Aligarh: The Department of Zoology at Aligarh Muslim University organized a two-day national conference on ‘Advances in Biological Sciences: Molecules to Organisms’ with Dr Sanjeev Galande, Dean, School of Natural Sciences at Shiv Nadar University of Delhi as the chief guest at its inaugural session.

In his address, Dr Galande said that the recent COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted that genomics has become a game-changer in the fight against infectious diseases, reshaping our understanding of pathogens and how they interact with hosts. He said that the role of genomics in battling infectious diseases is crucial, from surveillance and diagnosis to treatment and prevention. He hoped that the emerging topics from this conference would provide opportunities for researchers to discuss a myriad of issues related to the biological sciences.

The guest of honour Mohd Tabish, CEO of Aquabridge Group and an alumnus of the Department of Zoology, spoke about his company and the recent advances in Fisheries and Aquaculture.

Another guest of honour, AMU Registrar Mohd Imran, appreciated the organizers for selecting a very relevant topic for the conference given the changing dynamics of various fields of biological sciences.

Earlier, welcoming the guests, the Chairman of the department, Prof Mukhtar Ahmad Khan, said that the conference would provide a framework for scientists and researchers to discuss the latest developments in many areas of Biological Sciences like phytoremediation, molecular aspects of diseases, immunology, immunodiagnostics, taxonomy of insects and nematodes, integrated pest management, etc.

The Organizing Co-Chairperson Prof Qudsia Tahseen appreciated the efforts of the organizing team, with special mention of Prof Yasir Hasan Siddique, who has extensive experience in organizing conferences and workshops.

Prof Nafees Ahmad Khan, Dean, the Faculty of Life Sciences, highlighted the achievements of the faculty members and alumni of the department and discussed the significance of the theme of the conference.

Prof Yasir H Siddique extended a vote of thanks.