Events

The newly appointed Coordinator General Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary H.I., S.I., T. I., soon after taking the charge of the organization, met with the Minister for Science and Technology, Mr. Fawad Chaudhary in his office. He briefed the minister on COMSTECH existing program, such as collaborative programs with IFS, TWAS, Lindau Nobel Laureates Meetings, financial assistance for Inter-Islamic Networks, assistance for conferences, workshops, and seminars, COMSTECH awards, preparation of OIC science profile and COMSTECH research publication program.

To highlight the future plans, he mentioned COMSTECH capacity building initiative in infectious diseases (“preparing for the next pandemics”), artificial intelligence initiative for health and agriculture, science diplomacy and university-industry initiative. He emphasized the revival of the Science Technology and Innovation Organization (STIO) approved by OIC, and obtained contributions from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, and Malaysia. Prof. Choudhary mentioned that the programs and activities planned for 2020-21 are from a working paper, prepared on the instruction of the President of Pakistan who is the Chairman COMSTECH as well.

The Minister assured him the fullest support of his Ministry in fulfilling the mission of COMSTECH for science and technology cooperation in OIC member states. He has shown confidence that through COMSTECH, Pakistan will also be able to build its capacity in future fields of science and technology through bilateral and multilateral cooperation with leading institutions in OIC countries.

COMSTECH is the Ministerial Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation of the OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) which was established by the Third Islamic Summit of OIC held at Makkah, Saudi Arabia in January 1981. COMSTECH is composed of all the member states of the organization represented by their ministers of science and technology or nominated representatives.

Title: “COVID-19 Epidemiology Evidence Based Policy and Prospects for Vaccine.”

By Prof. Dr. Saad B. Omer

Date and Time : May 6, 2020 , 5:00 am EST (2:00 pm PST)

Click here for Poster

Coronavirus disease (2019-nCoV) aka Covid-19 is an infectious disease caused by a novel coronavirus i.e. severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses, causing illness in humans and circulate among animals such as bats. The disease spreads primarily from person to person through small droplets, which are expelled when a person with Covid-19 coughs, sneezes, or speaks.

The disease was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China and has since spread globally, resulting in the ongoing 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic.

Robust response and scientific efforts are underway to curb this menace. On forefront is the development of vaccine. World Health Organization (WHO) has 76 vaccine candidates against Covid-19 so far among which only 5 are under clinical evaluation. These 5 may have to prove their worth through rigorous follow up and testing.

COMSTECH has arranged web based seminar to discuss Covid-19 epidemiology and its ramification for wider public health and health sciences particularly for the OIC member states. Prof. Dr. Saad B. Omer is invited for this seminar.  In this talk, Prof. Omer will delve into insights of Covid- 19 epidemiology globally. He will discuss prospects, rigors and future predicaments for the Covid- 19 vaccine production.

Speaker’s Profile:

Prof. Dr. Saad B. Omer is the founding Director of the Yale Institute for Global Health, and a Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at the World Famous Yale University, Schools of Medicine and Public Health, USA.  He has conducted studies in the United States, Guatemala, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Africa and other OIC states. Dr Omer’s research portfolio includes clinical trials to estimate efficacy and safety of maternal and/or infant influenza, pertussis, polio, measles and pneumococcal vaccines and trials to evaluate drug regimens to reduce mother-to-child transmission of HIV. He has published over 280 papers in peer reviewed journals and has mentored over 100 junior faculty, clinical, and research post-doctoral fellows and PhD and other graduate students. Prof. Omer’s insight about pandemics and their impact is unique and praise worthy.

Procedure to join:

Step 1: Download software zoom for this web based seminar (https://zoom.us/)

Step 2: Send your request to join this seminar at khazima@comstech.org. Pl. note you need to send your Name, Email address, Affiliation, Profession, level of education in this email. 

Contact Information:

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

Phone No. : 92 51 9220681-3

Fax : 92 51 9211115, 9220265, 9205264

Email: khazima@comstech.org ; comstech@comstech.org

Islamabad: 1st June, 2020: Coordinator General COMSTECH, Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary requested all OIC member states to support the plight of refugees during COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Choudhary mentioned that it has been established scientifically that malnourished refugees, living in overcrowded and unhygienic conditions are especially vulnerable to infections. He recognized that we Muslims understand the importance of serving refugees in the Islamic world. He pointed that the significance of refugees is deep rooted in Islam’s commitment to generosity, hospitality and non-discriminatory protection as taught in Islamic tradition. He hoped that as Pakistan has protected Afghan refugees for over 40-years with the sincerity and belief in basic human dignity, our brothers and sisters in the Muslim Ummah through ties with this august forum of OIC will pledge their support to do the same.

