The National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) recently set the stage for a groundbreaking journey into the world of cutting-edge science! Partnering with Global Marketing Services and Illumina, they rolled out a power-packed, one-day Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) workshop that was revolutionary. This event aimed to equip students and young researchers with essential NGS data handling and analysis skills, aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030—specifically targeting SDG3, SDG4, and SDG17.

Dr. Amreen Zahra from Illumina provided a comprehensive overview, covering the differences between Sanger Sequencing and NGS, library preparation, SNP analysis, and in-silico methods. Subsequently, Mr. Tehseen facilitated practical lab sessions on panel sequencing, offering hands-on experience to participants.

Dr. Zain Ali, Team Lead at Illumina, expanded on primer designing, bioinformatics, sequence analysis, and the applications of NGS in various sequencing approaches. Dr. Riaz Ullah, a Research Associate at NUMS, shed light on the significance of web tools in analyzing bacterial metagenomics.

The workshop attracted undergraduate and graduate students, reflecting a keen interest and full-house participation. Professor Muhammad Jawad Hassan, Head of the Department, praised the NUMS Bio-Cluster Team and acknowledged Ms. Khadija, President of NUMS Bio-Cluster, for her active role in organizing such impactful scientific events.

In the end, Professor Muhammad Jawad Hassan thanked Global Marketing Services and Illumina for their support, distributing certificates to the enthusiastic participants. This workshop provided invaluable knowledge and empowered young scientists, fostering a promising future in the realm of biological sciences at NUMS.

NUMS, recognized as a hub for professional development and growth, particularly for its dedicated employees, fosters an environment that encourages both personal and professional advancement. Dr. Wasim Sajjad, as an Assistant Professor at NUMS, is one such individual who has benefited from the institution's commitment to providing opportunities.

He has been chosen as a distinguished member of the Governing Board of Directors at the Foresight Institute of Research and Translation (FIRAT) Governing Board. In this capacity, Dr. Sajjad will play a crucial role in assisting FIRAT in making strategic decisions, setting priorities, and ensuring the organization's effective and efficient operation.

As a member of the Governing Board, he will collaborate with other distinguished experts, providing guidance and strategic direction for research and development initiatives. This role will also enable him to engage with other thought leaders in his field.

Beyond his responsibilities at FIRAT, he was also invited by the EAC Regional Center of Excellence for Vaccines, Immunization, and Health Supply Chain Management (EAC RCE-VHSCM) in Rwanda. His task involves finalizing the Master in Vaccinology curriculum, supported by the German Development Corporation (BMZ) through the German Development Bank (KfW). This initiative, comprising seventeen modules, includes industrial attachment and a research project. The collaborative efforts with the EAC RCE-VHSCM underscore the global impact of NUMS faculty, strengthening the university's role in shaping international healthcare practices.

The university takes pride in the anticipated positive impact of Dr. Sajjad's active engagement and valued contributions to research and innovation in Nigeria, Rwanda, and other African nations. This collective effort aligns with NUMS's ambitious vision to significantly contribute to advancing medical sciences globally.

The NUMS Scientific Society's (BioCluster), in collaboration with the American Society for Microbiology, organized the Agar Art Contest 2023 with the theme "Microbiology in Space." The contest encouraged students to use their creativity to connect microbes with outer space. Held on October 23, 2023, at the undergraduate laboratory facilities at NUMS, the event saw active participation from undergraduate students of NUMS and AFPGMI.

The theme, "Microbiology in Space," urged students to think creatively and blend microbiological concepts with the wonders of outer space.

The Agar Art Contest aimed to push the boundaries of traditional microbiology by merging science and art. Participants used a variety of agar media, including Nutrient, Eosin Methylene Blue (EMB), MacConkey, and Cysteine Lactose-Electrolyte-Deficient (CLED), along with microbial strains like E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter sp.

Miss Fizza Maryam, a student of BS Microbiology (semester: 08) from the Department of Biological Sciences at NUMS, received a $150 grant from the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). The judging of the agar art contest was done by Dean MDS Dr. Aisha Mohyuddin, who faced the challenging task of selecting the winning entries.

