Assistant Professor in Biochemistry, Muhammad Ilyas has presented his research work at the New England Symposium at Harvard University USA on 11th April, 2015. He sequenced and analyzed the first Pakhtun genome which has been published recently in a well reputed journal with high impact factor.

The ultimate aim of his research is to create a genetic database of the Pakhtun and Afghan populations and use it to understand their genetic makeup with respect to disease predisposition, adverse drug reaction, population migration and ancestral studies etc. The results of the Pakhtun genome project will serve as a foundation of bio-medical research in the years ahead.

Pakistan, being host to a vast bio-reservoir and a pool of competent scientific and technical manpower, can really make a mark in the post-genomics era if there is an organized and directed private/public partnership.