KARACHI: Pakistani researchers working under government-approved projects have expressed confidence that they can develop a vaccine for coronavirus, but added that the process could take nine months or more.
As of Sunday, authorities said 50 people had died while 3,200 had tested positive for the virus in the country.
“We are actively engaged in vaccination development. It will be clinical trials on animals first and then humans... the process will not take less than nine months, could even take more than that.”
Dr. Javed Akram, who is leading a government-sanctioned series of clinical trials for the vaccine, told Arab News on Saturday.
Dr. Akram, who is also a Vice-Chancellor of the University of Health Sciences (UHS) in Lahore, said that the process began on Friday after Professor Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman, Chairman of Prime Minister’s National Task Force on Science and Technology authorized him to lead the clinical trials for the vaccine, last week.
It follows a breakthrough by Pakistani scientists and researchers who detected a genetic mutation of the coronavirus through genome sequencing – a process which reveals the order of bases present in the entire genome of an organism and is an essential step in the necessary research for clinical diagnosis and the development of vaccines and drugs.
Since the breakthrough, Dr. Akram said they had conducted genome sequencing for the coronavirus in two separate trials, in Karachi and Lahore.
Experts say the studies reveal that the virus is mutative, which means that “it can adjust to local conditions” which are slightly different from Wuhan – the epicenter of the epidemic in China which led to the coronavirus outbreak, killing more than 65,000 and impacting more than a million people across the world.
“The process revealed that the sequence of this virus is slightly different from the Wuhan virus with few mutations,” Professor Dr. Saeed Khan, a virologist at Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) in Karachi, and a member of the team that conducted the trials told Arab News.
On Wednesday, DUHS said it had conducted the genetic sequencing of the virus – obtained from a locally-infected 15-year-old boy – by collaborating with the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) in Karachi.
Dr. Akram confirmed that the tests showed that the coronavirus’ strain in Pakistan was mutative but said that it was not “clinically significant.”
“We have also done (genetic sequencing) and (it was detected) that mutations of the virus are taking place, but they are not very significant because these changes are not major – only 3-5 percent mutations are detected,” he said.
The research further revealed that two types of coronavirus strains, S-Strain and L-Strain, are spreading around the world.
“The study shows that the L-strain was derived from the older S-strain. The genetic sequencing shows that the virus was L-strain that is more aggressive and spreads rapidly,” Professor Khan said.
DUHS now plans to develop the vaccines, which researchers say requires funding – a request for which has been sent to the relevant authorities.
“We want to develop a vaccine that would be effective for all strains of the virus,” Professor Khan said.
Pakistani scientists get government nod to develop coronavirus vaccine
https://arab.news/p8yxp
Pakistani scientists get government nod to develop coronavirus vaccine
- Researchers say process awaits funding, could take nine months or more
- Clinical trials conducted after experts detected a genetic mutation of the virus through genome sequencing
OIC’s COMSTECH stresses academic collaborations across Muslim world in Islamabad meeting
- COMSTECH holds annual meeting in Islamabad featuring 30 delegates from Iran, Somalia, Palestine, Indonesia and other OIC states
- Limited pool of skilled professionals one of the foremost challenges facing Muslim world, notes COMSTECH secretary general
ISLAMABAD: The OIC Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH) called for stronger academic collaboration across Islamic states to secure the future of higher education in the Muslim world, state-run media reported on Saturday.
COMSTECH’s Coordinator General Prof. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary was speaking at the Annual Meeting of the COMSTECH Consortium of Excellence at the organization’s Secretariat in Islamabad. The event brought together vice chancellors, rectors, and senior representatives from leading universities across OIC member and observer states.
Nearly 30 international delegates representing universities from Iran, Somalia, Palestine, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, Bangladesh, Benin, Cameroon, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, and Senegal joined their counterparts from several Pakistani institutions at the meeting. Participants attempted to chart a collective path forward for tertiary education in OIC countries.
“Collaborations, knowledge sharing, best practices, exchange of scholars, technology transfer and joint academic programs are vital for overcoming the educational challenges faced across the OIC region,” Choudhary said, according to the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).
The COMSTECH secretary general noted that one of the foremost developmental challenges facing OIC nations remains the limited pool of skilled professionals and workforce.
He said this gap can only be bridged through strengthened tertiary education systems and expanded opportunities for knowledge transfer.
Discussions at the event highlighted the urgent need for competency-driven education, modern pedagogical tools, university–industry partnerships and collaborative training programs designed to equip graduates with the skills necessary to address emerging global challenges.
“The Annual Meeting served as a vital platform for reviewing progress achieved over the past year, identifying future priorities, and deepening academic cooperation to promote scientific excellence and sustainable development across the OIC region,” the APP said.
