Karachi University Vice Chancellor Professor Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui on Sunday stressed the need for setting up of a brain bank in the country for the collection of human brain material for research, and said that this would be in collaboration with local neuroscientists, pathologists, neurologists and neurosurgeons.
Brain-related diseases are very common in the country, and the alarming situation of the disease getting worse day by day. He was addressing the inaugural ceremony of the First IBRO Associate School of Neuroscience Pakistan, organised by Doctor Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research (PCMD) KU in collaboration with IBRO and Aga Khan University Hospital at the auditorium of International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), KU.
More than 20 national and international delegates from Pakistan, USA, Egypt, Iran, Canada, India etc are participating in the mega event. The intention of holding IBRO School or seminar is to develop innovative technologies that will allow brain research contents to be managed and transmitted efficiently throughout Pakistan.
Professor Pirzada said that in the last few decades workers in basic research into human brain pathology had come to rely more and more on the availability of human brain specimens. "Although, alternatives to using human brains, such as animal experimentation, animal tissue culture and computer simulation are in widely use, ultimately we need human brain tissue, whether for understanding the basic structure of the brain for investigating the changes that occurs in the common neuropathologies."
Brain banks had been set up around the world to provide such tissue, but it was becoming more and more difficult to obtain the material, he added.
He said that Pakistan now affiliated with International Brain Research Organisation (IBRO) and would avail the advantages of being the member of this prestigious international organisation.
He said he was happy to announce that a society for neuroscientists of the country named Pakistan Society for Basic and Applied Neurosciences (PASBAN) is going to be launched during this mega event, which would help increasing the research activities in the related area. These neuroscience-related activities would help understanding the phenomenon, increasing the rate of mental diseases in the country, he said. IBRO Chairman Professor Dr Laurence Garey said that IBRO was an independent international organisation dedicated to the promotion of neuroscience in the world.
The IBRO was founded in 1960 in response to the growing demand from scientists in many countries. IBRO represents the interests of nearly 61,000 neuroscientists in 112 countries around the globe. Over the years, IBRO has set up a number of active programmes to stimulate international contacts in brain research.
IBRO offers post-doctoral fellowships and travel grants to students from less favoured countries, Dr Laurence said. ICCBS Director Acting, Professor Dr M Iqbal Chaudhry said that the school comprising on six days would provide the initial step in bringing together the Neuroscientists in Pakistan and stimulated research in Neuroscience in Pakistan.
He was of the view that it was impossible to understand the biological functions of brain without having knowledge of chemical processes occurring in that part. Pakistan is the sixth most populous country of the world, having terrible rate of mental or brain-related diseases, including epilepsy, schizophrenia, multiple sclerosis (MS), Alzheimer and Parkinson disease.
Professor Dr Fatima Shad of PCMD presented words of thanks, and said that this was the first time when Pakistan was going to be part of this prestigious International Organisation, having active programmes to stimulate international contacts in brain research. Professor Dr Ather Enam of AKUK said that the IBRO Associate school of Neuroscience would not only provide an awareness of Neuroscience to the research community in general but also attract young brains with a potential of becoming neuroscientists in the future. Professor Dr Khalid Iqbal of Institute for Basic Research New York US, and Dr Zulfiqar Bhutta also spoke at the occasion.
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