bodies/committees of different organizations keeping in view his visionary and dynamic leadership. He is appointed as Chairperson Punjab Higher Education commission in June 2022.

Who Should Attend?

Early stage researchers, students, relevant personnel from the research Laboratories and industries.

Abstract of the webinar Attached

Registration Form: https://forms.gle/wb6KhQ9zsZbKdNGw8

For more information please contact:

Khazima Muazim
Program Manager COMSTECH
khazima@comstech.org

Maham Yamin
Program Officer COMSTECH
maham.yamin@comstech.org

Date: 4-5 July 2023

Flyer attached.

2nd International Youth Forum for Agri-Biotechnology to be held in Astana, Kazakhstan

The 2nd International Youth Forum for Agri-Biotechnology will be held in Astana, Kazakhstan, on 4-5 July 2023. The theme of this year’s events is “Biotechnology for Food Security and Climate Resilience.” 

About the Forum for Agri-Biotechnology:

The Mission of the event is to promote excellence and competence in the field of agricultural and food biotechnology. The theme “Agriculture Biotechnology” aims to provide the best knowledge and resources to young participants to advance their research goals. The youth forum will stimulate the desire to collaborate and change the world of green biotechnology and innovation by promoting state-of-the-art practices in biotechnology research and evidence-based approach. The Forum will include informative talks from young as well as experienced scientists, keynote lectures, plenary sessions, poster presentations, discussions and other educational and social events that stimulate several networking opportunities among the young participants. The forum aims to facilitate interactions within the young research community to discuss the latest developments in this rapidly advancing field and find ways to respond to the increasing demands of professionals and communities across the world.

You may register through the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIp

Jointly organized

by

Intellectual Property Rights Office (IPRO), International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences,
OIC Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH), and
Sindh Innovation, Research, and Education Network (SIREN)
Venue: LEJ National Science Information Center
(March 14, 2022, Time: 11.30 AM)

Intellectual Property Rights Office (IPRO), ICCBS is launching a capacity building program on management of intellectual property rights, in collaboration with COMSTECH and Sindh Innovation, Research, and Education Network (SIREN).

The series of lectures under the Capacity Building Program on Management of Intellectual Property Rights will be conducted by Intellectual Property Organization, Pakistan. Ms. Saima Kanwal, Assistant Controller of Patents at Patent Office, Karachi, Pakistan will deliver the first lecture of the series entitled, “Introduction to Intellectual Property Rights & Understanding the Patent System in Pakistan”. This lecture will cover following basic aspects of patent system.

• Concept of intellectual Property and its various forms
• Patent protection and its rationale 
• Significance of patent for the researchers
• Fundamentals of patents system
• Common misconceptions about patents
• Case study
  • Introduction to Patent system in Pakistan
  • Patent filing trend in Pakistan
  • Enforcement of patents in Pakistan

Ms. Saima Kanwal, has been associated with Intellectual Property Organization, Pakistan since 2006. Ms. Kanwal had her M. Phil in Biotechnology from Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad and LLM in Intellectual Property from Ankara University, Turkey. During her fifteen years career,

By Prof. Dr. Farzad Kobarfad

Professor of Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Date: March 16^th, 2022

Time: 2:00 PM Pakistan Standard Time

Metabolic disorders in babies affect how infants digest food and convert it into fuel for the body. These infants may lack certain digestive enzymes that allow people to use certain nutrients. As a result, babies may become weak, be lethargic, and experience digestive issues.

In this live interactive session, Dr Farzad Kobarfad will present his innovative laboratory to the participants followed by a virtual tour of his Laboratory giving a demonstration of the techniques they use for detection of metabolic disorders in neonatal. This will be followed by an interactive session with the participants at the end.

About the speaker: Dr Farzad Kobarfad did his PhD in Medicinal Chemistry from University of Philadelphia (USP), PA, USA and is currently working as an Associate professor, Department of Medicinal Chemistry at Shaheed Beheshti School of Pharmacy, Tehran, Iran. He has 5 books and 2 patents and several research articles to his name. In addition, he is also serving as a Technical Director of Iran Doping Control Laboratory, Tehran, is member of editorial board of Iran Pharmacopoeia and also a member of editorial board of Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research (IJPR). He has won several prestigious awards during his academic career too.

Detailed profile of speaker attached: link

Flyer of the event: Attached

Programme: Attached

Target Audience:This webinar is open to academics, scientists and general public from all OIC states. 
Register with us to attend this meeting:https://forms.gle/EHhxBace4tzz7t1e7
Contact us for further details:
khazima@comstech.org;  maham.yamin@comstech.org

By

Prof. Dr. Reza Malekzadeh

Professor of Medicine

Director Digestive Disease Research Institute

Tehran university of Medical sciences, Iran.

