Transplant immunology laboratory inaugurated at SIUT

Institute pays tribute to Dr Qasim Mehdi for his service in the field of genetics

KARACHI: The country's first clinical transplant immunology laboratory was inaugurated on Thursday at the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation.

Internationally acclaimed transplant immunologist Prof Medhat Askar inaugurated the laboratory, which will focus on tissue typing and detection of antibodies. The new facility will help patients who cannot undergo transplantation due to complexities.

Prof Askar is currently serving as the director of the Transplant Immunology Centre at Baylor University in Texas, United States.



He earlier spoke at a ceremony organised by the SIUT in memory of Dr Qasim Mehdi. The transplant immunologist stressed the importance of education and training in the field of transplant sciences both in clinical and medical research sectors. In his lecture titled 'Two Birds with One Stone', he discussed emerging trends in the field of transplantation, including the application of pharmacogenomics.

Paying tribute to the late Dr Mehdi, SIUT founder Prof Dr Adib Rizvi recalled Dr Mehdi's services during his stay at the urology institute. He pointed out that Dr Mehdi performed pioneering work on evolutionary genetics in Pakistan. Dr Shagufta Khaliq, who had a long association with Dr Mehdi, recounted his achievements in the field of genetics in Pakistan.