Prof. Dr. Mohamed Ali Farag
Alexander von Humboldt Fellow
TWAS fellow from Africa
Professor, Faculty of Pharmacy,
Pharmacognosy department
Cairo University, Egypt.

Date and Time: 7^th January, 2022 from 16:00-17:30 Pakistan Standard Time

Overview:

The ability to sequence the whole plant and human genomes has established that our knowledge with respect to gene function is rather limited. Functional genomics analyses include investigations at the level of gene expression (transcriptomics), protein translation (proteomics) and more recently the metabolite network (metabolomics). Metabolomics is the study of global metabolite profiles in a system (cell, tissue, or organism) under a given set of conditions. The analysis of the metabolome is particularly challenging due to the diverse chemical nature of metabolites in a cell and the massive number of molecules detected which warrants the use of bioinformatics for its analysis.

The lecture will provide an overview of metabolomics and will discuss its complementary role within system biology. It will highlight how metabolome analyses are being conducted using different spectroscopic techniques, and how the highly complex data generated are analyzed using bioinformatics tools. Specific examples will then be presented to illustrate how metabolomics can lead to valuable information relative to natural products biosynthesis, herbal medicines quality control analysis and  lastly analysis of ancient Pharaonic food.

Target Audience:

The webinar is open to students, researchers, scientists, and academicians  from the OIC member states, and other countries.

For Registration please visit: https://forms.gle/7eFuxgUh6v1DfcFD7

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

Profile of Speaker:

Prof. Dr. Mohamed Ali Farag completed his PhD at Texas Tech University, USA, in 2003. In 2005, after spending time as a postdoctoral fellow at The Samuel Noble Foundation, USA, and the James Graham Brown Cancer Center, USA, he became assistant professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Egypt.

Currently, Prof. Farag works as a Professor at the Chemistry Department, American University in Cairo (AUC) where his research work focuses primarily around applying innovative biochemical technologies (metabolomics) to help answer complex biological questions in medicine, herbal drugs analysis and agriculture.   

Furthermore, Prof. Farag works as a Visiting Professor at the Technical University of Munich, Germany, to participate in teaching plant metabolomics and chemomterics modelling for master students, and in 2009–2010 he held the Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship in Germany.
Prof. Farag has been recognized with several awards, including Abd el Hameed Shoman award (2016), Egypt Higher State Incentive Award (2012), Cairo University Incentive Award (2009), TWAS award in Science Diplomacy (2014), and the Mass Spectroscopy Performance Award, TTU, USA (2004).  For his highly cited publications with close to 8000 citations and an H index of 40, Prof. Farag was selected as a top researcher in the field of plant biology in Africa by the American society of plant biology, USA.  Prof. Farag is also a TWAS Fellow in Agriculture from Egypt.

Webinar Coordinator:

Muhammad Haseeb Ahmad
Program Officer
COMSTECH, Islamabad.
Email: Haseeb.ahmad@comstech.org
Phone: +92 51 9220681

G. Rasul Chaudhry, PhD, Professor

Date: December 10th, 2021
Time:  3:00 PM Pakistan time

Our Program: COMSTECH is organizing a lecture series on “Emerging Technologies for Science and Technology”. This series is an effort to help upcoming scientists in identifying key areas of scientific research, which will contribute immensely in the well-being of the humankind. These lectures will be delivered by prominent figures in the world of science. Areas like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Stem cell research, Nanotechnology and Modern Agriculture are part of this lecture series.

Speakers profile: Dr. G. Rasul Chaudhry is a professor of molecular biology, Department of Biological Sciences, and co-director of Oakland University Beaumont Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (OU-WB ISCRM) Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan.  His research focuses on stem cell and regenerative medicine.  He is specifically interested in the regulation of stemness and differentiation of stem cells and stem cell-based biologics for tissue engineering and therapies for degenerative diseases.

Abstract: Many degenerative diseases are related to aging or genetic. Others are caused by environmental stresses, exposure to viruses, poisons, or other chemicals. Treatment with drug therapy is possible only in some cases.  However, the drugs to treat degenerative diseases have severe side effects.  The drug treatments only provide temporary relief and do not regenerate damaged cells and tissues.  Our group has investigated stem cell-based approaches to develop therapies for degenerative diseases that do not cure. I’ll present some of our recent studies on developing cell therapies using animal models of degenerative diseases such as DDD, MS, and RDD.

