événements virtuels

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

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

Flyer Click Here

1- Introduction

Intellectual Property rights (IP) are designed to benefit society by providing incentives to introduce new inventions and creations in fields relating to technology (patents), business (brands) and the arts (copyright). They facilitate access to knowledge and inventions and stimulate innovation by resolving information asymmetries, facilitating international competitiveness and trade, and enhancing opportunities for access to finance. Therefore, their purpose is not the exclusive benefit of individuals/corporations but of the public community at large.

But alongside the benefits of IP comes the rules, laws and specific documentation required to ascertain the legality of registered IP or patent, which can be a difficult hurdle for technologists, innovators and entrepreneurs to overcome if not equipped with the necessary knowledge of the case specific system.

2- The Purpose of the Course

The purpose of the training course will be to empower managers and experts to raise the awareness of technologists, innovators, and entrepreneurs in OIC member countries regarding the detailed process of IP documentation and patent registration, as well as the different types of patents and related legal processes.

3- The Overall Scope

The training course will be organized by the INSTP in two stages. The first stage will be a 3-day online training course at the end of which the participants will be tested in order to be evaluated and selected for the second stage. The second stage will be a workshop held in Iran for the participants that pass the first stage.

4- The Training Course

• The Target Audience:
  • managers and experts from technoparks, universities and research centers

Each title would be covered in the duration of two hours,

• Preparing the Training Materials:
  • The training material will be prepared by the instructors, approved by INSTP

• The Duration of Course and Number of Trainees:
  • The online course will be for 3 days on November 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd, 2021 with open registration.
  • A number of trainees will be selected from the participants according to their qualifications and performance to participate in the workshop in Iran with covered travel and stay.

5- Course Instructors:

• Fateme Jahanpeyma
• Mitra Aminlou
• Bryan Khan
• Fredy Sánchez
• Mehrdad Khanlarkhani
• Leila Zarei

6- Evaluation

A comprehensive evaluation of the program will be made at the end, taking into consideration the output of the participants regarding quality, efficiency and organization, as well as timely follow up with the participants to document their progress.

Advanced Methods for Structure Determination of Proteins and their complexes: Drug Discovery for Motor Neuron Disease to COVID-19

Prof. Dr. Samar Hasnain

Date and Time: 09^th September, 2021; 02:30 PM PKT

Target Audience:

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

Profile of Speaker:

Samar Hasnain is a structural biologist with over 45 years of Synchrotron Radiation experience.  He obtained a PhD in experimental Physics in 1976 from the University of Manchester on molecular crystals using synchrotron radiation at NINA. After spending a year as PDRA with Manchester he joined DESY in Hamburg as a DESY Fellow working on the Storage ring Synchrotron Radiation Facility, where during his stay at DESY, the synchrotron team created HASYLAB in 1978.

In 1979, Professor Hasnain joined the UK’s effort of establishing the world’s first dedicated synchrotron radiation source (SRS) as a full-time scientific staff member of the Daresbury national laboratory. In 1989, he established the Molecular Biophysics group at Daresbury where he remained as head of the group until March 2008 when he moved to the University of Liverpool as Max Perutz Professor of Molecular Biophysics where he established the Barkla X-ray laboratory of Biophysics, naming the X-ray laboratory after the Liverpool’s Nobel prize winner Charles Glover Barkla (1917) who had established the nature of Rontgen rays (X-rays) that helped to start the field of X-ray Crystallography. During 2011-2105 he was the International Lead for the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences of the University of Liverpool.

He persuaded the International Union of Crystallography to launch the Journal of Synchrotron Radiation in 1993 and became its founding editor with Hiromichi Kamitsubo and John Helliwell. He was the Editor-in-Chief of the IUCr Journals from 2012 to 2018. In 2014, he launched the IUCr’s flagship journal IUCrJ. He is a member of the International Advisory Board for IUCrJ. He is also an Editor of the Current opinion in Structural Biology and IUBMB Life.

He has been engaged with the SESAME synchrotron project in Jordan launched under the umbrella of UNESCO since its inception in 2004 and is the UK Government’s representative on its Council since its foundation. He is Chair of its Programme Review committee since 2018. Previously, he was the founding Chair of its Beamline Advisory Committee.

He is Fellow of the Institute of Physics (UK, since 1991), Fellow of TWAS (since 1997), Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK, since 2002) and Foreign Fellow of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences (since 2017).

His main interest is in structure-function studies of proteins and their complexes that are involved in biological electron transfer, nitrogen cycles and neurodegenerative diseases. He has been involved in structure-based drug discovery targeted towards neurodegenerative diseases and malaria.

