Past Events

Date: April 18, 2022
Time: 10:00-12:00 GMT (15:00-17:00 Pakistan Standard Time)

Profile of Speaker

Target Audience:

The webinar is open to students, researchers, young scientists, policy makers, energy experts, engineers, and academicians  from the OIC member states and other countries.

For Registration please visit: https://forms.gle/s1SBbXzxDB5gn4FY9

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

Please note that E-certificates will be issued to those participants that attend the webinar and log in with their complete name and email address.

Webinar Coordinators:
Mr. Haris Akram
Programme Manager
Email: haris@comstech.org
Haseeb Ahmad
Programme Officer
Email: haseeb.ahmad@comstech.org

Jointly organized by

Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, Royan Institute, COMSTECH, and Sindh Innovation, Research, and Education Network (SIREN)

Introduction:

Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research (PCMD), International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi, in collaboration with Sindh Innovation, Research, and Education Network (SIREN) regularly organizes popular lectures on the topics of general interest and need.

PCMD-Royan Institute Webinar Series (Hybrid) is being jointly organized by Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, Royan Institute, Iran and SIREN. The webinar series is based on the current topics of Biomedical Sciences. The series will provide basic as well as advanced knowledge, skills and academic connections and expert opinions from renowned researchers of both institutes.

PCMD:

The Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research (PCMD) is a constituent center of the International Center for Chemical and Biological Science (ICCBS). The main objective of the Center is to is to develop an understanding regarding common diseases in Pakistan in order to develop effective diagnostic tools and affordable treatments by using molecular medicinal, chemical and computational methods and to train highly qualified manpower in the emerging new fields of molecular medicine and drug development.

Royan Institute:

The Royan Institute is an Iranian clinical, research and educational institute dedicated to biomedical, translational and clinical researches, stem cell research and infertility treatment. It is a public non-profitable organization affiliated to Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research. It was established in 1991 by the late Dr. Saeid Kazemi Ashtiani as a research institute for Reproductive Biomedicine and infertility treatments. In 1998 this institute was approved by Ministry of Health as Cell Based Research Center with over 46 scientific members and 186 lab technicians.

First Webinar:

The first webinar of series is entitled:

“Perinatal Stem Cell Derivatives for the Regeneration of Spinal Cord Injury”

This webinar aims to discuss how perinatal stem cells could impact the future of regenerative medicine, provide basic insight of perinatal stem cell and its role in the management of spinal cord injuries. This webinar will give insight about the therapeutic potentials of stem cells and their derivatives for regeneration of the damaged spinal cord.

Who Should Attend?

All undergraduate and graduate students as well as scientists and researchers working in the fields of molecular biomedicine, stem cells and regenerative medicine, tissue engineering and other biomedical disciplines.

Speaker’s Profile:

Dr. Irfan Khan: Dr. Khan’s research interest includes the isolation, propagation, and characterization of stem cells from perinatal sources and their therapeutic application in the repair of intervertebral disc and spinal cord injuries. his research activities focus on mapping intervertebral disc degeneration related pain and inflammation, differentiating stem cells into induced notochordal cells, their translation in the degenerated IVD using c-arm fluoroscopy, and evaluating the disc for tracking of implanted cells, and determining their fate. Investigating the harvested IVD for biochemical analysis, molecular markers analysis, and histological scoring.  He is involved in regenerating cardiovascular injuries, their characterization and repair with stem cells, and their derivatives in form of cardiac progenitors. His focus area is to establish GMP for clinical grade stem cells in Pakistan and to transform current basic stem cell research into translational medicine.  Future interests include direct differentiation and trans-differentiation of stem cells with help of chemicals, genetic and epigenetic modification to neurons, cardiomyocytes, insulin secreting beta cells, and skin fibroblasts.

Program Schedule: 20^th April, 2022

Day and Time:  Wednesday 10.00 am PST

Registration Deadline:  17^th April, 2022

For Registration (free):   https://bit.ly/3vWSH

Venue: Seminar room, Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi-75270, Pakistan.

Online: Link will be provided to the online registered participants.

For more information: siren.lej@gmail.com;    Call :  021-111-222-292 Ext: 267, 275.

Room No. 202, 2^nd floor, L.E.J. National Science Information Center, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi, Karachi-75270.

Date: March 30^th, 2022

Time: 02:30 – 04:00 PM Pak Time

COMSTECH has launched a special program offering scholarships, research fellowships, technicians training & workshop participation grants for Palestinian nationals. To raise awareness for this huge opportunity, a virtual orientation session will commence on 30^th March 2022 which can be attended by Palestinian nationals only.

This program is a collaborative effort of the member institutions of COMSTECH Consortium of Excellence (CCoE), Association of Private Sector Universities of Pakistan (APSUS) and COMSTECH. These scholarships and fellowships can be availed in the fields of Natural Sciences/ Applied Sciences/ Engineering and Technology, Computer Sciences, Software Engineering and Health sciences. Selected candidates will study at Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) of Pakistan, and OIC member states.