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

Register with us to attend this meeting:
Click here to register

Flyer attached,

Zoom link will be shared to the registered participants through email

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

Prof. Dr. Christian Betzel

Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Universität Hamburg

Date: December 8, 2021
Time:  3:00 PM Pakistan time

Flyer attached,
Abstract

Profile of the speaker;

Dr Christian Betzel is head of the Betzel Group at the University of Hamburg. The main research topic of Dr Betzels group is the structure-function analysis of selected proteins and nucleic acids with relevance in infection and inflammation. In addition to biochemical and molecular biological techniques they apply complementary biophysical methods, particular X-rays crystallography, small-angle X-ray scattering and laser light scattering.

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

Participants will receive e-certificates.

Register with us to attend this meeting::
Click here to register

Zoom link will be shared with registered participants only.

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

The 19th International Conference of the Arab Academy of Sciences

24 – 25, November, 2021

More details

Prof. Dr. Khalid Saeed Khan
Distinguished Investigator, University of Granada, Spain
Former Editor-in-Chief of British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Founder of Core Outcomes in Women’s and Newborn Health (CROWN)

Date and Time: December 7, 2021 from 15:00-16:30 (Pakistan Standard Time)

Overview:

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, there is public skepticism about the trustworthiness of clinical trials. The topic has attracted attention as allegations of data fabrication have shaken public confidence. Clinical trials can only be justified ethically when on the completion of research their findings have the possibility of producing generalizable knowledge. To ensure this, proper clinical trials involve oversight and participation by medical schools, teaching hospitals, and regulatory bodies. In this, ethics committees and regimes for monitoring and inspection have a key role to play in preserving the integrity of academic biomedical research for the benefit of society and patients. From prospective registration to publication, at every step, there is a need for transparency and honesty to respond to the crisis of confidence. Inconsistency in clinical trial standards can undermine research ethics, limit data integrity, and ultimately harm society. There is a need for institutions and individuals to commit to ethically and scientifically sound clinical trials by harmonizing the standards of the design, analysis, and reporting, and taking responsibility for their implementation.

Target Audience:

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

For Registration please visit: https://forms.gle/ZLbgjkD8HiGagEVH7

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

Profile of Speaker:
Prof. Dr. Khalid Saeed Khan is Distinguished Investigator (Beatriz Galindo programme) at University of Granada, Spain. With an h-index>70 he has published over 400 peer-reviewed papers and supervised 25 higher-degree theses. He graduated in medicine from the Aga Khan University in its first health faculty cohort. Higher training at McMaster University led him to an academic career, focusing on patient-oriented clinical research.

Prof. Khalid has contributed to many trials and meta-analyses: has run 48 primary research trials, recruiting 979,242 participants, and has published 149 systematic reviews, collating data from 6415 studies with 68,798,079 participants. He is the lead author of ‘Systematic Reviews to Support Evidence-Based Medicine’, which won a BMA Medical Book award. He is former Editor of BJOG, EBM-BMJ and BMC Med Educ. Professor Khalid Khan was ranked first among the top-rated experts in research in the world during the years 2011-2021 using an objective analysis of the PubMed database by Expertscape. His Core Outcomes in Women’s and Newborn Health (CROWN) initiative was awarded a BMA Strutt and Harper grant to help reduce research waste. Furthermore, Prof. Khalid is a COMSTECH Distinguished Scholar.

Webinar Coordinator:
Muhammad Haseeb Ahmad
Program Officer
COMSTECH, Islamabad.
Email: Haseeb.ahmad@comstech.org
Phone: +92 51 9220681

Prof. Dr. Ariel M. Silber
Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences – University of São Paulo

Date: December 22, 2021
Time:  4:00 PM Pak time (8 AM Brazil time)

Flyer Click Here
Speaker Profile Click Here

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. 

Register with us to attend this meeting:
Register at: https://forms.gle/pbSMmiMmskhy6hju9

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

“MICROPROPAGATION OF QUALITY BANANA PLANT FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSE”

November 25, 2021

Registration Deadline : Nov 21-2021

Organized by

COMSTECH, Secretariat, Islamabad In collaboration with International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) and Pakistan Biotechnology Information Center (Karachi Chapter)

Who Should Attend:

The course is design to address the interest of scientists and research scholars working in various fields of plant biotechnology particularly cash crop Banana.