Coordinator General COMSTECH highlighted that many OIC member states including Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Turkey have been generously hosting millions of refugees and emphasized, with this background in mind, we are acutely aware and recognize that there is an urgent need to configure the far-reaching impact of conflict, poverty and displacement in OIC member states. Prof. Choudhary indicated that it is in recognition of the potential threat of starvation and disease arising from the rapid spread of COVID-19 in refugees in OIC member states.

In view of these considerations, He appealed for OIC assistance, through its own offices, offices of UNHCR and other agencies, be mobilized on priority basis to protect the millions of refugees in member states. He recommended to develop and implement a special relief package to provide monetary and technical assistance to refugees that provide food, essential medicines, masks, hand sanitizers and other such essential relief items.

Coordinator General COMSTECH showed his confidence that with the support of OIC member states, we will uphold our Muslim tradition, derived from the deep-rooted Muslim faith that “in the face of the world’s calamities, all sons of Adam are equal”. He hoped that we shall persevere in protecting the most vulnerable as well as upholding the rights of refugees in our communities and work together in realizing the long-standing principles of international solidarity and burden sharing at this critical conjuncture.

H.E. Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary, Coordinator General COMSTECH met with Maj. Gen. Amer Ikram, Executive Director, National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, Pakistan on Thursday, 4th June, 2020 in his office. The matters related to joint collaboration between COMSTECH and NIH were discussed in detail and agreed to hold the various joint activities.

June 04, 2020: H.E. Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary, Coordinator General COMSTECH met with H.E. Ambassador Sohail Mahmood, Foreign Secretary of Pakistan in his office on Thursday, 4th June, 2020.  Mr. Muhammad Kamran Akhtar, Director General (ACDIS) and Mr. Tariq Karim, Director General (EC & OCI), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) were also present in the meeting.

The Coordinator General COMSTECH discussed with the Foreign Secretary, new programs and activities of COMSTECH initiated after assumption of Charge of the office of Coordinator General COMSTECH and sought support of the Foreign Office.  The matters related with regards to COMSTECH – MoFA collaboration in Science Diplomacy initiative and Capacity Building Programs across the OIC region were also discussed.  The Foreign Secretary assured the Coordinator General COMSTECH of his full support in launching of new initiatives.

Thursday, 4th June 2020

H.E. Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary, Coordinator General COMSTECH met with Mr. Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, Federal Secretary, Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications of Pakistan on Thursday, 4th June, 2020 in his office. The proposals of joint collaborative activities were discussed including;

National Exhibition on AI and IT Products for Health Care

Internet of Things (IoT) in Health Care – Digital Information

Telemedicine to Combat Future Pandemics

The Federal Secretary, Ministry of IT & Telecommunication expressed his keenness in the proposal and assured the Coordinator of his support.

Title: “Pakistan Randomized and Observational Trial to Evaluate Coronavirus Treatment (PROTECT)” By Prof. Dr. Ghazna Khalid

Date and Time: 5th June 2020, 3:00 pm PST

Coronavirus disease or Covid-19 is an infectious disease caused by a novel Coronavirus i.e. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses, causing illness in humans and circulate among animals such as bats. The disease spreads primarily from person to person contact, through small droplets which are expelled when a person with Covid-19 coughs, sneezes, or speaks.

The disease was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China and has since spread globally, resulting in the ongoing 2019–20 Coronavirus pandemic. Robust response and scientific efforts are underway to curb this menace. These efforts are centred around conducting clinical trials to evaluate drugs and vaccines against this disease. In Pakistan, only a handful of clinical trials are underway. Pakistan Randomized and Observational Trial to Evaluate Coronavirus Treatment (PROTECT) is one of them.

COMSTECH has arranged web based seminar to discuss clinical trial PROTECT and its significance for wider Public Health and Health Sciences in Pakistan. COMSTECH is exploring ways to extend this trial to other OIC member states, as a strategy to help with the humanitarian fight against Covid-19.

