KARACHI: The International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Association for Biorisk Management, Pakistan (ABM).
The MoU aims to implement the Pakistan Biorisk Management Program (PBMP) through coordinated stakeholder efforts and strengthen biosafety, biosecurity, and cyberbiosecurity practices at relevant ICCBS, University of Karachi, laboratories to control zoonotic pathogens.
Prof. Dr. M. Raza Shah, Director of ICCBS, University of Karachi, and Dr. Asghar Ali, Executive Director of ABM, signed the MoU on behalf of their respective institutions at a ceremony held recently at ICCBS, University of Karachi. Officials from both institutions attended the ceremony.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Dr. M. Raza Shah welcomed the ABM officials and introduced ICCBS and its constituent centers, outlining the national and international recognition the institution has earned over the years. He emphasized that ICCBS remains committed to serving society through translational research, which requires strong partnerships between leading medical institutions and research centers.
Introducing his institution, Dr. Asghar Ali said that ABM is implementing the Pakistan Biorisk Management Program to institutionalize biorisk management practices in priority laboratories. The goal of PBMP is to control zoonotic pathogens by introducing and strengthening biosafety, biosecurity, and cyberbiosecurity practices in existing laboratories across the country, he added. Under the program, ABM works with government laboratories within livestock hospitals, as well as research centers and universities that handle pathogens, he maintained.
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