Hasnain has pioneered an approach to defining the structures of metalloproteins that combines not only X-ray crystallography and solution X-ray scattering, now used widely in the structural biology community, but also X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) and optical spectroscopies. More recently, he has included cryo electron microscopy (cryo-EM) in his toolkit and has applied to a number of membrane proteins effectively. The integration of spectroscopic methods with crystallography has proved powerful in providing validation of ‘functional’ states of enzymes as well as providing a route to identifying ‘radiation-damage free structures’. The value of this integrated approach has been recognized widely and has been adopted by the metalloprotein research community worldwide. His drive to obtain ‘damage-free’ structure has led to (i) the ‘multiple structures serially obtained from one crystal’ (MSOX) technique that allows an opportunity to capture radiolytically-driven chemical reactions in the crystal and (ii) the use of XFEL for providing damage-free structures for redox proteins.

Flyer of webinar:  click here

Link for registration and E- certificate:

https://forms.gle/S9yWc3kFN1ccKGWV6

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

Professor Paul W. Denny

Professor in Biosciences Department

University of Durham, United Kingdom

Date: 6 August, 2021  

Time: 02:30 pm Pakistan Standard Time

Our Programme: NTDs (neglected tropical diseases) are a major health and economic burden in Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states.  The control and elimination of NTDs requires both a scale-up and integration of global mass treatment programmes, along with new tools and technologies to tackle these diseases.  COMSTECH, in collaboration with A Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases (known as the NTD Network, https://ntd-network.org/), is launching a virtual lecture series.  for researchers across the Moslem world and beyond.  Our programme draws upon expertise from both networks, and offers opportunities to gain or enhance researcher knowledge, skills and connections, all of which help to grow our shared global capacity to tackle these rapidly growing NTDs.

• The NTD Network, funded by UKRI’s Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), is a consortium of academic researchers from South America, Asia, and the UK, seeking new therapeutic solutions to leishmaniasis and Chagas disease
• Both COMSTECH and the NTD Network aim to promote global scientific cooperation and build researcher capacity to find new and better therapeutic solutions for NTDs

This online programme is the first of many COMSTECH-NTD Network joint activities via the COMSTECH platform. 

Target Audience: This webinar is open to academics, scientists and the general public from all OIC member states.  The content is most relevant to scientists interested in NTDs research, and specialised in Microbiology, Genetics, Genomics, Molecular Biology, Molecular Medicine, and Pathology. 

Please find attached:

• Webinar poster/flyer
• The speaker’s profile

Register with us to attend this meeting:

• Register at : https://forms.gle/6JX8KYeWHJFBekQU7

Contact us for further details:

Khazima@comstech.org;  comstech@comstech.org

By Prof. Dr. Keykavous Parang

Associate Dean of Research, Graduate Studies, and Global Affairs Professor of Medicinal
Chemistry and Pharmacology, Chapman University, USA

13th July 2021 (11:00 AM PKT)

Abstract: In this presentation, the Speaker will introduce different cyclic peptide platforms that have been developed for anticancer drug delivery. The goal is to further optimize the peptide structures to assure the efficient delivery and safety of anticancer drugs for clinical use.

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

Profile of the Speaker: Dr. Parang is Associate Dean of Research, Innovation, and Global Affairs and a Full Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology at Chapman University School of Pharmacy in Irvine, California. He earned a Pharm.D. degree from Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 1989. He received his Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry from the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Alberta in 1997, followed by a postdoctoral study in the field of solid-phase organic synthesis in the Department of Chemistry. He pursued additional postdoctoral studies at Rockefeller University in New York and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore in bioorganic chemistry. He joined the University of Rhode Island in October 2000 and became a full professor in July 2008. He served as the Program Coordinator of Rhode Island IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (RI-INBRE) NIH program (2012-2013). He joined Chapman University to assist in establishing the School of Pharmacy. He is an author of 189 peer-reviewed publications, 10 patents, and 171 meeting abstracts.

Dr. Parang’s research can be described as applying synthetic organic chemistry to problems in biology. Specific areas currently under investigation include (1) using peptides as cell-penetrating molecular transporters in drug delivery; (2) designing protein kinase inhibitors; (3) developing multifunctional antiviral, anticancer, and antibacterial agents; and (4) designing peptide nanomaterials for nanomedicine. One major area currently under investigation is to design peptide nanomaterials for applications in drug delivery. The objective of this project is to design and evaluate peptide nanomaterials as cell-penetrating nuclear targeting agents or molecular transporters of bioactive cell-impermeable compounds. This study will document the potential for new hybrid peptide-drug assemblies that may be used for the non-covalent or covalent targeted delivery of bioactive molecules, including cell-impermeable compounds with biological significance. He is an author of 205 peer-reviewed publications, 13 issued or pending patents, and more than 180 meeting abstracts.

