Natural products, environmental chemistry and carbohydrate chemistry — pursued in parallel across a research programme funded by OPCW, the International Science Programme at Uppsala, and the International Foundation for Science.
Anticancer, antidiabetic and anti-HIV plant extracts, endophytic fungal extracts, and the evaluation of herbal medicines.
Pesticide residue analysis and persistent organic pollutants in the Bangladeshi food chain and environment.
Plant polysaccharides, dietary fibres, and the chemical modification of polysaccharides.
Frederick, Maryland, USA
Planning of research on medicinal plants for anticancer activity, and table-top bioassay techniques for toxicity studies. Screened a number of plant extracts for anticancer and anti-HIV activity on cell lines. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between NCI and the University of Dhaka during this period, renewed for a third time in 2006 — fifteen years of anticancer research on the medicinal plants of Bangladesh.
South San Francisco, USA
Planning and designing testing methodology for antidiabetic research on medicinal plants. Testing of plant extracts on high-fat and fructose-fed mice, an insulin-resistant model.
| Year | Funder | Amount | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | OPCW | US$ 220,000 | GC-MS instrumentation awarded by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (≈1.5 crore BDT). |
| 1996–2013 | IPICS, Uppsala University | US$ 40–50k / yr | Research Group Leader, Studies of Organic Pollutants in Food and Environment. Funded by the International Science Programme, Uppsala University, Sweden. |
| 1996–2003 | IPICS, Uppsala University | US$ 40–50k / yr | Research Group Leader, Chemical and Biological Studies of Medicinal Plants. |
| 1999–2001 | Ministry of Science and Technology, Bangladesh | US$ 15,000 | Developing Spirulina as an antidiabetic agent, and research on anticancer and anti-HIV activity. |
| 1985–1988 | International Foundation for Science, Stockholm | US$ 46,000 | Four-year research grant. |
| 1985–1986 | University Grants Commission of Bangladesh | US$ 5,000 | Research on carbohydrate chemistry. |