Research Interest

• My research interest revolves around Microbiology and Molecular biology, Genetic Manipulation of Bacteria, Industrially important microbial enzymes,  Analysis of Microbial Signaling Pathways involved in Host-Pathogen interaction in Infectious Diseases, Recombinant Enzyme production through Site-Directed Mutagenesis, Protein-Protein interaction, Molecular Cascade of diseased markers, Analysis of interactions between transcriptional regulators and their cognate binding sites Protein Heterologous Expression and Purification techniques.

Research Publications

• • Tauqeer Bibi, Arshad Hassan, Rafat Amin, Chander Kumar, Asma Naz, Farzeen Tanwir, Fauzia Qadir, Saima Mazhar. Prevalence of periodontitis bases on ethinic disparity in Karachi, Pakistan. Journal of Xi’an Shiyou University, Natural Science Edition. (2023). 9(3)
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• •  Nadia Wajdan, Kashif Aslam, Rafat Amin, Sadaf Khan, Naseer Ahmed, Abhishek Lal, Eman M Al-Hamdan, Fahim Vohra, Tariq Abdul jabbar, Artak Heboyan. Anti-fungal efficacy of Miswak extract (Salvadora persica) and commercial denture cleaner against Candida albicans on heat cured polymethylmethacrylic denture base resin. J Appl Biomater Funct Mater. 2023 Jan-Dec;21:22808000231165666. doi: 10.1177/22808000231165666.
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• •  Iqra Rehman, Somia Gul, Mahwish Akhtar, Rafat Amin, Roquia fatima. Design, synthesis and docking studies of ciprofloxacin analogues as potential antimicrobial agents against resistant pathogens. 2024. Journal of Molecular Structure. Volume 1295, Part 2.
   
• • Waldvogel E, Herbig A, Battke F, Amin R., Nentwich M, Nieselt K, Ellingsen TE, Wentzel A, Hodgson DA, Wohlleben W, Mast Y. (2011). The PII protein GlnK is a pleiotropic regulator for morphological differentiation and secondary metabolism in Streptomyces coelicolor. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 92: 1219-36.
   
• • Iqbal, M., Mast, Y., Amin, R., Hodgson, D., Wohlleben, W., Burrroughs, N. (2012). Extracting regulator activity profiles by integration of de novo motifs and expression data: characterising key regulators of nutrient depletion responses in Streptomyces coelicolor. Nucleic Acids Research. doi: 10.1093/nar/gks205.
   
• • Amin R., Reuther, J., Bera, A, Wohlleben, W., Mast, Y. (2012) Novel GlnR-target gene nnaR is involved in nitrate/nitrite assimilation in Streptomyces coelicolor. Microbiology. 158: 1172-82
   
• • Sola-Landa, A., Rodríguez-García, A., Amin, R., Wohlleben, W. and Martín, J. (2012). Competition between the GlnR and PhoP regulators for the glnA and amtB promoters in Streptomyces coelicolor. Nucleic Acids Research.
   
• • Nawaz R., Amin R., Gul S.  and Khanani  R.  (2014). Association of Hypovitaminosis D and hypocalcemiawith Neuropsychiatric Disorders. Vol 8, No 3. jduhs.
   
• • Rafat Amin, Yvonne Tiffert, Yousra Ahmed, Mirita Franz-Wachtel, Boris Maèek, Wolfgang Wohlleben and Agnieszka Bera. 2016. GlnR an atypical response regulator, post-translationally modified by serine/threonine phosphorylation and N-lysine acetylation. Front. Mol. Biosci.
   
• • Amin R., Zaidi M. B., Bashir, S., Khanani, R., Nawaz, R., Ali, S. and Khan S. (2019) Microbial contamination levels in the drinking water and associated health risks in Karachi, Pakistan. Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development.  https://doi.org/10.2166/washdev.2019.147
   
• • Sheikh A, Baqai N, Minhas S, Amin R. Frequency and Specificity of Red Blood Cell (RBC) Allo-immunization in Multiple Transfused Breast Cancer Patients. Liaquat National Tumor Board Journal 2019; 1(2): 19-23
   
• • AbbuHazim F, Ishrat U, Fatima T, Baqai N, Amin R. Evaluating the status of vitamin 25 (OH) D levels among females of all age groups in Karachi, Pakistan. Journal of Muhammad Medical College, Mirpurkhas. 2019;10(2):55-8.
   
