Phone: 8801923159836 Address: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet-3114, Bagladesh.
Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SAR... more Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is one of the most contagious diseases in human history that has already affected millions of lives worldwide. To date, no vaccines or effective therapeutics have been discovered yet that may successfully treat COVID-19 patients or contain the transmission of the virus. Scientific communities across the globe responded rapidly and have been working relentlessly to develop drugs and vaccines, which may require considerable time. In this uncertainty, repurposing the existing antiviral drugs could be the best strategy to speed up the discovery of effective therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2. Moreover, drug repurposing may leave some vital information on druggable targets that could be capitalized in target-based drug discovery. Information on possible drug targets and the progress on therapeutic and vaccine development also needs to be updated. In this review, we revisited the druggable targets that may hold promise in the development of the anti-SARS-CoV-2 agent. Progresses on the development of potential therapeutics and vaccines that are under the preclinical studies and clinical trials have been highlighted. We anticipate that this review will provide valuable information that would help to accelerate the development of therapeutics and vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Combining scientific data over a long-time period is necessary for generating large-scale dataset... more Combining scientific data over a long-time period is necessary for generating large-scale datasets, which are an essential component of comparative analysis for understanding evolutionary processes. Furthermore, monitoring temporal and spatial distributions of animals at a global and regional scale is essential for studying climate change driven extinction risks. Regional and global datasets focusing on different animal groups are on the rise to meet such challenges. Although being one of the earliest and best-known insect groups, the data on Odonata remains rudimentary and dispersed, especially in the South Asian region. Ban-gladesh, being located within a biodiversity hotspot, possesses a large number of odonate species and many of them are endemic to the South Asian region. We have developed an online database for the Odonata of Bangladesh by compiling and digitizing data from our last four years of field studies, from previously published research articles and field guides, and also by collecting data from citizen scientists. The Odonata of Bangladesh database (accessible at http://www.odobd.org) contains phenotypic, genotypic, photographic, taxo-nomic, biogeographic and faunistic data of the Odonata of Bangladesh. The database will be a valuable resource for understanding diversity, distributions, extinction risks and conservation planning of the Odonata of Bangladesh. Finally, phenotypic, spatial and temporal data of Odonata of Bangladesh datasets can be integrated with other regional datasets for analyzing macroevolutionary trends and to monitor the effect of climate change on odonates.
Introduction: Epitope-based vaccines present a rational alternative to conventional concepts of v... more Introduction: Epitope-based vaccines present a rational alternative to conventional concepts of vaccine design, particularly for combating complex infectious agents such as tuberculosis (TB). We have previously identified the multi-epitope cluster Ep85B, a linear 28 amino acid peptide within the mycobacterial Ag85B protein, which is capable of eliciting CD4 + and memory CD4 + CD45RO + T-cell populations in vitro in human whole blood cells. In this report, we investigated the suitability of Ep85B for animal immunizations, and endeavored to demonstrate whether this epitope harbors the potential to induce both cell-mediated and humoral immune responses in vivo.
An odonate survey was conducted throughout the southwestern region of Bangladesh, concentrating o... more An odonate survey was conducted throughout the southwestern region of Bangladesh, concentrating on eight districts and the Sundarban, from August 2014 to August 2016. A total of 50 species under 30 genera belonging to six families was recorded during the study period. Among these, 31 species belonged to Anisoptera and 19 to Zygoptera suborders. Libellulidae and Coenagrionidae were the most dominant anisopteran and zygopteran families with 28 and 17 species, respectively. One Zygoptera species Mortonagrion varalli was newly added to the odonate fauna of Bangladesh.