Winners:

After careful evaluation, the following students were declared winners:

1. Laiba Arshad (BS Microbiology, Semester: 06) - First Position
2. Noor Fatima (BS Biotechnology, Semester: 04) - Second Position
3. Minahil Binte-Amir (BS Genetics, Semester: 04) - Third Position

The students demonstrated exceptional creativity and scientific innovation in their agar art creations.

The Agar Art Contest 2023 showcased the incredible talent and innovative spirit of undergraduate students at NUMS. It not only enhanced their understanding of microbiology but also provided a platform for artistic expression, blending science with imagination. The event was a testament to the students' skills and the supportive academic environment at NUMS.

Introductory course for Biologics Development and Manufacturing - 2023 was held at International Vaccine Institute (IVI), Seoul, South Korea from 19^th to 30^th June 2023, under the auspices of Global Training Hub for Bio-manufacturing (GTH-B) - which focuses on workforce development, supports ongoing initiatives in local bio-production, and fosters knowledge sharing among manufacturers. The course which was also supported by WHO attracted 235 trainees from 47 Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). Dr. Liaqat Ali, Dr. Muhammad Tariq Navid and Dr. Wasim Sajjad Assistant Professors from the Department of Biological Sciences National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) were invited to participate in the event.

The course was formally inaugurated by Director General International Vaccine Institute Dr. Jerome H. Kim.  The main objective of the course was to address the significant inequity in access to vaccines and biologics in LMICs. Many of these countries are making efforts to establish their own biological manufacturing capabilities through bilateral technology transfer or local R&D efforts. The course covered the full cycle of vaccine research and development, production & use, including immunology, vaccine technology, product development, preclinical and clinical development, quality control, intellectual property, product licensing, and vaccination, post marketing vaccine analysis and features special lectures and case studies. The course was enlightened by a faculty team of more than 40 experts from over 15 organizations around the world, including IVI, WHO, CEPI, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s National Institute of Health, Karolinska Institute in Sweden, and the Wellcome Trust in the United Kingdom. This unique initiative provided training in manufacturing of high-quality vaccines and biologics within an industrial setting.

Through this training, the NUMS-DBS faculty have acquired essential knowledge and skills required to operate in a bio-manufacturing facility. The NUMS faculty was actively engaged in the course and presented several case studies, participated in posters and oral presentations. They also visited Prestige Biologics, CKD Pharmaceuticals where they were briefed about vaccine manufacturing, seed culture development up-stream and downstream processing. The faculty was equipped with latest updates on the industrial profession and to provide knowledge of new modern techniques used in the Pharmaceutical Industry.

Dr. Liaqat Ali, Dr. Muhammad Tariq Navid and Dr. Wasim Sajjad also attended the mini convention where more than 20 companies and startups were invited to share their experiences on new start-ups and their contributions to the country’s economy. Moreover, all the three members had an interactive session with the IVI leadership, representatives of donor organizations like Right Foundation and Wellcome Trust for future fundings and research collaborations in the field of mutual interest. This collaboration will not only foster international scientific co-operation but also contribute to the development of essential health technologies as global public goods, benefiting both Pakistan and South Korea. The experiences gained during this course will obviously result in a very steep learning curves and will be beneficial for the organization and personal growth. 

A three-day training workshop “Train the trainers: From Research to Publication” was conducted at College of Nursing from 12 - 14 July 2023 under the auspices of Armed Forces Post Graduate Medical Institute (AFPGMI). Dr. Shumaila Naz, Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences from National University of Medical Sciences and Ms. Saba Khurshid, Research Officer, AFPGMI were the resource persons for the workshop. The workshop had three main modules i.e. Designing project/research, Conducting research and Results dissemination through Publication. The resource persons delivered informative and engaging sessions, enabling participants to gain valuable insights into project design, research methodology, data analysis, and publication strategies. The three Day Program successfully provided faculty members of College of Nursing with the necessary skills and knowledge to navigate the research process from start to finish. The positive feedback received from the attendees is a testament to the effectiveness of the workshop in enhancing the participants' research capabilities and promoting scholarly dissemination.