• • Nawaz R, Gul S, Amin R, Huma T, Al Mughairbi F. Overview of schizophrenia research and treatment in Pakistan. Heliyon. 2020 Nov 1;6(11):e05545.
   
• • Mehmood A, Zeb TF, Amin R, Waseem HF, Anjum F, Mahmood A, Shaikh A. Effects of Carbonated Drinks on Bone Health of Young Adults: a study conducted amongst students of Health University. Pakistan Journal of Medical & Health Science. 2020. 14(4):850
   
• • Ali S, Amin R, Zeb TF, Khalid X, Ashar R, Uddin SM, Ali A, Haider MS. Formulation of a cost-effective medium to support high biomass production and improved amino acid profile of Arthrospira Palntensis. Pakistan Journal of Science. 2020 Dec 1;72(4).
   
• • Khan M, Ahmed I, Farooq S, Khan S, Amin R, Ali S. Probiotic potential of Saccharomyces strains isolated from Litchi chinensis (Lychee fruit). Pakistan Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 2020 Jul 1;33(4 (Supplementary)):1855-61.
   
• • Khan S, Amin R, Ali S, Zeb TF, Haider MS, Tarar OM. Comparative analysis of nutritional components of different parts of Moringa Oleifera from Karachi, Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Science. 2020 Dec 31;72(4):271.
   
• • Zaheer, S., Fatima Zeb, T., Baloch, A., Amin, R., Amjad, Z., & Sheikh, A. (2020). The multifactorial burden of Type 2 Diabetes mellitus: a study from clinical settings of University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. International Journal of Endorsing Health Science Research (IJEHSR), 8(4), 275-287.
   
• • Abid, A., Khan, H., Fatima Zeb, T., Uddin, S. M., Amin, R., Khan, S., & Ali, S. Macromolecular characterization and growth kinetics of Arthrospira platensis and Chlorella Vulgaris as affected by different media (synthetic and Anaerobic Digestor Effluent) - A comparative study. 2020. International Journal of Endorsing Health Science Research (IJEHSR), 8(4), 188-201.
   
• • Amjad, Z., Shabbir, S., Mughal, A., Zeb, T., Amin, R., & Mirza, T. Effect of Ginkgo Biloba Extract (EGb 761) on Lead-induced Nephrotoxicity in Wistar Albino Rats. 2020. International Journal of Endorsing Health Science Research (IJEHSR), 8(4), 202-211.
   
• • Sadaf Khan, Basma Aziz, Urooj Ishrat, Tehseen Fatima Zeb, Rafat Amin, Shaukat Ali. Comparative Evaluation of Salivary Protein Profile and Oxidative Stress Status among Smokers/ Non-Smokers. Pakistan Journal of Medical & Health Science. 2020. 14(4):755 .
   
• • S Rafique, S Khan, S Ahmed, MA Qureshi, R Amin. Case-control study for assessment of factors associated with periodontitis among adults attending a university hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. jPMA. January 2021, Volume 71, Issue 1
   
• • Majeed MM, Ahmed I, Roome T, Fatima T, Amin R. Association between Interleukin-1β Gene Polymorphism and Chronic Periodontitis. European Journal of Dentistry. 2021 Oct;15(04):702-6.
   
• • Amin R, Khan S, Zeb TF, Ali S, Baqai N, Baqai M, Shuja S. Knowledge and attitudes toward genetically modified (GM) food among health sciences university students in Karachi, Pakistan. Nutrition & Food Science. 2021 May 5.
   
• • Shamim S, Gul S, Rauf A, Rashid U, Khan A, Amin R, Akhtar F. Gemifloxacin-transition metal complexes as therapeutic candidates: antimicrobial, antifungal, anti-enzymatic, and docking studies of newly synthesized complexes. Heliyon. 2022 Aug 1;8(8):e10378.