Rice-based vaccines do not require high-cost purification. They are stable at room temperature, c... more Rice-based vaccines do not require high-cost purification. They are stable at room temperature, can eliminate the risk of attenuated vaccine strains, and are resistant to gastrointestinal degradation. We tested the applicability of an oral delivery system for tuberculosis (TB) and cholera antigens in transgenic rice for induction of immune responses in the mucosal compartment as well as in the systemic circulation. For vaccine development, we selected mycobacterial Ag85B antigen and immunoprotective P4 epitope of TcpA fused to the nontoxic cholera toxin B (CTB) subunit for immunization against TB and cholera, respectively, in independent constructs. The expression levels of CTB, CTB-TcpA, and CTB-Ag85B in transgenic lines containing stably integrated, chimeric genes showed up to 0.64%, 0.34%, and 0.02% of total rice seed protein, respectively. Oral immunization of mice with each of the three seed lines resulted in significantly increased levels of both anti-CTB IgG and IgA responses in the serum and IgA responses in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. This indicated the capacity for oral immunization to elicit immune responses in the respiratory mucosal compartment. Plant-expressed TcpA could be detected in immunoblot analysis by using TcpA-specific commercial antibody, while there was no recognition of rice-expressed Ag85B by the commercial antibody raised against the latter antigen, where both antibodies were produced against the antigens expressed in the bacterial system. This study focused on identifying antigens resistant to both posttranslational modifications in plants and immunogenic under the proposed delivery system in animals for boosting the mucosal and systemic humoral immune response against enteric as well as respiratory pathogens.
ABSTRACT Butterflies (Lepidoptera) are the most studied order in the class insect. Also, butterfl... more ABSTRACT Butterflies (Lepidoptera) are the most studied order in the class insect. Also, butterflies are potent pollinators and ecological indicators of forest health. In current research, a study on diversity of butterfly fauna was carried out in the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) Campus of Sylhet, Bangladesh. A total of 38 species of butterflies belonging to the seven families were recorded in the study site during February 2014 to April 2014. Among the butterfly species maximum species were recorded of Family Nymphalidae (23.68%) followed by Lycaenidae (21.05%), Danaidae (13.16%) Pieridae (13.16%), Satyridae (10.53%), Papilionidae (10.53%) and Hesperiidae (7.90%). Out of 38 species Indian Cabbage White (Pieris canidia) was the most common species followed by Grey pansy (Junonia atlites), Common grass yellow (Eurema hecabe), lemon pansy (Junonia lemonias) and yellow pansy (Junonia hierta). This is the first approach to annotate the butterfly diversity in this area and future exploration will be continued to update the check list.
Odonata were surveyed in one reserve forest, two national parks, one Eco Park, one lake and one U... more Odonata were surveyed in one reserve forest, two national parks, one Eco Park, one lake and one University campus in the north east region of Bangladesh from March 2014 to March 2015. A total of 64 species of Anisoptera and Zygoptera belonging to 41 genera under 7 families were recorded. Among them 45 species, 19 genera were new records for the study area. Two species of Anisoptera i.e. Anax idicus Lieftinck, 1942, Gynacantha khasiaca MacLachlan, 1896, and three species of Zygoptera i.e. Matrona Nigripectus Selys, 1879, Agriocnemis Kalinga Nair and Subramanian, 2014, and Prodasineura laidlawii Forster, 1907 were first time recorded from Bangladesh.
Gynacantha subinterrupta Rambu 1842 is first time recorded from Bangladesh. The species is descr... more Gynacantha subinterrupta Rambu 1842 is first time recorded from Bangladesh. The species is described from two male specimens collected from Tilagor Eco Park, Sylhet. Description, identification keys and distribution range of the species is discussed.
The Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) poses the threat of lower respiratory tract infection to th... more The Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) poses the threat of lower respiratory tract infection to the infants as well as elderlies. As there is no licensed vaccine, alternative vaccine candidates like Epitope-based vaccines can be considered as a potential candidate. Being conserved among strains and reported to elicit cytotoxic T cell (CTL) response, the fusion glycoprotein of RSV (RSV-FP) is a first-rate target for epitope based vaccine designing. As RSV specific CD8+ CTLs are the central cell of viral clearance, the epitopes capable to generate CTL response are desirable. In this study, available immunoinformatics tools are utilized with a target
to predict epitopes on the RSV-FP that elicit strong (CTL) responses. We report seven nine-mer peptides that
bind strongly with 17 different HLA, have 100% sequence conservancy and is projected to provide 76.03% population coverage worldwide.
