Hafiz Muhammad Usman Abid | Biopharmaceuticals | Young Scientist Award

Dr. Hafiz Muhammad Usman Abid | Biopharmaceuticals | Young Scientist Award

Assistant Professor at Health Services Academy | Pakistan

Dr. Hafiz Muhammad Usman Abid is a dedicated researcher in the field of pharmaceutics, with a strong academic and professional background that reflects his commitment to advancing pharmaceutical sciences. He holds a Doctor of Pharmacy from The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, followed by an M.Phil. in Pharmaceutics, and most recently completed his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics at Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, where his doctoral research focused on the synthesis, characterization, and pharmaceutical applications of boronic acid-flavonoid complexes for drug delivery systems. Over the years, he has served as a lecturer and visiting faculty member at several respected institutions, contributing to both teaching and research while mentoring students in pharmaceutical sciences. His primary research interests include novel drug delivery systems, nanotechnology-based therapeutics, wound healing, hydrogels, and the biomedical applications of natural compounds such as quercetin. He has published extensively in high-impact, peer-reviewed journals including ACS Omega, Molecular Pharmaceutics, Polymer-Plastics Technology and Materials, and PLoS One, with research covering diverse topics such as diabetic wound healing, cardiovascular therapy, cancer treatment, and controlled drug delivery systems. He has also contributed to review articles, systematic studies, and collaborative research projects, demonstrating his ability to engage in multidisciplinary work. Alongside his academic achievements, he has participated in numerous conferences, workshops, and professional training programs, enhancing his expertise in pharmaceutics, research methodologies, and healthcare practices. With his growing publication record, teaching experience, and innovative research focus, Hafiz Muhammad Usman Abid is emerging as a promising researcher with significant potential to contribute to the advancement of pharmaceutical sciences and global healthcare solutions.

Profile: Scopus

Featured publications

Abid, H. M. U., Hanif, M., Mahmood, K., Aziz, M., Abbas, G., & Latif, H. (n.d.). Wound healing and antibacterial activity of Quercetin-4-Formyl Phenyl Boronic acid complex against bacterial pathogens of diabetic foot ulcer. ACS Omega.

Abid, H. M. U., Hanif, M., Mahmood, K., Abid, S., Khan, M., Khurshid, U., Azeem, M., Ameer, N., Chughtai, F. R. S., Pandey, K., Qaiser, M., Danish, Z., & Razaque, G. (n.d.). Exploring the potent combination of Quercetin−Boronic Acid, Epalrestat, and Urea containing nanoethosomal keratolytic gel for the treatment of diabetic neuropathic pain: In vitro and in vivo studies. Molecular Pharmaceutics.

Abid, U., Pervaiz, F., Shoukat, H., Rehman, S., & Abid, S. (n.d.). Fabrication and characterization of novel semi-IPN hydrogels based on xanthan gum and polyvinyl pyrrolidone-co-poly (2-acrylamido-2-methyl propane sulphonic acid) for the controlled delivery of venlafaxine. Polymer-Plastics Technology and Materials.

Abid, H. M. U., Azeem, M., Qaiser, M., Faqeer, M. T., Abid, S., Shakil, M., & Khurshid, U. (n.d.). Navigating the vascular frontier: Exploring quercetin-based drug delivery strategies in cardiovascular therapy. Journal of Population Therapeutics and Clinical Pharmacology.

(n.d.). Global prevalence and mortality of type-2 diabetes from 1990 to 2019, with future projections to 2023 and 2050: A systematic review. Global Immunological and Infectious Disease Review.

Azeem, M., Hanif, M., Mahmood, K., Ameer, N., Ramzan, N., Abid, U., Latif, H., & Chughtai, F. R. S. (2022). Enhanced antibacterial and antioxidant properties of chitosan-quercetin complex containing polycaprolactone microspheres for the treatment of gastroenteritis: An in-vitro and in-vivo analysis. Materials Today Communications.