Others

Oral Presentation

• “Mismatch Repair (MMR) in Androgen Receptor; Expression of EMT Transcriptional Regulators (ZEBs’) in Relation to the Trinucleotide Repeats in OSCC Patients” (Neha

Posters

• Prize winning poster entitled” Exploring the molecular mechanism involved in sudden weight loss and alveolar damage in pulmonary tuberculosis patients” presented in the Annual Research Day, DUHS Exhibition on November 30th, 2023. 
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• Project entitled "Characterization and partial purification of Bacteriocin produced by Lactococcus Garvieae for food preservation” presented in the Annual Research Day, DUHS Exhibition on November 30th, 2023. 
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• Poster entitled ” Prevalence of Infectious Diseases in Diabetes Mellitus” presented in Pakistan initiative for Non-communicable Diseases (AKUPI NCDs) Research Symposium: A Dialogue on NCDs on 4th December, 2023.
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• Project entitled "Textiles that fight back: The antimicrobial revolution " presented in the Annual Research Day, DUHS Exhibition on November 30th, 2023. 
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• Project entitled "Bioluminescence Light Bulb; A    Sustainable    Solution    to    Energy    and Security     Challenges" presented in the Annual Research Day, DUHS Exhibition on November 30th, 2023. 
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• Project entitled " Developing of plant-based insecticide from basil leaves” presented in the Annual Research Day, DUHS Exhibition on November 30th, 2023. 
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• Project entitled " Nature’s Bounty , Sealed in Every Bite: Delectable Dehydrated Fruits and Vegetables” presented in the Annual Research Day, DUHS Exhibition on November 30th, 2023. 
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•  Project entitled " L-cysteine – Based Hair Products: A Microbial Innovation” presented in the Annual Research Day, DUHS Exhibition on November 30th, 2023. 
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• Project entitled " Sustainable vision correction: Development of biodegradable contact lenses” presented in the Annual Research Day, DUHS Exhibition on November 30th, 2023. 

• Project entitled "Biopreservation : a healthier approach using bacteriocin produce by LAB" presented in the 7th all Pakistan DUHS DICE Exhibition November 4, 2022.

• Project Title "Lycopene serum"  presented in the 7th all Pakistan DUHS DICE Exhibition November 4, 2022.

• Project entitled " EWA Block Spray" presented in the 7th all Pakistan DUHS DICE Exhibition November 4, 2022.

• Project entitled “Delivery of AntiTumour Nanobodies Via Synchronized Lysis Circuit (SLC)” presented at 6th All Pakistan DUHS-DICE Health Innovation Exhibition, December 30 2021 at DUHS

• Project titled “Delivery of AntiTumour Nanobodies Via Synchronized Lysis Circuit (SLC)” presented at 6th All Pakistan DUHS-DICE Health Innovation Exhibition, December 30 2021 at DUHS

• Project titled “Treatment of arthritis with the help of warm bandage with Glucosamide fluid” presented at 6th All Pakistan DUHS-DICE Health Innovation Exhibition, December 30 2021 at DUHS

• Project “Production and characterization of hydroxyapatite from bone waste of our local fish fauna and assessment of its nutritive values” has been exhibited on 16th & 17th of October, 2019 at Expo Centre Karachi.

• Project " Application of Microalgae Photobioreactor System for indoor air Pollution with concomitant Micro algal biomass Super Food production" exhibited on 16th & 17th of October, 2019 at Expo Centre Karachi.

• Project entitled “Production of cellulose by using bagasse.” presented in DICE AUST 2019. Held on 11th & 12th October 2019 in Abbottabad University of science and technology.

• Project entitled “Production of cellulose by using bagasse.” presented in 5th All Pakistan DUHS-DICE health innovation exhibition 2018.  October 16th – 17th, 2019 in Karachi

Grants

• • NIH Research grant -2023 National Institute of Health grant entitled “Novel approach to combat antimicrobial resistant fungal infections by epigenetic regulation; Expression profiling of Histone deacetylases and screening of novel deacetylases inhibitors as potential therapeutic agents for antifungal resistant C. albicans infections” awarded in 2023 (F.No. SG/22/R3-20/RDC/1524)
   