Butterflies are considered one of the most studied orders of class Insecta. However, the butterfl... more Butterflies are considered one of the most studied orders of class Insecta. However, the butterfly fauna of Bangladesh are not well documented. The current research was carried out from March 2014 to July 2014 with an aim to document new species to contribute and update the butterfly checklist of
Bangladesh. From the butterfly survey in different regions of Bangladesh, three new butterflies were recorded as distribution. Arhopala agaba agaba Hewitson, 1862 (Purple-Glazed Oakblue) and Deudorix epijarbas amatius Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Cornelian) were documented from University of Chittagong (CU) campus whereas Delias acalis Godart, 1819 (Red Breasted Jezebel) was recorded from Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) campus.
The present study was conducted in North-east Region of Bangladesh, from March 2012 to July 2013 ... more The present study was conducted in North-east Region of Bangladesh, from March 2012 to July 2013 with an aim to contribute and update the checklist of butterfly of Bangladesh. Three butterfly species were added to the known fauna of Bangladesh. These are Graphium megarus Westwood 1844 (Spotted Zebra) and Mooreana trichoneura Felder &Felder, 1860 (Yellow Flat) from Adampur beat and Patharia Hill Reserve, whereas Arhopala paraganesa zephyretta Doherty, 1891 (Dusky Bushblue) was recorded from Lawachara National Park.
The butterflies of Bangladesh are not well documented. Till now 300 butterfly species have been r... more The butterflies of Bangladesh are not well documented. Till now 300 butterfly species have been recorded, however it is predicted that Bangladesh contains 200-250 undiscovered butterflies. In current research, we are documenting the confirmatory presence of Tarucus venosus and its distribution in Bangladesh. From our several excursions in the diverse regions of Bangladesh, we have recorded the presence of T. venosus from Gazipur, Manikgonj, Dhaka, Mymensingh, Narsingdi, Rajshahi and Sylhet at different times of the
year. Moreover the butterfly was found to be mating and also collecting nectar from different available flowering plants of Bangladesh. All these findings strongly confirm the presence and wide-ranging distribution of T. venosus in Bangladesh
Epitope-based vaccines permit the selection of only a specific subset of epitopes to induce the n... more Epitope-based vaccines permit the selection of only a specific subset of epitopes to induce the necessary immune response, thus providing a rational alternative to conventional design approaches. Using a range of immunoinformatics tools, we identified a novel, contiguous 28 amino acid multi-epitope cluster within the highly conserved secretory protein Ag85B of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of TB. This cluster, named Ep85B, is composed of epitopes which bind to three HLA Class I and 15 Class II molecules, and harbors the potential to generate 99% population coverage in TB-endemic regions. We experimentally evaluated the capacity of Ep85B to elicit T-cell immune responses using whole blood cells and, as predicted, observed significant increases in populations of both CD4+ and memory CD4+ CD45RO+ T-cells. Our results demonstrate the practical utility of an epitope-based design methodology – a strategy that, following further evaluation, may serve as an additional tool for the development of novel vaccine candidates against TB and other diseases.
Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SAR... more Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is one of the most contagious diseases in human history that has already affected millions of lives worldwide. To date, no vaccines or effective therapeutics have been discovered yet that may successfully treat COVID-19 patients or contain the transmission of the virus. Scientific communities across the globe responded rapidly and have been working relentlessly to develop drugs and vaccines, which may require considerable time. In this uncertainty, repurposing the existing antiviral drugs could be the best strategy to speed up the discovery of effective therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2. Moreover, drug repurposing may leave some vital information on druggable targets that could be capitalized in target-based drug discovery. Information on possible drug targets and the progress on therapeutic and vaccine development also needs to be updated. In this review, we revisited the druggable targets that may hold promise in the development of the anti-SARS-CoV-2 agent. Progresses on the development of potential therapeutics and vaccines that are under the preclinical studies and clinical trials have been highlighted. We anticipate that this review will provide valuable information that would help to accelerate the development of therapeutics and vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Combining scientific data over a long-time period is necessary for generating large-scale dataset... more Combining scientific data over a long-time period is necessary for generating large-scale datasets, which are an essential component of comparative analysis for understanding evolutionary processes. Furthermore, monitoring temporal and spatial distributions of animals at a global and regional scale is essential for studying climate change driven extinction risks. Regional and global datasets focusing on different animal groups are on the rise to meet such challenges. Although being one of the earliest and best-known insect groups, the data on Odonata remains rudimentary and dispersed, especially in the South Asian region. Ban-gladesh, being located within a biodiversity hotspot, possesses a large number of odonate species and many of them are endemic to the South Asian region. We have developed an online database for the Odonata of Bangladesh by compiling and digitizing data from our last four years of field studies, from previously published research articles and field guides, and also by collecting data from citizen scientists. The Odonata of Bangladesh database (accessible at http://www.odobd.org) contains phenotypic, genotypic, photographic, taxo-nomic, biogeographic and faunistic data of the Odonata of Bangladesh. The database will be a valuable resource for understanding diversity, distributions, extinction risks and conservation planning of the Odonata of Bangladesh. Finally, phenotypic, spatial and temporal data of Odonata of Bangladesh datasets can be integrated with other regional datasets for analyzing macroevolutionary trends and to monitor the effect of climate change on odonates.
Introduction: Epitope-based vaccines present a rational alternative to conventional concepts of v... more Introduction: Epitope-based vaccines present a rational alternative to conventional concepts of vaccine design, particularly for combating complex infectious agents such as tuberculosis (TB). We have previously identified the multi-epitope cluster Ep85B, a linear 28 amino acid peptide within the mycobacterial Ag85B protein, which is capable of eliciting CD4 + and memory CD4 + CD45RO + T-cell populations in vitro in human whole blood cells. In this report, we investigated the suitability of Ep85B for animal immunizations, and endeavored to demonstrate whether this epitope harbors the potential to induce both cell-mediated and humoral immune responses in vivo.
An odonate survey was conducted throughout the southwestern region of Bangladesh, concentrating o... more An odonate survey was conducted throughout the southwestern region of Bangladesh, concentrating on eight districts and the Sundarban, from August 2014 to August 2016. A total of 50 species under 30 genera belonging to six families was recorded during the study period. Among these, 31 species belonged to Anisoptera and 19 to Zygoptera suborders. Libellulidae and Coenagrionidae were the most dominant anisopteran and zygopteran families with 28 and 17 species, respectively. One Zygoptera species Mortonagrion varalli was newly added to the odonate fauna of Bangladesh.
Rice-based vaccines do not require high-cost purification. They are stable at room temperature, c... more Rice-based vaccines do not require high-cost purification. They are stable at room temperature, can eliminate the risk of attenuated vaccine strains, and are resistant to gastrointestinal degradation. We tested the applicability of an oral delivery system for tuberculosis (TB) and cholera antigens in transgenic rice for induction of immune responses in the mucosal compartment as well as in the systemic circulation. For vaccine development, we selected mycobacterial Ag85B antigen and immunoprotective P4 epitope of TcpA fused to the nontoxic cholera toxin B (CTB) subunit for immunization against TB and cholera, respectively, in independent constructs. The expression levels of CTB, CTB-TcpA, and CTB-Ag85B in transgenic lines containing stably integrated, chimeric genes showed up to 0.64%, 0.34%, and 0.02% of total rice seed protein, respectively. Oral immunization of mice with each of the three seed lines resulted in significantly increased levels of both anti-CTB IgG and IgA responses in the serum and IgA responses in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. This indicated the capacity for oral immunization to elicit immune responses in the respiratory mucosal compartment. Plant-expressed TcpA could be detected in immunoblot analysis by using TcpA-specific commercial antibody, while there was no recognition of rice-expressed Ag85B by the commercial antibody raised against the latter antigen, where both antibodies were produced against the antigens expressed in the bacterial system. This study focused on identifying antigens resistant to both posttranslational modifications in plants and immunogenic under the proposed delivery system in animals for boosting the mucosal and systemic humoral immune response against enteric as well as respiratory pathogens.