NUMS Department of Biological Sciences(DBS) has organized a lecture at its Campus on February 16,2023 on sustainable Nano-structural Bioengineering for Biomedical Applications, as part of its lecture series to encourage upcoming young scientists and showcase their achievements. 

Dr. Sunniya Iftikhar with expertise on nanotechnology and serving as lecturer in the Higher Education Department, Govt. of Punjab, spoke on the subject and shared her thoughts on harnessing green approaches to prepare unique nano-molecular assemblies which have promising applications in biology and biomedical sciences.

These lectures are organized with the aim to recognize the research achievements of young scientists and provide them with the opportunity to share their knowledge and ideas with faculty and students.

Dr. Sunniya research involved the concept of the famous click reaction to design nanoparticles for light harvesting activity enhancement in cyanobacteria. She further discussed her research on small molecules like chalcone derivatives and their anti-cancer properties by disrupting the support system (microtubules) of cancer cells. She holds MS and PhD in Medicinal and Bioorganic Chemistry from LUMS and has remained Commonwealth Split-site PhD Scholar and Graduate Fellow at Lucy Cavendish College at the University of Cambridge, UK.

It is interesting to note that Dr. Sunniya uses biorthogonal chemistry in her research, a green methodology that enables scientists to perform chemical reactions inside living cells without interfering with biochemical processes.

The session was chaired by Prof. Muhammad Jawad, HoD DBS and it was moderated by Dr. Aman Karim, Assoc. Professor in the department. It was attended by DBS faculty and postgraduate students.

Prof. Jawad presented NUMS souvenir to the Speaker on the occasion and appreciated her research work, and thanked her for visiting the university.

The Department of Biological Sciences regularly invites a Guest speaker to enrich graduate and postgraduate students for effective knowledge sharing and meaningful collaborations to sustain its scientific endeavors at NUMS. The Section of Phytochemistry and Natural Product Research, Department of Biological Sciences, NUMS, invited Dr. Hammad Ullah, on February 6, 2023 who is a research scientist and doctoral candidate at the Nutraceutical Product Laboratory, Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Fredrico-II, Italy.

Dr. Hammad presented his research on nutraceutical development, challenges and future prospects. His experience in product formulation and conducting clinical trials of herbal products was informative for the faculty and students.

Dr. Nosheen Akhtar, Assistant Professor DBS moderated the event which was attended by the faculty and post graduate students. During Q&A Session, various aspects relating to efficacy, safety evaluation and preclinical studies were discussed. 

Dr. Aman Karim, Associate Professor, and Head of Section, Phytochemistry and Natural Products, presented NUMS souvenir to the Guest Speaker after his lecture and thanked him for sharing his research and ideas. He hoped that Dr. Hammad will continue to remain engaged with NUMS and will help in advancing natural product research at the university.

A team of faculty members from the Sections of Phytochemistry and Natural Product Research and Biotechnology visited Qarshi Industries, Hattar, Haripur on September 19, 2022 to explore the areas of mutual interest in order to establish collaboration between the two institutions.

Qarshi is one of the top herbal industries in Pakistan, manufacturing more than 300 products. Apart from its prestige in product manufacturing from indigenous resources, Qarshi has ongoing research and development (R&D) activities in herbal materials standardization, including DNA barcoding, medicinal plant gardening supported by herbarium, seed bank and tissue culture facilities, and product development laboratories.

At the Qarshi Industry, NUMS Scientists were warmly welcomed and briefed about the existing product lines and future research programs. At the meeting, both sides deliberated on how a discovery/innovation at NUMS can be put use at industry through collaboration. The areas of mutual interest identified include, possibility of working on joint research on new product development, plant cell culture, funding and placement of MS/PhD students at Qarshi for their research work and training the manpower and help establish research facility.  Later, NUMS team visited Qarshi Herb Garden, various laboratories and also met with the staff and scientists working there.

The NUMS team from Phytochemistry and Natural Products Research was represented by Dr. Aman Karim, Dr. Sayed Afzal Shah, Dr. Nosheen Akhtar, Dr. Irum Mushtaq, from Biotechnology Dr. Muhammad Adil, and Microbiology was represented by Dr. Saeed Ahmad.

