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Work on stem cell laboratory begins at PU

By Our Correspondent
January 02, 2019

LAHORE : Punjab University Vice Chancellor Prof Niaz Ahmad laid foundation stone of Pakistan’s first-ever USFDA approved Prof Riazuddin Laboratories for the Production and Applications of Stem Cells at Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology here on Tuesday.

University of Health Sciences’ Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Javed Akram, former PU Vice Chancellor Dr Rafique Ahmed, renowned scientist Prof Dr Riazuddin, CEMB Director Prof Dr Tayyab Husnain, renowned scientists, faculty members and students were present on the occasion. Addressing the ceremony, Prof Niaz Ahmad said that the university administration was promoting such research projects which would lead to socio-economic development of the country. He said that science and technologies were changing rapidly in the world and ‘we must make efforts to create new knowledge and contribute in advancement of our country’. Later, a symposium on future trends in cellular and molecular biological research and applications was jointly organized by PU CEMB, Molecular Biology Consortium, Lahore, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore and University of Miami, Florida. Addressing the symposium, Prof Riazuddin said that there was no USFDA/EMEA approved cGMP compliance protein purification/cell production facility in Pakistan, neither in public nor private sector. He said that countries which were currently leading in the world were the ones which established cGMP compliance facilities. He said that to place Pakistan on a firm footing with regard to the uses of new molecular and cellular technologies, old students of CEMB have jointly undertaken to establish first USFDA approved cGMP compliance stem cell production facility at CEMB. He said that subsequently, a small tissue production facility was being developed by upgrading the existing stem cell lab at JB&RS Centre, Jinnah Hospital to start production of clinical grade tissues.

No philosophy seat: Brett Philosophical Society of the Department of Philosophy, Government College University, has expressed concern over disregard and overlooking of philosophy by the Punjab government while announcing almost 3,000 posts of lecturers in Punjab. Adviser to the society, Shahram Sarwar, showed resentment on the decision that a significant subject like philosophy has been totally ignored by the government that wishes to make Pakistan a country of Allama Iqbal and Muhammad Ali Jinnah such a gross discrimination has been made against the discipline of Iqbal that not a single seat of philosophy has been allocated.