Pharmaceutical industry is the third largest tax paying industry in Bangladesh and contributes almost 1.0% of total GDP. Domestically, pharmaceutical companies produce around 98% of the drugs and only about 2.0%life-saving hi-tech medicines (vaccine, anticancer drug, blood and biosimilar product etc.) that are not produced in the country have been permitted for import. However, most of the ingredients of the domestically produced finished dosage forms are now being imported. Therefore, Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Division is doing research to help pharmaceutical industry overcome the current challenges it faces. Board of BCSIR approved to open the Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Division (PSRD) in BCSIR Laboratories Dhaka in their 216th meeting held on 2nd June, 2011. The main research sections are Drug Discovery and Bioassay, APIs and Pharmaceutical Excipients, Quality Assurance of Modern and Herbal Medicines, Dosage Form Design/Formulation and Biopharmaceutics.

Research Scope: 
The topics of PSRD research include, but are not limited to:

Chemical exploration and value addition of bioactive molecules from natural sources such medicinal plants and their associated endophytic fungi, Marine plants and their associated symbiotic fungi etc. in view of drug discovery research.
Analytical method development and validation for qualitative and quantitative determination of drugs in bulk and formulation.
Bioanalytical method development and validation for determination of drugs in blood sample.
Bioassay screening of isolated compounds and extracts such as Antioxidant activity, Brine Shrimp Lethality Bioassay, Antimicrobial activity, Cytotoxicity test on cell line.
Synthesis of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs).
 

On-going R&D projects: 

Sl.No.    Project title                                                                    Duration

1            Synthesis of some commonly used antiulcerants.                            July, 2017 – June, 2020

2            Bioassay screening of extracts, fractions and isolated                      July, 2017 – June, 2020

             metabolites obtained from natural sources.

3           Isolation of bioactive metabolites from marine weeds and                   July, 2016 – June, 2019

             sponges as well as their associated symbiotic fungi.

4          Taxonomical identification of symbiotic fungi from medicinal plants.       July, 2016 – June, 2019

5           Analytical method development for determination of drugs                  July, 2016 – June, 2020

            in blood samples.

6          Chemical exploration and value addition in bioactive molecules            July, 2015 – June, 2020

            isolation from medical plants and their associated endophytic fungi.

 
Analytical Service and HRD: 

    Analytical Services:

• Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Division provides analytical services to diverse stakeholders including Public and Private University research students, Pharmaceutical industry, NGOs etc.

    Human Resource Development:

• Provide supervision/guidance to the Ph.D./M.Phil, M. Sc/M. Pharm., students of different public and private universities.
   

Achievements: 
Developed technology/patent:

Patent: Hasan CM, Sohrab MH, Al-Mansur MA: ‘Process for the Preparation of Platelet Boost Capsules from Carica papaya Linn Leaves and the composition thereof’. (Patent No. 1005515, Accepted on 11.05.2014)

Technology: Md. Hossain Sohrab, Satyajit Roy Rony, Sanjida Jahan, Suriya Sharmin, A.D.A. Shahinuzzaman, Mst. Nadira Begum: A process on “Production of Fruit-Flavored Salt for Gastric Comfort’’.

Other:

• Student supervision: Completed: 71 (PhD: 02, MPhil: 01, MS: 60, BPharm: 08);

 On going: 11 (PhD: 07, MS: 04)

• Fellow supervision: Completed: 08; On going: 07
• Developed Analytical Methods for Generic Drugs: 23
• Method Validation: 02
• Analytical Services: 53
   

Modern Instruments: 

1. High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)
2. Bio-Safety Cabinet Class-II
3. UV-VIS Spectrophotometry
4. Laminar Air Flow Cabinet
5. Trinocular Inverted Microscope
6. Automated Cell Counter
7. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyzer
8. Refrigerated Centrifuge Machine etc.
    

Personnel 
01. Dr. Md. Hossain Sohrab, Principal Scientific Officer & Scientist in Charge

02. Dr. Farhana Afroz, Senior Scientific Officer

03. Satyajit Roy Rony, Scientific Officer

04. A.D. A. Shahinuzzaman, (Study leave) Scientific Officer

05. Suriya Sharmin, Scientific Officer

06. Fatema Moni, Scientific Officer

07. Shammi Akhter, Scientific Officer

Contact us

Scientist-in-Charge

Dr. Md. Hossain Sohrab

Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Division, BCSIR Labs, Dhaka

Dr. Qudrat-I-Khuda Road, Dhanmondi, Dhaka 1205.

Email: mhsohrab@bcsir.gov.bd, mhsohrab@yahoo.com

Cell Phone: +8801720121525

Telephone: +880-02-58617924

Fax: +880-02-58613022