With a view to revolutionising the basic medical sciences' research, the University of Health Sciences (UHS) is all set to establish a state-of-the-art Institute of Research Excellence at Kala Shah Kaku campus of the university for which the Punjab government would provide funds.
Vice-Chancellor University of Health Sciences (UHS) Professor Dr Malik Hussain Mubbashar said this while addressing a seminar on "Cancer Stem Cells" organiised by UHS here on Tuesday.
Professor Mubbashar further said the UHS was developing a cohort of young scientists, who would be trained at top ranking universities of the world. Recently, University of Liverpool, UK under an agreement with UHS, had agreed to offer 10 PhD scholarships for Pakistani students in the fields of cancers, obesity, genetics, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, biomedical engineering and neuro-sciences, he added.
Earlier, delivering a lecture on cancer stem cells, Director Laboratory of Viral Oncology and Proteomics Research, University of South California, Los Angeles, USA, Professor Suraiya Rasheed said that stem cells were present in human tissue. During early stages of development, they created all organs in the body including brain, heart, bones, muscles, blood etc.
In adults, those cells were important for repairing the damaged tissues, she said, adding: "Mutations in some of these cells due to environmental or genetic factors could change those cells into different types of cancers." Professor Rasheed further said that stem cells could be used to screen and test new drugs.
The cells are being tested to repair damaged tissues or create new tissue for patients awaiting organ transplantation through tissue engineering, she added. She said that stem cells could be used to create new bone marrow for people suffering from leukaemia.
Professor Rasheed was of the view that basic medical research into the functions of stem cells could provide insight into how these cells worked and how they might be able to combat diseases. The lecture was attended by medical professionals and researchers.
Moreover, addressing a seminar organised by Pakistan Society of Haematology at University of Health Sciences (UHS), Head of the National Blood Transfusion Programme (NBTP) Professor Shahida Mohsin said: "With the establishment of national and provincial blood transfusion programmes in the country, the foundation has now been laid for a system which will ensure adequate and nation-wide access to safe, efficacious and affordable blood supply."
The National Blood Transfusion Programme (NBTP) launched by the government envisaged nation-wide access to safe blood transfusion through a rational, adequate and cost effective blood supply system which would be autonomous, she said.
She added that under NBTP, regional blood transfusion centre would be established in all the provinces besides upgrading and refurbishing the existing hospital based blood banks. "In the first phase, 13 regional blood transfusion centres and 78 hospital based blood banks will be established during 2011-15 which would provide coverage to about 20 per cent population of the country", she said.