We are pleased to report here once again a rapid academic progress and infrastructure development at the International Center of Chemical and Biological Sciences. This reports also signifies the need of sustained growth of this premier research establishment so it emerges as a major center for quality human resource development in various fields of science and technology relevant to national development, as well as a center for knowledge generation for economic growth.
The content of this report were presented in the 6th meeting of the ICCBS Executive Board for approval and review.
Implementation of the 15 Year Vision PLan
The Higher Education Commission has approved the 15-year vision of the ICCBS on May 20th, 2006. According to the approved plan, the academic output of the ICCBS will be increased to four-fold by the 2020. The plan also envisage establishment of a large number of new centers in frontier fields of science and technology, relevant to national needs. A new center will be added to the ICCBS system every year, for which required staff and institutional capacity has been acquired. All new centers will be placed under the administrative umbrellas of H. E. J. or PCMD depending on their focus and theme. This year (2007) we are establishing Center for Bioequivalence Studies and Bioassay Research (PCMD) and Technology Incubator (H. E. J. R. I. C.).
Prof. Atta-ur-Rahman made Life Fellow of the Cambridge University
Prof. Atta-ur-Rahman, Director ICCBS has been made Honorary Life Fellow at the King's College Cambridge. The latest honor conferred to Prof. Atta-ur-Rehman on May 1st at the King's College, Cambridge, Chapel.
He is the first Pakistani scientist to be made Fellow at the King's College, Cambridge, for his achievements in the field of academic research. This recent recognition to Prof. Atta-ur-Rehman is, indeed a matter of great pride for the ICCBS community.
Establishment of ICCBS Academic Coordination Office
The ICCBS has established an academic coordination office to coordinate and manage all the academic activities of the center. This includes teaching courses, practical, seminars, visiting lectures, students and alumni record. A senior teacher Prof. Dr. Tanveer Ahmad Farooqi has been appointed as the ICCBS Academic Coordinator through the relevant selection board.
Progress of PCMD Courses
Batches of students, admitted during 2005-2006, are currently attending the second semester of the M. Phil. courses of molecular medicine. Board of Studies of the PCMD, comprising on leading scholars of Pakistan, has designed these courses based on most recent developments in the field of molecular medicine and in the light of comments received from members of the international advisory board of the PCMD. These courses are taught by the faculty of the PCMD and ICCBS as well as well-known experts from other institutions, including Prof. Dr. Aqeel Ahmed (Clinical Microbiology), Prof. Dr. Shahid Pervez (histopathology), Dr. Imitaz Bashir (Molecular Oncology), Dr. Shafqat Rahmani and Dr. Tahir Shamsi (vaccines).
Progress of H.E.J. Courses
Recently revised and updated courses of the H. E. J. Research Institute (42 credit hr) have been implemented in compliance of the new rules of the Higher Education Commission for M. Phil./Ph.D. Services of experienced university professors have been hired to teach various courses in biochemistry and statistics. New courses are enquiry based and designed to strengthen critical thinking of students.
New ICCBS Campus Development
Major efforts have been made to develop new campus of the ICCBS. A master plan has been prepared which includes sites of all planned institutions, technology incubator and industrial park, student teacher centers, foreign faculty housing, mosques, and employees’ flats. To support the future development in new campus, three major 30 ft wide roads, three electrical sub-stations of 3,500 KVA, four mega water storage tanks and supply lines, gas supply of 8” inch, sewerage and storm drainage system, walkways, etc. will be provided. In the absence of H. E. C.’s support for campus development, the development work is executed in a modular manner. One major road and three branch roads, two electrical substations, a part of sewerage system and two major water storage tanks have already been constructed to support the new buildings.
Research Productivity
The faculty of the ICCBS (H. E. J. Research Institute of Chemistry and Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research) has published over 256 international research publications in top journals of the world with a cumulative impact factor of over 360.25. This is indeed the highest productivity by scientists of any institutions in Pakistan.
Ph. D. Output
During the report period (July 2006 – June 2007), 29 scholars have completed their Ph. D. studies and submitted their dissertations to the University of Karachi. Relatively low Ph.D. output this year is due to the implementation of new and stringent academic requirements. A large number of students are in various stages of fulfillment of these requirement and it is expected that the next annual report of the ICCBS will report a much higher number of Ph. D. output.
Strengthening of Dr. Panjwani Center
The development PC-I of the PCMD has been completed on June 30th, 2007 and a PC-IV was submitted accordingly. The entire building of the Center is now fully functional with every room adequately used for research and training purposes. Several new faculty members will join the center in next 2-3 years. This has created a demand for a new PCMD building with at least 50,000 sq ft laboratory space. A PC-I for the strengthening of the center is now under preparation, while H. E. C. has already set aside required funds in the PSDP of 2007-8.
Procurement of Major New Instruments for ICCBS
The ICCBS has procured a number of major new research equipments during the project duration:
- New LC-MS/MS with MALDI-TOF (H. E. J.)
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Two new Liquid Nitrogen plants (H. E. J.)
- Patch Clamp Equipment (PCMD)
- Microwave Synthesizer (H. E. J.)
- Micro HPLC (H. E. J.)
- Diesel Generator 359 KVA (H. E. J.)