ABSTRACT Butterflies (Lepidoptera) are the most studied order in the class insect. Also, butterfl... more ABSTRACT Butterflies (Lepidoptera) are the most studied order in the class insect. Also, butterflies are potent pollinators and ecological indicators of forest health. In current research, a study on diversity of butterfly fauna was carried out in the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) Campus of Sylhet, Bangladesh. A total of 38 species of butterflies belonging to the seven families were recorded in the study site during February 2014 to April 2014. Among the butterfly species maximum species were recorded of Family Nymphalidae (23.68%) followed by Lycaenidae (21.05%), Danaidae (13.16%) Pieridae (13.16%), Satyridae (10.53%), Papilionidae (10.53%) and Hesperiidae (7.90%). Out of 38 species Indian Cabbage White (Pieris canidia) was the most common species followed by Grey pansy (Junonia atlites), Common grass yellow (Eurema hecabe), lemon pansy (Junonia lemonias) and yellow pansy (Junonia hierta). This is the first approach to annotate the butterfly diversity in this area and future exploration will be continued to update the check list.
Odonata were surveyed in one reserve forest, two national parks, one Eco Park, one lake and one U... more Odonata were surveyed in one reserve forest, two national parks, one Eco Park, one lake and one University campus in the north east region of Bangladesh from March 2014 to March 2015. A total of 64 species of Anisoptera and Zygoptera belonging to 41 genera under 7 families were recorded. Among them 45 species, 19 genera were new records for the study area. Two species of Anisoptera i.e. Anax idicus Lieftinck, 1942, Gynacantha khasiaca MacLachlan, 1896, and three species of Zygoptera i.e. Matrona Nigripectus Selys, 1879, Agriocnemis Kalinga Nair and Subramanian, 2014, and Prodasineura laidlawii Forster, 1907 were first time recorded from Bangladesh.
Gynacantha subinterrupta Rambu 1842 is first time recorded from Bangladesh. The species is descr... more Gynacantha subinterrupta Rambu 1842 is first time recorded from Bangladesh. The species is described from two male specimens collected from Tilagor Eco Park, Sylhet. Description, identification keys and distribution range of the species is discussed.
The Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) poses the threat of lower respiratory tract infection to th... more The Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) poses the threat of lower respiratory tract infection to the infants as well as elderlies. As there is no licensed vaccine, alternative vaccine candidates like Epitope-based vaccines can be considered as a potential candidate. Being conserved among strains and reported to elicit cytotoxic T cell (CTL) response, the fusion glycoprotein of RSV (RSV-FP) is a first-rate target for epitope based vaccine designing. As RSV specific CD8+ CTLs are the central cell of viral clearance, the epitopes capable to generate CTL response are desirable. In this study, available immunoinformatics tools are utilized with a target
to predict epitopes on the RSV-FP that elicit strong (CTL) responses. We report seven nine-mer peptides that
bind strongly with 17 different HLA, have 100% sequence conservancy and is projected to provide 76.03% population coverage worldwide.
Butterflies are considered one of the most studied orders of class Insecta. However, the butterfl... more Butterflies are considered one of the most studied orders of class Insecta. However, the butterfly fauna of Bangladesh are not well documented. The current research was carried out from March 2014 to July 2014 with an aim to document new species to contribute and update the butterfly checklist of
Bangladesh. From the butterfly survey in different regions of Bangladesh, three new butterflies were recorded as distribution. Arhopala agaba agaba Hewitson, 1862 (Purple-Glazed Oakblue) and Deudorix epijarbas amatius Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Cornelian) were documented from University of Chittagong (CU) campus whereas Delias acalis Godart, 1819 (Red Breasted Jezebel) was recorded from Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) campus.
