Staff Reporter
Top research scholars and medical experts from around the world attending an international webinar at Hafiz Hayat Campus of the University of Gujrat have called for a shift in approach from the traditional subject-oriented to a more coherent, interdisciplinary one in the ongoing battle against the coronavirus pandemic, or Covid-19. Titled ‘Covid-19: Biochemical Perspectives and Preventive Measures’, the two-day webinar, which was organized by Jabir Bin Haiyan Chemist Society of UoG Department of Chemistry, highlighted the need for concerted efforts to counter the devastating impact of the killer bug.
The webinar with the participation of some 300 renowned health professionals, scholars, virologists and chemists from across the world brought together on a single platform provided them with an opportunity to share their knowledge and research with a common goal of developing more effective strategies and preventive measures against the pandemic.
Dr Kiew Lik Voon, Associate Professor and Principle Investigator of the Nano therapeutics Laboratory, Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaysia, and adjunct associate professor at College of Biological Science and Technology of the National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan; Professor Dr Qari Muhammad Kaleem, Associate Professor, Faculty of Medical Science Jiujiang University, China; Mr Muhammad Mujahid Khan, Environment Health and Safety Officer, Labour and Human Resource Department, Government of Punjab, Pakistan; Professor Dr Hamid Mukhtar, Director, Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Government College University, Lahore, Pakistan; and Dr Omar Akram, Registrar Internal Medicine, Medical Director, Al-Hasan Hospital, Rawalpindi, and Research Coordinator of ORIC, Rawalpindi Medical University, Pakistan, were among the panelists.
The experts threw ample light on the structure and evolution of the coronavirus along with the preventive measures to keep the virus at bay. They underlined the need to develop an understanding of biochemical perspectives of Covid-19 to check the spread of coronavirus. Highlighting the significance of interactive talks for research collaboration, the speakers called for abandoning the traditional subject-oriented approach, which, they said, should immediately be replaced with an interdisciplinary approach to beat the coronavirus back.
Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr Shabbar Atiq in his remarks on the occasion said that the unprecedented situation caused by Covid-19 had deeply affected the education sector worldwide. “The spiraling pandemic poses a major threat to humanity. Both teachers and research scholars should act as a frontline force for spreading this awareness among the masses. The onus is on you to find out ways to curtail the advances of the worst enemy of the humans so far,” Dr Shabbar Atiq said. He lauded the efforts of the Department of Chemistry in organizing the webinar, saying it reflected the overall picture of the varsity’s role in the combat against Corona.