Date and Time: August 4, 2021 at 10:30-12:30 PKT

Deadline for Registration: August 1, 2021

Flyer

Abstract:

Cardiovascular diseases are major causes of mortality worldwide. A fixed-dose combination therapy—the so-called polypill—was proposed more than 15 years ago as an acceptable and cost-saving approach to reduce cardiovascular disease risk. Since then, different formulations of polypill have been used in several studies worldwide.

The research work of Prof. Reza (PolyIran Study) proposes a fixed-dose combination therapy (polypill strategy) as an approach to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease, especially in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). The PolyIran study aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of a four-component polypill including aspirin, atorvastatin, hydrochlorothiazide, and either enalapril or valsartan for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. This study is the first large-scale, long-term, pragmatic randomized trial to investigate the effects of a fixed-dose combination therapy on primary or secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease

Target Audience:

The webinar is open to researchers, academicians, scientists and healthcare professionals from the OIC member states.

For Registration please visit: Click here

Procedure to Join: Zoom link will be shared with selected participants

Furthermore, Prof. Malekzadeh has received 14 national awards including Razi, Avicenna, Yalda, Hadavi, Tabatabaei and Iranian Science awards. He has been awarded the Medal of Honor from International Agency for Research on cancer (IARC/WHO) for outstanding contribution in research on cancer (2018).

Profile of Speaker:

Moreover, he is a member of 18 national and international academies and scientific societies. He has published 729+ papers in scientific international journals with 99191+ citations and is among the top 1% world highly cited scientists in clinical Medicine based on Essential Science Indicators. His h-index is 104 in Scopus. Prof. Reza has also established the Golestan Cohort and Persian cohort study in Iran.

Prof. Malekzadeh is a Distinguished Professor in Internal Medicine and Director, Digestive Disease Research Institute in Tehran University of Medical Sciences. He obtained his MD, specialty board of medicine and subspecialty board of gastroenterology from Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Iran. He has worked in various capacities in Iranian medical education and research system. In Addition, he was chancellor of Shiraz University; Minister of Health and Medical Education (MOHME) and secretary of Iranian Academy of Medical Sciences.

Webinar Coordinator:

Muhammad Haseeb Ahmad

Program Officer

COMSTECH, Islamabad.

Email: Haseeb.ahmad@comstech.org

Phone: +92 51 9220681

Abstract: Tankyrases (TNKSs) are members of the poly(ADP-ribose)-polymerase (PARP) family of seventeen enzymes that use NAD⁺ as a source of ADP-ribose units to attach to target proteins as a regulatory post-translational modification. Target proteins of the two tankyrases include telomere repeating binding factor-1 (TRF1), nuclear mitotic apparatus protein (NuMA) (essential for separation of chromatids in cell division) and axin (a major component of Wnt / b-catenin signalling). Inhibition of TNKSs is reported to lead to decreased proliferation of cancer cells. The axin−TNKS−KIF3A complex is needed for insulin-stimulated translocation of GLUT4 to the cell membrane. Insulin-regulated amino-peptidase (IRAP) is also a binding partner and target protein of TNKSs. Thus inhibition of TNKSs should enhance insulin-stimulated exocytosis of GLUT4, leading to increased uptake of glucose in peripheral tissues, important in the management of diabetes.

This lecture will describe the story of how my group, with important external collaborations, explored the NAD⁺-binding site of the tankyrases through design, synthesis and biochemical evaluation of several series of isoquinolin-1-ones, quinazolin-4-ones, naphthyridinones, pyridopyrimidinones and related compounds. Crystal structures of several of these inhibitors, along with Structure-Activity Relationship studies, allowed detailed understanding of the shape and properties of the nicotinamide-binding pocket. NAD⁺ is also a substrate for many other enzymes in mammalian cells, including oxidoreductases and the other PARPs; thus the selectivity of inhibitors is important. These studies also led to an understanding of the structural basis for selectivity of inhibition of tankyrases vs. PARP1. Further elaboration of the core structure culminated in identification of two “dual-site” inhibitors binding at both the nicotinamide-binding pocket and at the adenosine-binding pocket. These final designed inhibitors showed exquisite potency (IC₅₀ vs. tankyrase-2 100 pM) and selectivity (65000× selective for tankyrase-2 vs. PARP1).

Target Audience: This webinar is open to academicians, scientists, and general public from all the member OIC states and beyond.

