History
Dow College of Biotechnology (DCoB) is a constituent college of Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS). A four year BS Biotechnology program is being conducted at DCoB since 2015. The idea of a four year BS Biotechnology undergraduate program to be offered at Dow University of Health Sciences was proposed in September 2015 by then Principal, Dr Shaukat Ali, who wrote a concept paper for the course to be presented at the Syndicate Meeting of DUHS. Post-approval from the statutory body of the DUHS syndicate, the first batch admissions were announced to initiate for the academic year from January 2016. The BS Biotechnology program later on transformed into a constituent college of DUHS and Dr Shaukat Ali was appointed as the founding Principal of the College.
The first batch started with the admission of seventy eight (78) students and they were taught by the research and teaching faculty of Dow Research Institute of Biotechnology and Biomedical Sciences (DRIBBS), Department of Biochemistry and Department of Pathology of Dow University of Health Sciences. Being a multidisciplinary subject, in March 2019, dedicated faculty for Dow College of Biotechnology was established comprising of field related experts in the area of Agriculture, Biochemistry, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Fermentation Technology, Genetics, Genomics, Infectious Diseases, Immunology, Mathematics, Microbiology and Molecular Medicine. The college is also involved in the post graduate teaching and research in the field of Biotechnology.
In 2019, Prof. Dr Mushtaq Hussain, initiated a research on a classical model of genetics, Drosophila melanogaster, with undergraduate students of DCoB of Batch 2016. The work has subsequently expanded significantly and now transformed into a fully dedicated research and commercial facility “Dow Fly Research Lab and Stock Center” inaugurated formally in January 2023 as a component of Dow College of Biotechnology, making it the first public sector facility of its kind within Pakistan. The facility is focusing on scientific investigations and screening of environmental, industrial and pharmaceutical products on Drosophila melanogaster.