The present study was conducted in North-east Region of Bangladesh, from March 2012 to July 2013 ... more The present study was conducted in North-east Region of Bangladesh, from March 2012 to July 2013 with an aim to contribute and update the checklist of butterfly of Bangladesh. Three butterfly species were added to the known fauna of Bangladesh. These are Graphium megarus Westwood 1844 (Spotted Zebra) and Mooreana trichoneura Felder &Felder, 1860 (Yellow Flat) from Adampur beat and Patharia Hill Reserve, whereas Arhopala paraganesa zephyretta Doherty, 1891 (Dusky Bushblue) was recorded from Lawachara National Park.
The butterflies of Bangladesh are not well documented. Till now 300 butterfly species have been r... more The butterflies of Bangladesh are not well documented. Till now 300 butterfly species have been recorded, however it is predicted that Bangladesh contains 200-250 undiscovered butterflies. In current research, we are documenting the confirmatory presence of Tarucus venosus and its distribution in Bangladesh. From our several excursions in the diverse regions of Bangladesh, we have recorded the presence of T. venosus from Gazipur, Manikgonj, Dhaka, Mymensingh, Narsingdi, Rajshahi and Sylhet at different times of the
year. Moreover the butterfly was found to be mating and also collecting nectar from different available flowering plants of Bangladesh. All these findings strongly confirm the presence and wide-ranging distribution of T. venosus in Bangladesh
Epitope-based vaccines permit the selection of only a specific subset of epitopes to induce the n... more Epitope-based vaccines permit the selection of only a specific subset of epitopes to induce the necessary immune response, thus providing a rational alternative to conventional design approaches. Using a range of immunoinformatics tools, we identified a novel, contiguous 28 amino acid multi-epitope cluster within the highly conserved secretory protein Ag85B of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of TB. This cluster, named Ep85B, is composed of epitopes which bind to three HLA Class I and 15 Class II molecules, and harbors the potential to generate 99% population coverage in TB-endemic regions. We experimentally evaluated the capacity of Ep85B to elicit T-cell immune responses using whole blood cells and, as predicted, observed significant increases in populations of both CD4+ and memory CD4+ CD45RO+ T-cells. Our results demonstrate the practical utility of an epitope-based design methodology – a strategy that, following further evaluation, may serve as an additional tool for the development of novel vaccine candidates against TB and other diseases.
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Papers by Md Kawsar Khan
to predict epitopes on the RSV-FP that elicit strong (CTL) responses. We report seven nine-mer peptides that
bind strongly with 17 different HLA, have 100% sequence conservancy and is projected to provide 76.03% population coverage worldwide.
Bangladesh. From the butterfly survey in different regions of Bangladesh, three new butterflies were recorded as distribution. Arhopala agaba agaba Hewitson, 1862 (Purple-Glazed Oakblue) and Deudorix epijarbas amatius Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Cornelian) were documented from University of Chittagong (CU) campus whereas Delias acalis Godart, 1819 (Red Breasted Jezebel) was recorded from Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) campus.
year. Moreover the butterfly was found to be mating and also collecting nectar from different available flowering plants of Bangladesh. All these findings strongly confirm the presence and wide-ranging distribution of T. venosus in Bangladesh
to predict epitopes on the RSV-FP that elicit strong (CTL) responses. We report seven nine-mer peptides that
bind strongly with 17 different HLA, have 100% sequence conservancy and is projected to provide 76.03% population coverage worldwide.
Bangladesh. From the butterfly survey in different regions of Bangladesh, three new butterflies were recorded as distribution. Arhopala agaba agaba Hewitson, 1862 (Purple-Glazed Oakblue) and Deudorix epijarbas amatius Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Cornelian) were documented from University of Chittagong (CU) campus whereas Delias acalis Godart, 1819 (Red Breasted Jezebel) was recorded from Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) campus.
year. Moreover the butterfly was found to be mating and also collecting nectar from different available flowering plants of Bangladesh. All these findings strongly confirm the presence and wide-ranging distribution of T. venosus in Bangladesh