The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has approved the establishment of Centre for Research in Endocrinology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of Health Sciences (UHS), Lahore. The project will cost Rs 37 million and will be completed in 2 years.
Regarding the project, UHS Physiology and Cell Biology department's head Professor M. Arslan said that the centre was aimed at strengthening the base of biomedical research in the country. He stated that fundamental and clinical research in reproductive health and endocrine and metabolic dysfunction's was amongst the top priorities on the agenda of the World Health Organisation's Charter.
"Establishment of such a centre shall be the first initiative of its kind in the country that would also be consonant with the objectives of the HEC and in line with the academic policies of the UHS," he added.
The centre plans to conduct PhD level and postdoctoral level research in fundamental and applied aspects of endocrinology and reproductive sciences with a focus in the following research areas: (a) endocrinology of metabolic diseases, in which emphasis shall be given to the study of incidence of diabetes-II during childhood and adolescence in Pakistani population, and of development of biomarkers for early detection of the disease.
Studies of thyroidal function shall be carried out in relation to nutrition and abnormal growth, (b) endocrinology of reproduction, concentration would be on neuro-endocrine regulation of gonads; regulation of pubertal development; mutations and polymorphisms of receptors for reproductive hormones, (c) genetics of reproduction and infertility, which would include investigation of genetic and chromosomal courses of infertility such as Y-chromosomal deletions, Klinefelter syndrome, Turner's syndrome and polycystic ovary syndrome, (d) transplantation of embryonic cell in endocrine and gonadal tissues, (e) specific environmental and toxicological influences existing in Pakistan for reproductive health, and (f) genetic and physio-pathological investigations on testicular and ovarian tumours.