‘Scientists should research on measles that kill hundreds’

Symposium on molecular medicine begins on Monday.

KARACHI: The deaths of more than 200 children in Sindh due to measles makes it a point of concern not only for the government, but also for health experts and scientists, said the vice-chancellor of Karachi University (KU), Prof. Dr Muhammad Qaiser.

He was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the fourth international symposium on molecular medicine on Monday. The ceremony was held at the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences of the university and more than 350 scientists from a number of countries, including Bangladesh, India, Iran, Azerbaijan, Korea, attended. The event is being organised by the Dr Panjwani Centre for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research.

Dr Qaiser said that scientists working in the field of molecular medicine are required to conduct research on diseases, such as measles and polio, which claim the lives of hundreds in Pakistan. This event is a great opportunity for young scientists to learn from their experience, he added. The former chairper of the Higher Education Commission, Prof. Dr Attaur Rahman also spoke at the ceremony. He said that science is above the borders, and can bring countries together. Education and a study of the sciences is the only solution to the problems of Pakistan, he added.

The director of the international centre, Prof. Dr Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, said that the symposium will cover all important aspects of molecular medicine and drug development. The objective of the event was to raise awareness of molecular medicine in Pakistan, he added.

A number of other experts, including the university’s dean of science, Prof. Dr Shahana Urooj Kazmi, and the former dean of the department, Prof. Dr Nusrat Jamil, also spoke at the occasion.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 8^th, 2013.