KARACHI, Jan 3: Karachi University has been awarded a research project, aimed at developing new synthetic compounds, which may be used for drug addiction treatment.

The varsity has recently received the first instalment comprising Rs1 million, which is half of the total project cost, from the Higher Education Commission for the two-year project. KU Vice-Chancellor Dr Zafar Saied Saify is the principal investigator of the project, while many experienced scientists would also be collaborating in this connection.

The laboratories at KU's Institute of Pharmaceutical Science would be used for synthesis of the compounds in question. The project results would be published in order to highlight ongoing drug designing and pharmaceutical chemistry research in Pakistan, in the world.

Giving details of the project on Saturday, Dr Saify said that the results of the research project would benefit those involved in drug designing. The compound could be used to block the receptors in brain during the proposed process of treating the drugs addicts.

"The project is an effort to cure drug addicts," the vice- chancellor said, adding that besides AIDS and cancer, drug addiction was the most serious problem in the 21st century.

The addiction usually resulted in crime, besides discomfort for addict's family, also causing tremendous damage to young people.

The scientists from KU Faculty of Pharmacy, HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry, Inter Centre of Chemical Sciences, and Dr Panjwani Centre for Molecular Medicine and drug Development, would be available for the HEC project in question, it was learnt.