Ahmad, M., Khan, M., Asif, R., Sial, N., Abid, U., Shamim, T., Hameed, Z., Iqbal, M. J., Sarfraz, U., Saeed, H., Asghar, Z., Akram, M., Ullah, Q., Younas, Q. U. A., Rauf, L., Hadi, A., Maryam, S., Hameed, Y., Khan, M. R., Tariq, E., & Saeed, S. (2022). Expression characteristics and significant diagnostic and prognostic values of ANLN in human cancers. International Journal of General Medicine, 15, 1957–1972.

Pandey, K., Hanif, M., Ameer, N., Mahmood, K., Abid, U., Rana, H. L., Batool, F., Abbas, G., Saadullah, M., & Rasool, S. (2022). Comparison of hydrophilic and lipophilic surfactants for the improvement of solubility of BCS Class II drug by first generation solid dispersion method. Latin American Journal of Pharmacy, 41(3).

Azeem, M., Hanif, M., Mahmood, K., Ameer, N., Chughtai, F. R. S., & Abid, U. (2022). An insight into anticancer, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory effects of quercetin: A review. Polymer Bulletin.

Shoukat, H., Pervaiz, F., Khan, M., Rehman, S., Akram, F., Abid, U., Noreen, S., Nadeem, M., Qaiser, R., & Ahmad, R. I. (2022). Development of β-cyclodextrin/polyvinypyrrolidone-co-poly (2-acrylamide-2-methylpropane sulphonic acid) hybrid nanogels as nano-drug delivery carriers to enhance the solubility of rosuvastatin: An in vitro and in vivo evaluation. PLOS ONE.

Vahideh Valizadeh | Biopharmaceuticals | Best Research Article Award

Assist. Prof. Dr. Vahideh Valizadeh | Biopharmaceuticals | Best Research Article Award

Assistant Professor at Pasteur institute of Iran | Iran

Assist. Prof. Dr. Vahideh Valizadeh is a dedicated scholar in the field of pharmaceutical biotechnology and medical microbiology, recognized for her expertise in enzyme technology, protein engineering, and microbial research. Her academic and research career reflects a strong commitment to bridging fundamental biological sciences with applied biomedical innovation. She has contributed extensively to developing therapeutic enzymes, anti-biofilm strategies, and novel bacterial strains, showcasing her ability to combine laboratory research with translational applications. Through her contributions in biotechnology, she has emerged as a respected academic, researcher, and mentor who continually advances the scope of scientific inquiry while supporting the next generation of researchers.

Profile

Scopus | Orcid

Education

Assist. Prof. Dr. Vahideh Valizadeh began her academic training in microbiology, completing her undergraduate studies with distinction and achieving a top rank among her peers. She pursued a master’s degree in medical microbiology, where her thesis research investigated antibiotic resistance in clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus. This work laid the foundation for her deep interest in medical microbiology and antimicrobial resistance. Building upon her growing expertise, she completed her doctoral studies in pharmaceutical biotechnology at the Pasteur Institute of Iran. Her doctoral research was centered on malaria biology, particularly the design and evaluation of immune responses against the Plasmodium vivax Duffy Binding Protein. Her academic path was marked by outstanding performance, consistently ranking among the top students and achieving excellence in her thesis evaluations. This strong academic foundation enabled her to establish a career dedicated to cutting-edge research in biotechnology and microbiology.

Experience

Assist. Prof. Dr. Vahideh Valizadeh began her professional journey as a medical laboratory technician, where she gained practical experience in diagnostic microbiology, including ELISA, blood electrophoresis, and bacterial culture techniques. This experience provided her with essential clinical insights that complemented her later research work. She later joined the Pasteur Institute of Iran, where she currently serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nanobiotechnology. In this role, she supervises graduate students, develops independent research programs, and contributes to academic teaching. Her experience includes conducting experimental research in molecular biology, enzyme expression, and nanobiotechnology, with projects spanning malaria vaccine development, protein expression systems, and recombinant enzyme design. She has also participated in interdisciplinary collaborations, secured competitive research funding, and contributed to advancing laboratory methodologies. Her professional career reflects a balance of teaching, mentoring, and high-impact scientific research.

