Prof. Sumera Zaib

About

Prof. Dr. Sumera Zaib is a leading academic and research scientist in biochemistry, medicinal chemistry, clinical diagnostics, and computational drug development. She is currently a Professor in the Department of Basic and Applied Chemistry at the University of Central Punjab (UCP), Lahore. She earned her MPhil and PhD in Biochemistry from Hazara University, supported by an HEC Indigenous Scholarship and a DAAD Fellowship in Germany.
With over 15 years of academic experience, she has contributed significantly to drug design, enzyme inhibition, molecular pharmacology, nanomedicine, and bioinformatics. Her prolific research includes over 200 peer-reviewed articles, nine patents, and multiple national and international research grants. She has supervised more than 15 PhDs and 40 MPhil students, and actively contributes to curriculum development and academic governance at UCP.
She serves editorial boards of reputed journals like Molecules and Frontiers in Pharmacology, and frequently reviews for high-impact publishers. She has been an invited speaker and organizer at numerous scientific events worldwide. Her contributions have earned her several accolades, including UCP’s Best Researcher and Innovator Award and PCST’s Research Productivity Awards. She also provides consultancy to pharmaceutical industries and international research institutions. Her work continues to shape scientific progress and higher education in Pakistan.
Completed multiple National and International project;
● Harnessing the Untapped Therapeutic Potential of Phthalazine scaffold as Small-molecule Inhibitors of Ectonucleotidases for the Treatment of Diabetic Complications, 2023, Research project qualified from Pakistan Science Foundation amounting 4.65 Million.
● Development of Novel Selective Inhibitors of HIPK3 by In silico Lego-like Approach to Treat Huntington’s Disease, 2023, won the BioSolveIT Scientific Challenge and obtained 5000 Euros.
● The BioSolveIT Scientific Challenge entitled “Serine Protease Enzymes for the Discovery of Novel Inhibitors to Combat COVID-19” amounting 1.793 Millions.
● Research Project from Higher Education Commission amount 0.5 Millions, entitled: Mechanism of apoptosis in Leishmania tropica promastigotes induced by Pentavalent Antimonials.
Worked on diverse range of instruments like:
RT PCR, Gel doc system, Flow cytometer, FLUOstar Omega Microplate Reader, Fluorescence microscope, Western Blot Imaging Systems, Biosafety & Fume Hoods, Centrifuges/Incubators, ELIZA plate reader, double beam Spectrophotometer and Fluorescence Spectrophotometer,
Have experience of culturing more than 20 different types of cancer/normal cell lines and established Cell culturing techniques like cryopreservation/cell culturing/cell counting/cell seeding/cell washing/harvesting/Microscopic analysis of cells
As Bioinformatician has been working on Gromacs/Amber/LeadIT/MOE/autodock and other software as well.

Areas of Expertise