The team from Qarshi Industry was represented by Mr. Muhammad Imran (Head of the Qarshi Research International), Dr. Nasir Hayat Khan (In-charge, Department of Product Process Innovation), Mr. Rashid Afzal (Manager Horticulture) and Dr. Shafi Ullah (Senior Scientific Officer, Quality Control, Publications and Research)

A collaborative project between National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) and Ege University, Turkey for a research project titled “A New and Combined approach for the diagnosis of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, a Neglected Vector-borne Disease” is funded by Pakistan Science Foundation (A Scholarship Awarding Ceremony for students with outstanding academic results was held at National University of Medical Sciences, PWD, on March 18, 2022. Head of Department of Biological Sciences Dr Muhammad Jawad Hassan and section-heads Dr. Tahir Naeem (Genetics) Dr. Muhammad Naeem (Biotechnology) Dr. Aman Karim (Phytochemistry) Dr. Liaqat Ali (Microbiology & Immunology), graced the occasion. In total, 12 students of microbiology, genetics and biotechnology were awarded Scholarships.

The event opened with recitation of Holy Quran and followed by National anthem. The ceremony followed by with a welcoming speech by Dr Muhammad Jawad Hassan, HoD NDBS. He sensitized students about value of education and the modern day academic facilities they all are blessed with. He spoke at length about the importance of education and appreciated the efforts of NUMS Department of Biological Sciences in research and academics to train the students in modern science. He inspired students that the hard work they have shown will have to be continued for their remaining academic life and only than they can play any visible role in the development of country. Later he presented students with scholarships certificates. Awardees are paid stipend of Rs. 15,000/-, Rs. 10,000/-, and Rs. 5,000/- respectively. The details of semester wise top position holders of biological Sciences follow as:

BS Biological Sciences UG Batch-1

Semester I

1^st position         Moeeza Ahmed

2^nd position       Kashaf Maheen

3^rd position        Syeda Iman Fatima

Semester II

1^st position         Ayesha Noor

2^nd position       Fizza Maryam

3^rd position        Kashaf Maheen

Semester III

1^st position         Ayesha Noor

2^nd position       Kashaf Maheen

3^rd position        Afraa Waleed

BS Biological Sciences UG Batch-2

Semester I

1^st position         Sobia Mehreen

2^nd position       Hafiza Mahnoor Arif

3^rd position        Fizza Fiaz

We hope and we expect that they all continue to play their due roles; in their own spheres; in the development of this country.

A collaborative project between National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) and Ege University, Turkey for a research project titled “A New and Combined approach for the diagnosis of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, a Neglected Vector-borne Disease” is funded by Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) and TUBITAK. Dr. Shumaila Naz from the National University of Medical Sciences, Pakistan, and Dr. Yusuf Ozbel & Dr. Seray Toz from Ege University, Turkey is the investigators conducting this research project. In this bilateral project, Dr. Yusuf Ozbel visited NUMS, from 23rd -28th January 2022 for discussion on the project progress, outputs and progress evaluation, collection of samples, result compilation, and transferring the diagnostic techniques.

During Dr. Yusuf’s visit, a two-day hands-on workshop on the identification of sandfly and diagnosis of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis was organized at NUMS on 25th and 26th January. The workshop provided deep theoretical knowledge as well as a chance to practically perform the preparation of NNN- media, microscopic identification of Leishmania parasite, extraction of DNA from the lesion aspirates, and sandfly identification and dissection. Participants were both students as well professionals from the field of parasitology and microbiology.

For this workshop, more than 100 applicants from all over Pakistan showed a desire to participate. Mainly due to Covid restrictions and the limited number of seats, only 20 participants were selected from all over Pakistan including University of Baluchistan, Karakoram International University Gilgit-Baltistan, University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Lahore, Abdul Wali Khan University, Khyber Medical University. All these participants were trained on the identification of sandfly and diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis in these 2 days. The worthy Vice Chancellor, Lt. Gen. Wasim Alamgir and PSF Chairman, Prof. Dr. Shahid Mehmood Baig graced the occasion with their presence and distributed certificates among the participants and organizers.