Research Interest

Assist. Prof. Dr. Vahideh Valizadeh has broad research interests in medical microbiology, protein engineering, enzyme biotechnology, and microbial strain development. She has focused particularly on designing and engineering proteolytic enzymes such as serratiopeptidase and lysyl endopeptidase, improving their biomedical potential by enhancing stability, activity, and anti-biofilm properties. She has explored applications of these enzymes in wound healing, infection control, and drug delivery. In addition, her work has extended into nanobiotechnology, where she has contributed to the design of nanogel and nanostructure-based systems for biomedical purposes. She is equally engaged in developing bacterial strains with improved proteolytic activities using innovative techniques such as mutagenesis and plasma-assisted engineering. By combining molecular biology, bioinformatics, and microbiology, her research continues to address significant global challenges, from infectious disease treatment to therapeutic protein development.

Award

Assist. Prof. Dr. Vahideh Valizadeh has been recognized for her excellence throughout her academic and research journey. She has been honored as a brilliant student by national scientific foundations and awarded for her outstanding oral presentation at international congresses in immunology and allergy. Her academic achievements have been consistently acknowledged through top rankings in her undergraduate and master’s programs. In addition to these academic distinctions, she has secured competitive research funding from reputable scientific institutions, reflecting both her leadership in research and her ability to design impactful scientific projects. These honors highlight her position as an influential researcher in biotechnology and microbiology.

Publication Top Notes

Dr. Valizadeh has authored and co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications that contribute significantly to the advancement of biotechnology and microbiology. Selected key works include:

Title: Nano Cellulose Gel Formulation Containing Niosomal Encapsulated Novel Serratiopeptidase With Enhanced Anti‐Biofilm Activity
Polymers for Advanced Technologies.
Year: 2025

Title: Efficient periplasmic expression of active lysyl endopeptidase and optimizing the purification methods
Protein Expression and Purification.
Year: 2025

Title: Improved anti-biofilm activity and long-lasting effects of novel serratiopeptidase immobilized on cellulose nanofibers
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.
Year: 2023

Title: Isolating Lysobacter enzymogenes strains with enhanced protease activity via chemical mutagenesis
Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Biochemical Technology.
Year: 2022

Title: Design, expression and functional assessment of novel engineered serratiopeptidase analogs with enhanced protease activity and thermal stability
World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology.
Year: 2022

Title: Enhancing proteolytic activity of Lysobacter enzymogenes using cold atmospheric plasma
Archives of Microbiology.
Year: 2022

Title: Truncated and modified serratiopeptidase and polynucleotides encoding the same.
Year: 2021

These publications demonstrate her focus on enzyme biotechnology, microbial systems, and nanotechnology-based therapeutic development, each contributing to improved biomedical applications.

Conclusion

Assist. Prof. Dr. Vahideh Valizadeh has made significant scholarly contributions through her publications in high-quality journals. Selected examples of her work include studies on efficient periplasmic expression and purification of lysyl endopeptidase published in Protein Expression and Purification; a comprehensive review on biomedical applications of serratiopeptidase in Archives of Microbiology; the development of hyaluronic acid-lysine nanogels containing serratiopeptidase for biofilm control in Scientific Reports; immobilization of serratiopeptidase on cellulose nanofibers to enhance anti-biofilm activity published in Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology; characterization of a novel serratiopeptidase with unique substrate affinities in Chemical Biology & Drug Design; enhancement of proteolytic activity of Lysobacter enzymogenes using cold atmospheric plasma in Archives of Microbiology; and the design of a dicistronic autoinducible system for screening high-expressing Escherichia coli colonies in Microbial Cell Factories. These publications reflect her focus on enzyme engineering, microbial systems, and biotechnological solutions for medical applications.