Prof. Azizul Islam, DVM, M.Phil, Ph.D

Principal Investigator

Professor, Department of Physiology, Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Bangladesh.
Tel: +88 01912511289;
E-mail: [email protected]

Prof. SKM Azizul Islam is experienced in teaching and research for 22 years, undertaking research on veterinary clinical biochemistry, antimicrobial resistance and residues, internal medicine specially metabolic disorders of both human and livestock, pharmacokinetic study of drugs, isolation of bio-active compounds from medicinal herbs, designing and implementing project on community-based animal health care services, molecular biology, development of analytical methods for analysis of food based products and biological samples, skills on mammalian cell culture, western blotting, using stereotaxic equipment, and electrophysiology, management of government and donor funded projects, curriculum development and lecturing, writing scientific and reviewing scientific articles for peer reviewed journals. Prof. Islam is the Executive editor of the Bangladesh Journal of Veterinary and Animal Sciences.

Muntasir Kamal, Ph.D., M.Sc.

Co-founder & Scientific Advisor

Muntasir completed his Ph.D. in the Dept. of Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto under the supervision of Prof. Peter Roy. His research uncovered the phenomenon of accumulation of xenobiotics in the pharynx cuticle of C.elegans and other related nematodes. His studies have also increased the understanding of the composition of the nematode pharyngeal tissue, and perhaps most strikingly, to the finding that the nematode pharynx cuticle harbours many amyloid-like peptides/proteins. Consequently, Muntasir and fellow-researchers have employed C. elegans as an in vivo platform for successful high-throughout screening (HTS) and discovery of anti-amyloid compounds. For his post-doctoral work, Muntasir has used the worm as a model to discover pharmacological modulators of neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s Disease in the lab of Prof. Lorraine Kalia, M.D., at Krembil Research Institute, Toronto. Noting the glaring absence of C. elegans research in his native country of Bangla

ATM Yusuf, Ph.D. Candidate

Project Leader

ATM Yusuf, an Assistant Professor at Department of Pharmacy in University of Science and Technology Chittagong (USTC) with a passion for research and teaching. Currently pursuing a PhD under Department of Biochemistry at Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (CVASU), focuses on the molecular biology of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). His expertise bridges pharmacy and biochemical research, aiming to contribute to health sciences. Dedicated to innovation, he thrives on exploring the intricate mechanisms of life.

Md. Nayeem, M.Ph. Fellow

Md. Nayeem is a researcher with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree and is currently pursuing a Master ’s in Public Health (MPH) degree under the One Health Institute at Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University. His research focuses on discovering new drugs using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism and exploring the medicinal potential of plants. With a strong foundation in veterinary medicine and a passion for innovation, Nayeem strives to bridge his expertise with public health principles to address significant health challenges. His work reflects the One Health approach, aiming to develop sustainable treatments that benefit both humans and animals.

Zinat Tahira Nahida, M.Sc. Fellow

Zinat Tahira Nahida completed her graduation from Noakhali Science and Technology University at Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering Department. Now she is doing her post graduation at Biochemistry from Chattogram veterinary and Animal Sciences University. In Chattogram veterinary and Animal Sciences University their team established a mouse lab and is using mice in research. She has already worked for drug development and other discoveries. She also worked in a team which is dedicated to colon cancer research. She is currently working on her thesis on the treatment of ulcerative colitis effects on mice. She thinks, it will make appreciable contribution to human welfare. She thinks C. elegans is an excellent model organism that could be used for much more fruitful drug development. It's a very good model organism for developing countries like Bangladesh. She is dedicated to contribute in biomedical research through various innovations in C. elegans..

Miftah Uddin Mahmud, M.Sc. Fellow

Miftah Uddin Mahmud is a motivated researcher who holds a Bachelor's degree in Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering and is currently pursuing an MSc in Biochemistry. His on-going research is to identify early diagnostic biomarkers for Ulcerative Colitis (UC) with its progression to colon cancer utilizing a DSS-induced colitis mouse model. He is enthusiastic about using C. elegans as a model organism for successful drug screening and phytochemical research in the quest for anticancerous compounds, emphasizing it's robust survival characteristics and ease of laboratory maintenance. Miftah is inspired by the potential of C. elegans and hopes to make revolutionary contributions to cancer biology and it's therapeutic strategies. Miftah has also experience in hospital-based colon cancer research as well as miRNA-based early diagnostic biomarker identification, giving him a promising foundation in cancer biology.

Asif Al Mahmud, M.Sc. Fellow

Asif Al Mahmud is a postgraduate student currently pursuing an MS in Biochemistry under the Department of Physiology, Biochemistry, and Pharmacology at Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from NSTU. From the very beginning of his academic journey, Asif has been deeply fascinated by the field of phytochemicals. This passion led him to work on phytochemicals during his undergraduate studies. Now, as part of his master’s program, he has had the opportunity to create extracts from various plants. Asif has found the simple, cost-effective, and efficient C. elegans model to be an excellent tool for evaluating the bioactivity and therapeutic potential of phytochemicals. He strongly believes that with the assistance of C. elegans, his team will be able to identify a novel drug compound derived from phytochemicals.