- Microwave Fixation System (PCMD)
- Fluorescence Spectrometer (PCMD) (provided by Alexander von Humboldt Foundation as a gift)
Faculty Development Program for PCMD
A number of initiatives has been taken to develop a world class faculty for the PCMD. This year five young faculty members were appointed for the PCMD under the tenure track system of the ICCBS. These includes Dr. Muhammad Ahmad Mesaik (Molecular Immunology), Dr. Asmat Salim (Stem Cell), Dr. Shahida Shujaat (Stem Cell), Dr. Huma Rasheed (Molecular Pharmacology), Dr. Mudassir Habib (Molecular Genetics), and Dr. Hafiz-ur-Rahman (Molecular Genetics). Some of them were already serving the PCMD as research officers. Four recently appointed research officers will be sent abroad for further training. Along with this, three PCMD staff is already in the second year of their Ph. D. level training in Germany and will join the center in 2009. In order to identify the best talent for PCMD faculty, we have advertised training opportunities for young scholars in leading newspapers. In response some 40 applications were received, out of which eight were short listed for further interview. These young scholars will be sent abroad for training on various aspects of proteomics and genomics, relevant to cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Supports to the Industry and Government Agencies
The Industrial Analytical Center (IAC) is serving a very large number of industries and government and civic agencies for their analytical needs. During the report period, the center has analyzed over 1,000 samples from over 350 clients. The center also completed a public-service project of the WWF on Indus Dolphin habitat monitoring.
ISO 17025 for the Industrial Analytical Center
The IAC of the ICCBS is currently in the process of acquiring ISO 17025 laboratory accreditation certification. The IAC has completed lengthy documentation and necessary system alignment recently. First review of the IAC is planned in August 2007 by the Pakistan National Accreditation Council (PNAC) and an independent auditor. IAC staff has been extensively trained to achieve and maintain ISO 17025 certification.
Brand New Facility of IAC
The Industrial Analytical Center of the ICCBS has moved to new building, specially constructed for this purpose. The IAC building has several special laboratories, such as pharmaceutical lab., pesticides residue and metal analysis, food analysis laboratory, microbiology lab., new product development lab., environmental testing lab., etc. Along with this, a well subscribed industrial science library, sample collection room, seminar room, meeting rooms and multimedia center has also been established. The beautifully constructed new facility will be formally inaugurated soon.
Inaugratioan of the Latif Ebrahim Jamal National Science Information Center
The President of Pakistan General Pervez Musharraf inaugurated a world-class science information center at the H. E. J. Research Institute on November 27, 2006. The President has announced a grant of Rs. 30 million, while Vice Chancellor, University of Karachi, has announced a provision of 1 acre of land for the extension of L. E. J. center. President along with the Governor and Chief Minister of Sindh visited various sections of the new center and also hold live discussion with Prof. Mark Mooney of Australia through state-of-the-art video conferencing system. The new center is named after Mr. Latif Ebrahim Jamal H.I., one of the founders of H. E. J. Institute. The beautiful building of the new center has been constructed under the direct supervision of Mr. Aziz Latif Jamal, Chairman Husein Ebrahim Jamal Foundation.
International Collaboration
Being an international center of excellence, the ICCBS has signed a number MoUs with many international institutions. This includes:
- Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
- Department of Cell Physiology, Ruhr University, Germany
- National Research Council (NRC), Egypt
- Institute of Chemistry and Radiobiology, Sudan
ICCBS Offers Fellowships to Scientists of the Developing World
The ICCBS has developed partnerships with two international organizations to offer training opportunities to the scientists and scholars of developing countries. The objective is to further improve the international profile of the ICCBS and Pakistan. These partnerships have been internationally advertised and scholars are now regularly visiting the ICCBS Institutions.
- TWAS-ICCBS Fellowship Program, managed by the The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS), Trieste, Italy.
- NAM-ICCBS Fellowship Scheme, managed by the Non-Aligned Movement Science and Technology Center, New Delhi, India.
International Conferences, Seminars and Workshops
The ICCBS institutions have organized over a dozen major national and international conferences, workshops and training courses during the report period. These events have brought together a large number of eminent scholars and researchers to Pakistan and have contributed in developing academic linkages with the international scientific community.
New L.E.J. Nano Chemistry Center
The ICCBS has an ambitious plan for future development in frontier areas of S&T. This include nanoscience and technology. In Feb. 2007, Prof. Atta-ur-Rahman and Mr. Aziz Latif Jamal, Chairman Husein Ebrahim Jamal Foundation, met with the President of Pakistan and hold a detailed meeting. During the meeting Mr. Aziz Jamal announced a donation of new center for nanochemistry at the ICCBS as a part of the H. E. J. Research Institute of Chemistry.
ICCBS First Wi-Fi Campus of Pakistan
The ICCBS has deployed the first Wi-Fi system on its campus. The wireless fidelity network at the center is the first largest academic Wi-Fi Network in the country. The ICCBS has a history of introducing latest information communication technologies in the field of academics. The latest addition is the wide area Wi-Fi which connect all the ICCBS buildings, spread over 700 sq. meter radius. Currently the Wi-Fi system is supporting more than 200 computers which will soon be extended to 1,000 nodes. It also support the CCTV system and IP telephones and multimedia system.
Analytical, Spectroscopic and Bioassay Facilities to other Institutions
The ICCBS institutions are extending help and support to all other institutions of Pakistan in their analytical, spectroscopic and bioassay studies. State-of-the-art spectroscopic facilities and world-class bioassay screening services are made available to all researchers of Pakistan as a support for the promotion of scientific research in the country. Last year several thousands samples were analyzed and screened for various academic and R&D institutions. These services were provided on complementary basis which has otherwise cost millions of rupees to the researchers.