Poster of webinar:  Attached

Registration Link:
Click here to Register

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

Training Webinar on
« Acquisition, Conservation, Exchange, and Safety
Duplication of Plant Genetic Resources in OIC Member Countries – ASIA Chapter »

13-14 July 2021, 1100- 1400 hrs (Pakistan Standard Time), 0700-1000 GMT.

Considering the importance of biodiversity of genetic resources and the possible loss of genetic materials from gene banks due to environmental changes or political conflicts, it is crucial to build the capacity of OIC Member countries in conserving and sustainable use of genetic resources in their respective countries.

Developing strong human resources in the field of Gene Banks and preservation of Plant Genetic Resources (PGR) has become an urgent need since many of our Member States do not possess sufficient human and technical resources in this vital domain. To address this issue, Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS) and OIC Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH) have agreed to conduct a series of related trainings for OIC Member countries. Bio-resources Conservation Institute (BCI) of Pakistan Agricultural Research Centre (PARC) have kindly agreed to provide technical support to the training programme in a series of Regional Training Workshops. Experts from other countries and regions will be included as per the demands of the technical program. These trainings may be considered as a follow up to the online Workshop on National Gene banks organized by IOFS and COMSTECH, July 5-6, 2020.

Due to the constraints on travel and gatherings imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic the trainings will be held online.

• Objectives

•       To raise awareness of OIC Member countries in establishing gene bank requirements

•       To build the capacity of OIC Member countries in maintenance and operations of gene banks (collection of genetic materials, conservation, germplasm exchange policies)

•       To familiarize with international and national laws and policies

•       To discuss and exchange the international practices in the conservation of genetic resources and effective collaboration in this field of various stakeholders on the national and international level.

• Implementation of activities

In order to achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the organizing parties will implement the following activities during the period of July-November 2021 in the areas of common interest:

1.     Online training on PGR (Region-I) Asia                        13-14^th July, 2021

2.     Online training on PGR (Region-II) Africa       

3.     Online training on PGR (Region-III) MENA 

Training will include video demonstrations and other interactive features to involve active participation.

• Participation: Professionals, academics and researchersrelated to the field of PGR and Food Security
• Interested participants should apply online Click Here  by 7^th July 2021.

• Detailed Program of the 1^st Online Training Webinar (Asia Region): 13-14^th July, 2021, 1100 to 1400 hours Pakistan Standard Time. (Download)
• Flyer (click here)

Prof. Dr. Gautam R. Desiraju

(Professor Solid State & Structural Chemistry Unit, Indian Institute of Science,

Bangalore, India

Winner of Alexander von Humboldt Forschungspreis, and the TWAS award

Date and Time: 11th August, 2021; 3:00 PM PKT

Abstract:

A field that was defined 30 years ago as “the understanding of intermolecular interactions in the context of crystal packing and in the utilization of such understanding in the design of new solids with desired physical and chemical properties”, and which has been identified as the central issue in structure design. The lack of a direct correspondence between molecular and crystal structure in the sequence “One → Few → Many → Nucleus → Crystal”, has now evolved into “an area of virtually unlimited scope where science funding and translation efforts could be directed in the current climate of a society that increasingly expects applications and utility products from science and technology”. Certain current concerns will be addressed in this talk.

Target Audience:

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

Profile of Speaker:

            Prof. Dr. Gautam Desiraju’s work is in the subject of Crystal Engineering. He has made seminal, wide-ranging and original contributions at the top-most international level. Prof. Dr. Desiraju has developed and nurtured the subject into a modern, competitive area. He is well noted for gaining acceptance for the theme of weak hydrogen bonding among chemists and crystallographers. Through his now classical book “ Crystal Engineering, The Design of Organic Solids (Elsevier, 1989), he showed that this is a subject of vast scope. His outstanding and prolific academic record amounts at present to 475 research papers, three authored books and three edited books. Prof. Dr. Desiraju is cited nearly 50000 times in SCI journals and books, with an h-index of 90 (Web of Science), placing him among the most cited scientists in India today. He was a member of the IUPAC committee responsible for producing a modern official definition of this important intermolecular interaction (2011). He has won international awards such as the Alexander von Humboldt Forschungspreis and the TWAS award in Chemistry and was awarded the ISA medal for science of the University of Bologna for the year 2018. Dr Desiraju is a former President of the International Union of Crystallography. He is a recipient of an honorary doctorate degree of the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina and of the Rayalaseema University, Kurnool. Presently he is a member of the editorial advisory boards of Angewandte Chemie, Chemical Communications and Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Poster of webinar:  Attached

Link for registration and E- certificate:

Click here for Registration

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