Professor Dr. Ghazna Khalid, member of Scientific Task Force established by the Federal Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of Pakistan on PROTECT trial is invited to deliver this talk. This Task Force is mandated to plan, conduct, and disseminate findings of PROTECT in scientific interest to reduce the impact of devastating pandemic of SARS-Cov-2 in Pakistan.

Speaker’s Profile:

Professor Dr. Ghazna Khalid is a Pakistani technocrat, social activist, an internationally acclaimed gynaecologist and health expert. She is advisor on maternal and child health to the KPK Department of Health. She is a technical advisor to the Federal Ministry of National Health Regulations and Services in Islamabad. She is serving as a member on the Covid-19 task force in the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology.

Dr. Ghazna Khalid brings more than 20 years of experience working with development organizations and international donor agencies to improve health, maternal and newborn health, and pregnancy outcomes in developing countries.

Dr Ghazna has a double doctorate. She holds a Medical degree (MBBS) from Imperial College London and PhD Doctorate in Research from University College London UK. She is a member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists MRCOG London UK.

dr ghazna

Procedure to join:

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 818 4167 3299

Password: 159753

Contact Information:

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

Phone No. : 92 51 9220681-3

Fax : 92 51 9211115, 9220265, 9205264

Email: Khazima@comstech.org ; comstech@comstech.org

December 14-15, 2020

Cell culture is one of the major approaches used in cellular and molecular biology, providing an excellent model system for studying the physiology and biochemistry of living cells.

Cell culture entails to the removal of cells from an animal or plant and their successive growth in a favorable artificial environment. The cells may be removed from the tissue directly, or they may be derived from a cell line and disaggregated by enzymatic or mechanical means before further in vitro cultivation.

The workshop will provide a solid basis for the understanding of the growth of animal/human cells, with formal lectures and laboratory exercises. Through integrated learning methods, utilizing hands-on training to reinforce lecture material, participants will learn the biological basis and relevance of the process of cell culture techniques. The training program will facilitate the trainees to translate these techniques according to their specific research needs.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

The workshop is designed to address the interest of scientists and research scholars from different fields of biological sciences including molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, and biotechnology.

WORKSHOP CONTENT

The program includes a series of online lectures and hands-on sessions on the following topics:

• Preparation and types of media
• Maintenance of cells in culture
• Cell passaging and seeding in plate
• Cryopreservation

RESOURCE PERSONS

Dr. Sumbla Farooq Sheikh:    Dr. Sheikh is currently working at the Institute for Virology und Epidemiology of Viral diseases, University Hospital, Tübingen University, Germany. Her research primarily focuses on the design and development of contrast agents for the early detection of cancer with special focus on; glioblastoma and prostate carcinoma. She has a wide experience in the field of cellular and molecular studies involving cell culture-based assays.

Dr. Alexander Sturzu:            Dr Sturzu is working at the Department of Neuroradiolgy, University Hospital, Tübingen University, Germany. His main research interests are design of novel imaging compounds for tissue specific imaging and novel anticancer agents. He is well versed in foundational molecular biology and his expertise is widely based on cell culture and cell culture based assays.

VENUE

Topic: “Basic Cell Culture Techniques”
Time: Dec 14, 2020 12:00 PM Islamabad, Karachi, Tashkent

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82416827002?pwd=bU1rZGMreTkwbzJOZmpwWTZSZUJhQT09

Meeting ID: 824 1682 7002
Passcode: 639480

Topic: “Basic Cell Culture Techniques”
Time: Dec 15, 2020 12:00 PM Islamabad, Karachi, Tashkent

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84960181216?pwd=WEhnU3JPNkw4S1RETEpJYThUN2NvUT09

Meeting ID: 849 6018 1216
Passcode: 212055

WORKSHOP PROGRAM (Pakistan Standard Time)

Monday, December 14, 2020

12:00-12:05     Inauguration Ceremony

12:05-12:10      Recitation of the Holy Quran

12:10-12:20      Welcome Address by Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary

12:20-13:30      Lecture 1 entitled, “Introduction to mammalian cell culture and cell passaging” by Dr. Sumbla Farooq Sheikh, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

13:30-14:30     Practical Session (Cryo-revive, trypsinization and passaging)

Tuesday, December 15, 2020

12:00-13:00     Lecture 2 entitled, “Treatment of cells, management of contamination and troubleshooting” by Dr. Alexander Sturzu, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

13:00-14:30     Practical Session 2 (Cell counting, plating and cryo-preservation)

14:30-14:45     Closing Ceremony

REGISTRATION PROCESS

Please register at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdFuxdQd7OBVVUbOWwkQ2v-cK089NsDcoFNoeuH72grEL3m9A/viewform before December 10, 2020.
Registered participants will receive e-certificates.