Course Content:

The course will be comprises of series of lectures and “online hands on training sessions” covering following contents:

• Overview of Plant Tissue Culture and its Applications
• Equipment and Media used
• Explant Selection
• Sterilization
• Initiation, Multiplication, Shooting and Rooting

Registration:

Registered participants will receive e-certificates

Please register at following link before Nov. 22, 2021

https://forms.gle/MytFUE9Z5gbt1tBKA

—————————————————————————————

WORKSHOP PROGRAM (Pakistan Standard Time)

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, Coordinator General COMSTECH
12:20-13:15     Lecture entitled, “Basic Plant Tissue Culture Techniques and the Role of Androgenesis and Embryogenesis in Attainment of SDG2”
13:15-14:30   Practical Session (Tissue culture of Cash Crop Banana)
14:30-14:40   closing remarks

Dr. Paul Chege
Afri-Center
International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications ISAAA pakache06@gmail.com

Dr. Paul Chege is an associate with the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA AfriCenter), with the role of information and knowledge materials development. He is an editor with Springer Nature’s Cereal Research Communication Journal, a quarterly periodical dedicated primarily to plant cell and tissue culture research, but also cereal breeding and biotechnology research. Paul obtained his Ph.D. degree in Crops and Horticultural Sciences from the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, after successfully defending his doctoral dissertation titled ‘Improvement of Somatic Embryogenesis and Androgenesis Systems for Sorghum towards Production of Doubled Haploid Lines in Select Hungarian Varieties’. He holds an MSc. degree in Agricultural Biotechnology from the same university, and a BSc. in Horticulture degree from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) in Kenya. Paul was previously a program officer in charge of Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa (OFAB-Kenya Chapter) at ISAAA AfriCenter during which he was involved in sharing information on benefits accruing from acquisition of biotech crops to an array of stakeholders including policy makers, legislatures, community leaders, farmers and consumers. Paul has published peer reviewed articles in high impact factor journals on tissue culture, and numerous policy briefs, notably ‘Enhancing Africa’s Capacity for International Biosafety Negotiations’, and was part of the African delegation at COP/MOP 8 in Cancun Mexico.

CONTACT PERSON

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

Prof. Dr. Georges Massiot
Emeritus Research Director
Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne,
France

Date: 29th November, 2021
Time: 03.00 pm (Pakistan Standard Time)

Abstract

Hemicalide is a complex marine natural product, rich of 21 asymmetric centers with high biological activity. It is cytotoxic at a subnanomolar level with an original mode of action. Usual structural elucidation techniques (MS and NMR) allowed to propose a flat formula for hemicalide but it remained to decide which of the 1 million+ isomers best fitted the structure. This could only be approached by synthesis of fragments, many of which required original solutions. The story of hemicalide spans over more than 10 years and was made possible by the dedication of several groups of biologists and chemists from academy and industry. The lecture will give an account of this enterprise pointing out difficulties and benefits.

Target Audience

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

Profile of the Speaker:

• Graduated from the Ecole nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Paris 1970
•  PhD Thesis at the institut de chimie des substances naturelles, Gif /Yvette, under the direction of Pr Henri-Philippe Husson, 1975.
• postdoctoral position at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1975-1977 under Pr B. M. Trost.
• CNRS positions from 1977 to 1998, Faculty of Pharmacy-Reims.
•  Deputy director of the CNRS Department of Chemical Sciences, Paris, from 1992 to 1998
•  Directeur of the Centre de Recherche sur les Substances Naturelles (natural products research center), Pierre Fabre from 1998 to 2010.
• Emeritus research director at the university of Reims Champagne Ardennes since 2013
• Fields of interest : natural products, separation, structural elucidation, nuclear magnetic resonance, partial and total chemical synthesis.
• Alkaloids, terpenes, saponins, sugars
• Author and co-author  of 225 scientific publications, 5 patents and 5 book chapters.
• Promotor of 15 PhD theses
• Miscellaneous : member of the board and of the scientific council of the University of Reims (1980-1992)
• Chairman of the scientific council of the faculty of pharmacy of Reims (1985, 1990)
• Chairman of the board of administrators of the Ecole Nationale Supeieure de Chimie de Paris
• Knight in the National Order of Merit (1997).