Research Interest of speaker: The research focus of the Threadgill group is drug design and delivery. We work on the application of medicinal chemistry (structure-based drug design, chemical synthesis, biochemical and cell biological evaluation) to developing new cancer treatments. Where the biochemistry of other diseases is similar (haemorrhagic shock, stroke, myocardial infarction, etc.), our work has branched out into these areas. We also research new synthetic methods in organic heterocyclic chemistry. Collaborations in Bath, Aberystwyth, Finland, India and Poland are important to our work.

CV of the speaker : click here

Poster of webinar:  click here

Link for registration and E- certificate:

https://forms.gle/z4jpiV8fiUpN5qf98

Procedure to join:

Zoom link for participation will be shared selected participants.

Address: COMSTECH Secretariat, 33-Constitution Avenue, G-5/2, Islamabad 
Phone No. : 92 51 9220681-3
Email: Khazima@comstech.org ; comstech@comstech.org

For flyer, click here.

A. Background

To explore the topic of tropical medicine and natural products, Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) in collaboration with COMSTECH (OIC Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation) will conduct an International Workshop on “Tropical Medicine and Natural Product” on 2^nd June, 2021. This workshop will be divided into 2 sessions to discuss about biodiversity exploration for traditional medicine and natural products, and also natural products and industrial applications. Furthermore, we are also expecting potential collaboration between countries, especially OIC member states to conduct research related to tropical medicines and natural products for the treatment of communicable and non-communicable diseases.

As a OIC member state, Indonesia is currently developing potential vaccine candidates. The vaccine, Vaksin Merah Putih, developed jointly National Research and Innovation Agency, Ministry of Health, Bio Farma, Eijkman, and universities in Indonesia. Along with vaccine development, many research institutions in Indonesia are working on compounds from herbal ingredients that have the potential to treat Covid-19. Based on the research that has been done, some local Indonesian plants are predicted to be candidates for COVID-19 inhibitors. Previously, Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) had found Immunomodulator, an immune-enhancing supplement derived from red ginger, Cordyceps, Sambiloto, meniran and sembung leaves. This herbal medicine is medicinal and increases the body’s immune system to fight viral infections. Immunomodulators have been tested at the Emergency Hospital for Covid-19, Wisma Atlet Kemayoran, Jakarta on June 8, 2020.

Natural products from plants, marine organisms, and microorganisms, are the richest source of drug candidates. Currently over 40% of clinically used drugs have natural origin. Nature is the sustainable source of biologically active molecules, and recent developments in chromatography and spectroscopic techniques made it possible to fully utilize their potential. This COMSTECH-LIPI joint workshop is aimed to discuss most recent developments in this field, and to foster productive collaboration between the researchers in OIC member states. 

B. Objectives

1. To identify and explore the biodiversity potential of traditional medicine and natural product in health and disease management.
2. To encourage and strengthen collaboration among OIC member states in research, innovation, and development of various therapeutic products.
3. To provide affordable biotechnology products for OIC member states.

C. Speakers and Moderator

Speaker

1. Dr. Laksana Tri Handoko, Chairman of National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN)
2. Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary, Coordinator General COMSTECH as well as a Director ICCBS – Pakistan
3. Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Jantan, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
4. Prof. Dr. Andria Agusta, Research Center for Chemistry, Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI)
5. Mr. Kilala Tilaar, CEO of Martha Tilaar Group
6. Dr. Nadeem Khalid (CEO at Herbion Pakistan)
7. Prof. Dr. Edi Meiyanto, Gadjah Mada University (UGM)

Moderator

1. Dr. Delicia Yunita Rahman, Research Center for Biotechnology, Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI)
2. Dr. Anggia Presetyoputri, Research Center for Biotechnology, Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI)

D. Participants

Open for public, this international workshop is targeted to be attended by OIC member state, researchers, academia, related Ministries/Institutions, Universities, Media and general public.

E. Date and Venue

The webinar will be held on Wednesday, 2 June 2020, 09.00-12.35 PST Time and/or 11.00-14.35 GMT +7 via Zoom meeting and YouTube Live Streaming on COMSTECH & LIPI channel

Please kindly register to http://bit.ly/registrationLIPICOMSTECH2021

F. Contact Details

Address: COMSTECH Secretariat, 33-Constitution Avenue, G-5/2, Islamabad

Phone No. : 92 51 9220681-3

Email: Khazima@comstech.org  ; jahan_pcmd@yahoo.com  comstech@comstech.org

G. Tentative Agenda

        TENTATIVE AGENDA

COMSTECH – LIPI International Webinar on Tropical Medicine and Natural Products

09.00 AM PST/11.00 AM IDN, June 2^nd, 2021