HYDERABAD: A laboratory that is first of its kind in Pakistan, where not only tumours will be studied but patients will also be treated besides exploring environmental factors causing cancer, has been launched.
The work on the laboratory was started a decade ago and results showed that cancers in Pakistani population are not only on rise but they are biologically different from the rest of the world.
Therefore, it is need of the hour and important to look at all these types of cancers from all aspects.
These views were expressed by the Vice Chancellor Prof Bikha Ram Devrajani addressing a press conference at Hyderabad Press Club on Thursday.
He further said that according to the WHO cancer predictions presented in Globocan 2020, in Pakistan it will be doubled by 2040, that is a major health issue for us because our economical situation and current health system will not be able to bear such a huge burden thus such initiative was the demand of the time.
Pro-Vice Chancellor Dr Ikram din Ujan who has played a major role in establishing of this laboratory mentioned that we observed aggressive behavior of cancer on pathological characteristics and archived all the solid tumour since 2008, Most of them are good quality and will be used to explore it further.
Dr. Binafsha Manzoor Syed is the lead of the project stated that they have established a database of more than 22000 cancer patients and their tumour blocked are archived at the department of pathology. In establishment of the laboratory it was said that it is well equipped with a capacity to look at tumour biology, tumour and patients genetics and serology to research on various causes of cancer.
The laboratory has further extension of the development of new drugs for cancer treatment, she added
Well known genetic expert Dr. Ali Mohammad Waryah is also part of the cancer research team looking at the genetic aspects of the cancers in patients. Dr. Shariq Anwer Abid is head of the therapeutic and cell culture section of the laboratory. The laboratory has established projects on aging led by Prof. Bikha Ram Devrajani, Hematological cancers by Prof. Ikram Din Ujjain, Genetics by Dr. Ali Mohammad Waryah, cell culture and animal models by Dr. Shariq Anwer Abid.
The project of laboratory was funded by Higher Education Commission of Pakistan with collaborations of international organizations University of Nottingham England, Nanjing Medical University China, University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA, Johns Hopkins University, USA and University Paris-Est Creteil France.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021