Flyer of webinar:  Attached

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/TcuYTgoXoS8dtBuZ7

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

Prof. Dr. Mohamed-Slim Alouini
Distinguished Professor
Electrical and Computer Engineering
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST),
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Date and Time: December 9, 2021 from 15:00-16:30 (Pakistan Standard Time)

Overview:

It goes without saying that there is a huge dissymmetry in global internet connectivity. Around half of the world’s population (or about 4 billion people) does not have boroadband connectivity, and it is expected that 5G (in it current initial deployment stages) will further accentuate this “global connectivity divide”.

Furthermore, the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the fact that the “global connectivity divide” is in a way becoming one of the modern faces of inequality by deepening the economic and social unbalances between the ‘Haves’ and ‘Have Nots’ in a digital context. Hence, to achieve digital inclusiveness, there is a need of developing and deploying new technological solutions that help in connecting the unconnected/under-connected in an affordable manner.

In this context, this webinar aims to:

• Provide an envisioned picture of 6G
• Serve as a research guideline in the beyond 5G era
• Go over the recently proposed solutions to provide high-speed connectivity in under-covered areas in order to serve and contribute to the development of far-flung regions.

Target Audience:

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

For Registration please visit: https://forms.gle/D9HUsLxQMEro6KAg9

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

Profile of Speaker:

Prof. Dr. Mohamed-Slim Alouini was born in Tunis, Tunisia. He received the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), USA, in 1998.

He served as a faculty member at the University of Minnesota then in the Texas A&M University at Qatar before joining the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in 2009, where he is now a Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Prof. Alouini is a Fellow of the IEEE and of the OSA. He is currently particularly interested in addressing the technical challenges associated with the uneven distribution, access to, and use of information and communication technologies in far-flung, rural, low-density populations, low-income, and/or hard-to-reach areas.

Webinar Coordinator:

Muhammad Haseeb Ahmad
Program Officer
COMSTECH, Islamabad.
Email: Haseeb.ahmad@comstech.org
Phone: +92 51 9220681

Date: 11 November 2021
Time: 15.30 hrs (by Pakistan time), 16.30 hrs (by Kazakhstan time)

The IOFS, COMSTECH, and BCI have completed a series of regional workshops on the themes of Acquisition, Conservation, Exchange, and Safety Duplication of Plant Genetic Resources in OIC Member countries (MC). These workshops not only included training on the various aspects of Genebank establishment, management, and operations but also enabled the collection of valuable data on the available human and material resources for managing plant genetic resources and genebanks in various countries and regions of the OIC. The workshops also enabled the identification of countries that have well-developed facilities towards these ends and can act as focal points for respective regions viz. Asia, Africa, and MENA. At the same time, the workshops also provided gathering of information on the challenges being faced by several countries in developing their gene banks or preservation and exchange of genetic resources.

Conference is now being organized to consolidate the information gathered in the three training workshops for ASIA, AFRICA and MENA regions and international experts to debate on various issues and challenges of OIC MC.

OBJECTIVES

To identify working groups and potential collaborations among regional countries where technical know-how and resources could be shared by partners;

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

AREAS OF DISCUSSION:

1. Discussion on training conducted by IOFS, COMSTECH and BCI;
2. Discussion on ways to enhance the institutional and human capacity of National Institutions and Gene Banks in OIC MC;
3. Further Plan of Action and interaction with among National Gene Banks and Research Institutes of OIC MC;
4. Safety duplication of genetic resources in OIC region.

 
PARTICIPANTS

 The Conference is expected to be participated by the following representatives:

• All participants of the training, as well as representatives of ministries of agriculture, National Gene Banks and Research Centers of OIC MC;
• Selected regional and international organizations working in the domain of development of PGR;
• Relevant OIC Institutions.

Due to the constraints on travel and gatherings imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic the Conference will be held online (Zoom platform). The working language of the event is English (interpretation into the French and Arabic language).

REGISTRATION

To attend the Conference and receive informational materials regarding the event please register:
https://cutt.ly/2RKRnF3

ZOOM LINK

To join the Conference, please follow the link: https://cutt.ly/xRKThca

Other organizational matters can be clarified by the IOFS focal point: Makpal Bulatova, Program Manager, IOFS Secretariat, +77017773649, m.bulatova@iofs.org.kz

Please download the Concept Note of the Conference:

CONCEPT NOTE OF THE CONFERENCE IOFS-COMSTECH-BCI Conference on Acquisition, Conservation, Exchange and Safety Duplication of Plant Genetic Resources in OIC Member Countries: The Way Forward