CONTACT PERSON

Ms. Khazima Muazim
Programme Manager
COMSTECH Secretariat, Islamabad
Tel: +92-51-9220681-3
Fax: +92-51-9205264, +92-51-9220265
Email: khazima@comstech.org

His Excellency the Secretary-General of OIC, Dr. Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen visited COMSTECH Secretariat Islamabad on August 9, 2017. His delegation was received by the COMSTECH team led by Dr. Shaukat Hameed Khan, Coordinator General COMSTECH.

Secretary General was briefed on COMSTECH’s activities and programs. Federal Minister for Science and Technology Mr. Rana Tanveer Hussain and Secretary for Ministry of Science and Technology Mr. Fazal Abbas Maken, also attended the event.

Later the Secretary General along with Minister and other dignitaries attended dinner hosted by Coordinator General Dr. Shaukat Hameed Khan.

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

 : 92 51 9220681-3

 : 92 51 9211115, 9220265, 9205264

 : comstech@comstech.org

Literature Search-Service

  comstech@comstech.org

Coordinator General COMSTECH

Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary

 cg@comstech.org

Adviser

Prof. M. Qasim Jan

 adviser@comstech.org

Adviser

Dr. S. Khurshid Hasanain

 adviser_skh@comstech.org

Director Finance & Accounts

Mr. Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman

  mujeeb@comstech.org

Director HR & Administration

Mr. Aftab Hussain Zaidi

  aftab.zaidi@comstech.org

General Manager Hospitality

Mr. Naveed Aamer

naveed@comstech.org

Sr. Manager IT

Mr. Usman Quddus Malik

  usman@comstech.org

Programme Manager

Ms. Hanifa Beg

  hanifa@comstech.org

Publications

June 19, 2020: Dr. Abdur Rashid, Director, DRAP and Dr. Ghazna Khalid Siddiqui MNA and Member, Task Force of Ministry of Science and Technology of Pakistan on COVID-19 had meeting with Coordinator General COMSTECH Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary, today morning in his office.

“Sustainable Development Of Drylands In The Post 2015 World”

August 21-24, 2016

Alexandria, Egypt

The 12th International Dryland Development Conference with the theme “Sustainable Development of Drylands in the Post 2015 World” was held from 21 to 24 August 2016 in the Alexandria Library, Alexandria, Egypt. It was co-sponsored by the Arid Land Agricultural Graduate Studies & Research Institute (ALARI), Egypt, Arid Land Research Centre (ALRC), Japan, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Centre International de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques Méditerranéennes (CIHEAM), Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAREERI), China, the Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Egypt, JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), JIRCAS (Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Research), and Desert Research Center (DRC), Egypt. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Commission on Science & Technology (COMSTECH), ECO Science Foundation (ECOSF), and other international and national organizations supported the Conference.

Themes of the Conference:

Application of new technologies for the improvement of stress (drought, heat, cold and salinity) resistance of crops for dry areas.

Sustainable management of scarce water resources.

Agronomic and crop improvement interventions for sustainably enhancing agricultural productivity of small-holder farmers in dry areas.

Soil health and land use constraints for agricultural productivity in dry areas and their management.

Soil erosion and desertification processes and control.

Biodiversity conservation, and prevention of deforestation.

Sustainable management of productivity of rangeland and livestock in dry areas.

Arid lands communities, their indigenous knowledge and heritage, and socio-economic studies. Poverty alleviation, creation of job opportunities and minimizing outmigration.

Renewable energy resources (wind, solar, biogas) for sustainable arid land community settlement.

There were six plenary sessions, three specialized group sessions, and eleven concurrent sessions on nine themes. The Conference was attended by 201 participants from 25 different countries.

Contact Person

Prof. Abdel El-Beltagy

Chair of the International Dryland Development Commission (IDDC)

Egyptian Academy of the Scientific Research & Technology

IDDC Secretariat, 19 Aboul Feda St., Zamalek, Cairo, Egypt