KOHAT, April 29: Participants of a one-day conference on drug design held here on Sunday discussed the use of three-dimensional computer simulation to study the interaction among the medicines’ cellular targets.

The conference, organised by the Kohat University of Science and Technology (KUST), was attended by delegates from research organisations and universities. Dr Khalid Rehman — Reader at the School of Bio-molecular Sciences of the John Mores University, UK — was the chief guest.

Dr Khalid delivered a lecture on garlic and the research carried out on its uses as an anti-oxidant agent for the treatment of cardiovascular and other diseases.

The participants underlined the need for adoption of modern techniques in drug design and harvesting of phytochemical and biological resources.

Vice-Chancellor of KUST Dr Lutfullah Kakakhel, who inaugurated the conference, suggested that a research cell should be established in the university to harvest medicinal plants in a scientific and sustainable manner. He hoped that this would help introduce the herb-based medicines in the international market.

The vice-chancellor appreciated the efforts made by researchers in the field of drug design and said the discussion would result in achieving concrete results.

The conference was attended by biochemists, phytochemists, molecular biologists and bioinformatics’ specialists, according to a press release of the Kohat University.