The duration of fellowship program between 6-12 months and full-length degree program wherever applicable. Duration can be extended with mutual agreement of host institution and COMSTECH secretariat. These scholarships and research fellowships will support (undergraduate studentship, graduate studentship, research fellowships and workshop participation for the students, Scientists, Engineers and technicians of the State of Palestine.

Detail program attached: Program

Target Audience: This webinar is open to Palestinian Nationals only.

Register with us to attend this meeting: https://forms.gle/PQhtEdzjcPdKx2KZA

Contact us for further details:
khazima@comstech.org;  maham.yamin@comstech.org

Registration Closed

Registration Closed

Date: 21, 22, and 24 March 2022

Time: 14:00 pm – 17:00 pm Pakistan Standard Time

Background:

A 3-day Workshop on Cancer Genetics is going to be jointly organized by COMSTECH, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), and Sindh Innovation Research and Education Network (SIREN) during March 21, 22, 24, 2022 at Latif Ebrahim Jamal National Science Information Center (International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences) University of Karachi, Karachi-Pakistan.

The workshop will consist of lectures by renowned expert Prof. Dr. Rafat Ali Siddiqui (Senior Investigator at the Methodist Research Institute, Indiana University Health and Professor of Cellular Biochemistry, Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, USA), followed by extensive exercises, tutorials, and discussion sessions.

Target Audience:

Early career students, experienced investigators, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty members from the OIC member states.

Profile of the Speaker: Detailed profile is attached.

Prof. Dr. Rafat Ali Siddiqui: Indiana University School of Medicine, USA.

Register at: https://forms.gle/vR2G28M3JzmLFXVE8

Zoom link for participation will be shared with selected participants.

Address: COMSTECH secretariat, G-5/2, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Email: Khazima@comstech.org

Date: 17-19^th March 2022

Time: 13:30 pm – 17:00 pm Pakistan Standard Time

Background:

A 3-day Online Workshop on Scientific Writing is going to be jointly organized by COMSTECH, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), and Sindh Innovation Research and Education Network (SIREN) during March 16-18, 2022 at Latif Ebrahim Jamal National Science Information Center (International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences) University of Karachi, Karachi-Pakistan.

The workshop will consist of lectures by renowned expert Prof. Dr. Rafat Ali Siddiqui (Senior Investigator at the Methodist Research Institute, Indiana University Health and Professor of Cellular Biochemistry, Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, USA), followed by extensive exercises, tutorials, and discussion sessions.

Target Audience:

Early career students, experienced investigators, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty members from the OIC member states and other countries who wish to develop their writing skills, are invited to participate

Profile of the Speaker: Detailed profile is attached.

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/gQUakn8w5ttJsMsj6

Prof. Dr. Rafat Ali Siddiqui: Indiana University School of Medicine, USA.

Register at:

Zoom link for participation will be shared with selected participants.

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

Phone No. : 92 51 9220681-3
Email: Khazima@comstech.org

Prof. Dr. Carlos Robello
Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de la República (Uruguay) and Principal Investigator at the Institut Pasteur de Montevideo

Date: March 22, 2022

Time:  4:00 PM Pak time (8 AM Uruguay time)

Speaker Profile Click Here

Flyer Click Here

NTDs (neglected tropical diseases) are a major health and economic burden in Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states. The control and elimination of NTDs requires both a scale-up and integration of global mass treatment programs, 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. 

Abstract:

Recent technological developments in long-read sequencing allowed us to determine the structure complex genomes with a high number of repetitive sequences as is the case for Trypanosoma cruzi that in addition to presenting a high number of tandem repeats and retro-elements, is composed of multigene families. We were able to describe the genome architecture of T. cruzi, allowing us to accurately estimate gene copy numbers, abundance and distribution of repetitive sequences (including satellites, retroelements and tandems of protein coding genes.

In particular, the finding that the genome is composed of a “core compartment” and a “disruptive compartment”, the latter containing the most relevant genes implied in the interaction with their hosts (surface multigene families) allowed us to delve into this organization, finding that epigenetic regulation is highly relevant in these parasites. In addition, comparative studies done both in the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes leads us to the conclusion that these parasites constitute a complex of species, formed by four main lineages (A to D) and a hybrid lineage (BC), and three types of maxicircles (a, b and c).

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 specialized in Microbiology, Genetics, Genomics, Molecular Biology, Molecular Medicine, and Pathology. 

Register with us to attend this meeting:
Register at https://forms.gle/2fkoDivH8rhF8qER8

Contact us for further details:
khazima@comstech.org; maham.yamin@comstech.org

Click here to download

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