Department of Pharmacy
Office Number: S-021

Brief Profile
Dr. Mazhar Asjad is a Registered Pharmacist and has over 14 years of professional and research experience. He received scholarship from HEC for his doctoral studies in Austria. He discovered two novel drugs for the treatment of infantile parkinsonism during his Ph.D. (2014-2017). After completion of Ph.D., he joined Forman Christian College (A Chartered University) as Assistant Professor of Pharmacology. He also earned grant from the Austrian Academy of Sciences for post-doctoral research stay in Vienne, Austria (2021). He is an active member of the Pakistan Pharmacist Association, Austrian Pharmacological Association and International Transmembrane Transporter Society. He has participated in more than 30 national and international conferences and earned several traveling and presentation awards. He published over 18 research/review papers in peer-reviewed indexed journals. His research interests encompass diverse areas within molecular pharmacology, ethnopharmacology, and neuropharmacology. He specializes in conducting behavioral studies on animal models, investigating the structure-function relationship of proteins, exploring mechanisms of protein folding and misfolding diseases, studying ER export, pharmacochaperoning, and trafficking of membrane proteins. Moreover, his expertise extends to the extraction, isolation, purification, and determination of various in vitro and in vivo biological activities of plants and traditional medicines. Additionally, Dr. Asjad is adept in evaluating different biological activities of synthetic compounds and metal complexes in laboratory animals.

Education

• Post Doctorate in Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
• PhD in Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
• MPhil in Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, University of Sargodha, Sargodha
• Pharm-D, College of Pharmacy, University of Sargodha, Sargodha

Research & Publications

1. Asjad HMM, Akhtar MS, Khan M, Sial NT, Sohail I, Arshad L (2023). Ethanolic Extract of Citrus Sinensis Peel Markedly Mitigate Paracetamol-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Rats. Journal of Health and Rehabilitation Research. 3 (2), 1058–1062. 
2. Bashir S, Hameed H, Irshad N, Ashraf A, Faizan M, Halim SF, Asjad HMM, Batool A, Sohail I (2023). Hepatoprotective Effect of Berberis Lycium in Αlpha-Naphthylisothiocyanate Induced Cholestatic Mouse Models, Journal of Bioresource Management, 10 (4).
3.  Zaib S, Shah HS, Khan I, Jawad Z, Sarfraz M, Riaz H, Asjad HMM, Ishtiaq M, Ogaly HA, Othman G, Ahmed DAEM (2023). Fabrication and evaluation of anticancer potential of diosgenin incorporated chitosan-silver nanoparticles; in vitro, in silico and in vivo studies. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 254 (3), 127975.
4. Shah HS, Zaib S, Sarfraz M, Alhadhrami A, Ibrahim MM, Mushtaq A, Usman F, Ishtiaq M, Sajjad M, Asjad HMM, Gohar UF (2023). Fabrication and Evaluation of Anticancer Potential of Eugenol Incorporated Chitosan-Silver Nanocomposites: In Vitro, In Vivo, and In Silico Studies. AAPS PharmSciTech. 8;24(6):168, 10.1208/s12249-023-02631-7
5. Zaib S, Shah HS, Usman F, Shahzadi K, Asjad HMM, Khan R (2022) Green Synthesis of Gelatin-Lipid Nanocarriers Incorporating Berberis aristata Extract for Cancer Therapy; Physical Characterization, Pharmacological and Molecular Modeling Analysis. ChemistrySelect. 202203430
6. Sabir U, Irfan HM, Alamgeer, Umer I, Niazi ZR, Asjad HMM (2022) Phytochemicals targeting NAFLD through modulating the dual function of forkhead box O1 (FOXO1) transcription factor signaling pathways. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg’s Archives of Pharmacology. 395(7):741-755, 10.1007/s00210-022-02234-2
7. El-Kasaby A, Kasture A, Koban F, Hotka M, Asjad HMM, Kobista H, Freissmuth M, Sucic S (2019) Rescue by 4-phenylbutyrate of several misfolded creatine transporter-1 variants linked to the creatine transporter deficiency syndrome. Neuropharmacology. 15: (161) 107572, 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.03.015
8. Asjad HMM, Kasture A, El-Kasaby A, Sackel M, Hummel T, Freissmuth M, Sucic S (2017) Pharmacochaperoning in a Drosophila model system rescues human dopamine transporter variants associated with infantile/juvenile Parkinsonism. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 292: 19250 –19265, 10.1074/jbc.M117.797092
9. Michael Freissmuth, Ali El-Kasaby, Ameya Kasture, H.M. Mazhar Asjad, Sonja Sucic: Rescueing sleepless flies–Pharmacochaperoning of folding-deficient dopamine transporters, which give rise to Infantile dystonia/Parkinsonism Acta Neurobiologiae Experimentalis, 2017; 77(Suppl. 1).
10. Asjad HMM, Nasrollahi-Shirazi S, Sucic S, Freissmuth M, Nanoff C (2017) Relax, Cool Down and Scaffold: How to Restore Surface Expression of Folding-Deficient Mutant GPCRs and SLC6 Transporters. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2017, 18, 2416, 10.3390/ijms18112416
11. Sucic S, Kasture A, Asjad HMM, Kern C, El-Kasaby A, Freissmuth M (2016) When transporters fail to be transported: how to rescue folding deficient SLC6 transporters. Journal of Neurology & Neuromedicine 1 (9): 34-40. DOI: 10.29245/2572.942x/2016/9.1098
12. Kasture A, El-Kasaby A, Szöllösi D, Asjad HMM, Grimm A, Stockner T, Hummel T, Freissmuth M, Sucic S (2016) Functional rescue of a misfolded Drosophila melanogaster dopamine transporter mutant associated with a sleepless phenotype by pharmacological chaperones. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 291: 20876–20890. DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M116.737551
13. Akhtar MS, Asjad HMM, Bashir S, Malik A, Khalid R, Gulzar F, Irshad N (2013) Evaluation of antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects of Khamira Gaozaban Ambri Jadwar Oad Saleeb Wala (KGA). Bangladesh Journal of Pharmacology. 8: 44-48. 10.3329/bjp.v8i1.13183
14. Nazir SUR, Nadeem M, Malik A, Kamran, Irshad N, Amer M, Asjad HMM (2013) Formulation And In-Vitro Evaluation Of Levofloxacin Tablets By Using Different Super disintegrants. American Journal of Research Communication 1 (4):193-199
15. Asjad HMM, Akhtar MS, Bashir S, Din B, Gulzar F, Khalid R, Asad M (2013) Phenol, Flavonoid contents and Antioxidant Activity of Six Common Citrus Plants in Pakistan. Journal of Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic Sciences 1 (1): 1-5
16. Arshad H , Bashir S, Nazir SUR, Asjad HMM, Irshad N, Razzaque A, Malik A (2013) Stability studies of amoxicillin drug product in different packages materials. International Journal of Advances in Pharmaceutical Research 4 (09): 2275 – 2282
17. Asjad HMM, Akhtar MS, Asad M, Din B, Gulzar F, Hassnain FU (2012) In Vitro Antioxidant Activity of Habbe Sara [Unani Medicine] Prescribed for Febrile Convulsions. Journal of Pharmacy and Alternative Medicine.2:29-35
18. Hassnain F , Bashir S , Asad M, Nazir I , Qamar S, Imran M, Asjad HMM (2012) Formulation and characterization of solid dispersion of nisoldipine by solvent evaporation method. Journal of Pharmacy and Alternative Medicine 2: 21-28.