The dignitaries were welcomed by Professor Paul Brennan, Director of the Centre for Medicines Discovery, and were given a tour of the labs and facilities at the Centre. The Centre for Medicines Discovery pioneers new treatments for disease, taking drug leads from the lab to the clinic and meeting the University of Oxford’s aspiration to be a leader in the field of drug discovery. The Centre currently focuses on four areas of drug discovery research: Neuroscience, Anti-infectives, Rare Disease, and Oncology. The visit aimed to foster collaboration and explore avenues for advancements in medical research and drug discovery.
Dr Lal Sen expressed a strong interest in collaborating with the University of Oxford and the Centre for Medicines Discovery to leverage their expertise and build capacity in Bangladesh, ensuring sustainable health solutions for its population. He said: ‘Any future collaboration with Oxford and Centre for Medicines Discovery will be a vital step towards self-sufficiency in healthcare, enabling Bangladesh to manage and mitigate infectious diseases effectively. We can enhance our research facilities and improve public health outcomes for our people.’
Ms Tasneem said: ‘Bangladesh is taking leadership in the global health sector. The knowledge from Centre for Medicines Discovery and the resources from Bangladesh can underpin the production of essential medicines and commercially scalable and viable vaccines to tackle diseases locally and enhance the healthcare infrastructure to respond to future health challenges swiftly.’