The research process has started in Pakistan’s first fly research lab established at Dow International Medical College of Dow University in Karachi.
Students at the Dainternational Medical College have started research on cousin marriage through the bee named “Drosophila melana gaster”.
Along with the causes of genetic diseases caused by marriage in the family, research is also going on to find out the causes of cancer by using different drugs and chemicals on bees.
Drosophila melana Gasternami, a specific fly, which is also known as the winged little man, is characterized by the fact that its genetic system is 60% similar to the human system. Therefore, research that cannot be done on humans is being done on these flies. Is.
When was the lab inaugurated?
The research process has started in Pakistan’s first official fly research lab at Dow University of Health Sciences. This lab was established two months ago on January 20, 2023 in the International Medical College of Dow University and was inaugurated by Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal.
Research work
Anusha Amanullah, a student of MPhil, while sharing her research with the news today, said that she crossed 4000 pairs of bees, as a result of which she saw an increase in abortions.
According to student Anusha, the tradition of family marriages is common in our society, but as a result, genetic diseases are increasing, these diseases include mental problems, hand, foot and nervous weakness.
Anusha mixed and crossed about 4 thousand Drosophila melana gaster (misscarriage) issue appeared to increase while research is being done on its similarity in the human body by causing cancer in bees.
Research work
BS Biotechnology final year student Sukina said that she is working on the changes by extracting DNA from the pairs of bees and through step by step research, she has also tried different drugs on these bees.
Principal Professor Dr. Mushtaq
Professor Dr. Mushtaq, principal of Dow International Medical College, told Aaj News that Drosophila melana shares 60% genetic system with human gastroenterology and also shares genes for 75% of human diseases.
He said that by using different drugs and chemicals on flies, their side effects and cancer are also being evaluated in the fly research lab.
According to Professor Mushtaq, this process of finding genes is called the model of the models. At least one fly lab is mandatory in all the leading universities around the world, but the lab was established here very late.
He said that the MPhil and PhD students tested different drugs and chemicals on Drosophila melana gaster and evaluated its side effects, while by applying chemicals, it is also being evaluated whether it can cause cancer or not. no. The principal professor of Dow International Medical College further stated that he is keen to increase the number of fly labs and not only be self-sufficient in bee breeding but also not to import Dresophila from abroad as the sale of Dresophila melana gaster The breeding agency (Bloomington Staff Center) sells a pair of these bees for more than $50, while 4,500 pairs are sent to Puri Dina every week.
Experts say that the establishment of a fly lab in Pakistan is a journey whose destination is the Nobel Prize. Most of the Nobel Prizes in the world have been given to those who experimented on living organisms.
Federal Minister Prof. Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhry, in his speech at the ceremony after inaugurating Advanced Molecular Genetics and Genomics Lab and inspecting Dowfly Research Lab and Stock and College of Biotechnology in Ojha Campus on January 20, 2023, said that through biotechnology Not only the health care sector will be revolutionized, but every sector including industry will be revolutionized and new opportunities will be created, on the basis that the wars of the future will not be fought on the battlefield, but in classrooms and laboratories.
He said that the nation whose classrooms and laboratories are strong will have war in its name and the nation whose classrooms and laboratories are in bad condition will become miserable.
Ahsan Iqbal said that the biggest challenge Pakistan is facing is climate change. We can tackle this difficult challenge through biotechnology because smart agriculture can save us from disaster which is only possible through biotechnology and in future biotechnology will also help in diagnosis and treatment of cancer in healthcare sector. We have to improve our skills in this area as well. We are lagging behind as a nation because instead of creating an ecosystem of learning and innovation, we are trapped in the “ego system”, which has not allowed us to structure our learning and innovation, making us egos. The system has to be broken.
The federal minister said that the Muslim League-N had made record funding for research in universities through the Higher Education Commission during the second term of government before Pervez Musharraf, as a result of which the batch of research fellows had taken over the system of Pakistan till date. As it happened, the incoming government in 2018 scrapped many projects like Vision 2025, which had no reason to scrap. The reason we are lagging behind Bangladesh and India today is political instability and discontinuity of policies. Successive governments that come here change the policies made for the stability of the country because they were made by the previous government. No country in the world can develop without political stability Genomic Lab was launched in 2020. The previous regime did not stop funding this initiative and it became a laboratory.
Ahsan Iqbal said that the expectations expressed by the Vice-Chancellor Dow University from the Higher Education Commission regarding new projects will be fulfilled in the next budget, money will be provided for the girls’ hostel and auditorium projects.
According to Vice Chancellor Dow University of Health Sciences Professor Dr. Muhammad Saeed Qureshi, the basic funds for the establishment of Advanced Genomic and Genetics Lab were provided by the Higher Education Commission. It will become a modern center. We have spoken to the University of Oxford’s Genomics Department who will be training students and faculty for our Genomics Center and will also have a student doing a PhD in Cancer Genomics. Through biotechnology, 80 million people in the world can be saved from going to bed hungry every day.