• • HEC NRPU Research Grant-2021 National Research Program for Universities- NRPU grant entitled “Development of Novel Silk Based Glass Ionomer Restoratives for the Stress Bearing Posterior Teeth awarded in 2022 (20-14462/NRPU/R&D/HEC/2021 2021)
   
• • Vice Chancellor Seed Funding Initiative (VCSFI)-2019 VCSFI grant on project entitled “Establishment of a Microbial Bio-resource Center (Bio-bank)” in 2019 (Ref No. DUHS/VC/2019/05-32)
   
• • HEC NRPU Research Grant-2019 “Heterologous expression of streptokinase from beta hemolytic streptococcal strain for pilot scale production of recombinant streptokinase.” Project # NRPU 7319

Teaching

• Under graduate courses: Microbiology,  Microbial Biotechnology, Pathophysiology, Food Biotechnology, Methods in molecular biology, Introduction to Biotechnology
   
• Postgraduate courses: Fundamentals of Biotechnology and Advances in health Biotechnology

BS Research Project/ Thesis Supervisor

• • Investigation of Extracellular Hydrolytic Enzymes Protease, Amylase, Lipase and Urease among Local Clinical Isolates as their Potential Virulence Factors (2020)
   
• • Assessment of Microbial Quality of Fresh Milk & Detection of Potential Adulterants and Associated Health Risks of Fresh and Tetra Packaging Milk in Karachi, Pakistan (2021)
   
• • Rationalizing the potential role of erythropoiesis regulatory genes prb, GATA-1 and FOXO3 in β-thalassemia major patients. (2022)
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• • Comparison between commercial cleaners and Miswak extracts against Candida albicans on heat cured acrylic denture base resin (2022)
   
• • Hydrolytic enzyme production by clinical isolates of S. aureus; biochemical and molecular characterization. (2023)

M.Phil. Thesis Supervisor

• • Antibacterial Activity and Surface Hardness of Cetylpyridinium Chloride Modified Resin–Based Dental Composite (2023).
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• • Pathological evaluation of alloimunization in breast cancer patients receiving multiple transfusions (2018)
   
• • Partial purification ad antimicrobial potential evaluation of protein/peptide from Pakistani Yellow Scorpian (Buthus Sindicus) (2020)
   
• • Evaluation of MMP8 and IL-1 for diagnosis of periodontitis: An ELISA based study. (2021)
   
• • haromyces boulardii by using in vitro and in vivo Methods (2021)
   
• • Effects of Ultrasonic waves Treatment on Recovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from sputum Samples and on Subsequent Drug Sensitivity Testing using a Liquid Culture System (2022)
   
• • Study on selenium and selenoprotein levels in idiopathic generalized epileptic patients (2022).
   
• • Mismatch Repair (MMR) in Androgen Receptor; Expression of EMT Transcriptional Regulators (ZEBs’) in Relation to the Tri-nucleotide Repeats in OSCC Patients (2022)
   
• • Investigating the expression patterns of Androgen Receptor in different grades of Oral Squamous Cell carcinoma (2022)
   
• • Comparison between commercial cleaners and Miswak extracts against Candida albicans on heat cured acrylic denture base resin (2022)

Honors & achievements

• •Certificate of appreciation for delivering lecture at CME session of APNA-DUHS winter meeting 2016
   
• •Certificate of appreciation for teaching /research services at IBMS, DUHS
   
• •Award of consolation technical price in DICE textile innovation competition presented in 3rd NTU DICE textile innovation competition.  Held on March 06-07, 2018 at National textile university Faisalabad.
   
• •Special Prize for the best Dissertation 2013 of the Reinhold-und-Maria-Teufel-Stiftung, Germany.Magna cum laude, for PhD Thesis, Eberhard Karl’s University Tuebingen

• •Overseas scholarship 2008-2012 for PhD studies under faculty development program at “Dow University of Health Sciences” in Germany” given by Higher Education Commission, Pakistan

Research Fellowship

• • “Postdoc Fellow”  at Department of Biotechnology/Microbiology, University of Tuebingen, Germany (2008-2012)

• • “PhD Research Fellow” at Department of Biotechnology/Microbiology, University of Tuebingen, Germany (20128-2013)