Epigenetics and Bioinformatics Research Laboratory
Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Dhaka
About Us
The Human Genome Project was initiated with the goal of unraveling our genetic makeup to better understand the underlying mechanisms of diseases like cancer, diabetes, and arthritis. While this project laid the groundwork, we've since learned that DNA alone doesn't hold all the answers. Genetic processes are further regulated by the "epigenome," which operates as a separate coding system. Unlike DNA, the epigenome's code is adaptable and reversible. It can respond to environmental cues, altering its pattern and subsequently influencing gene expression.
Bioinformatics plays a crucial role in interpreting the vast amounts of genetic data from humans, animals, and plants worldwide. This knowledge can be leveraged to deepen our understanding of disease mechanisms, improve diagnosis, and aid in the development of drugs and vaccines.
Recent advances in high-throughput technologies have enabled more systematic exploration of epigenetic mechanisms. Bioinformatics expertise has become indispensable for extracting meaningful insights from the enormous data sets. Epigenetic defects are increasingly recognized as key players in complex diseases, such as cancer, presenting new opportunities for enhanced diagnosis and treatment.
Furthermore, emerging infectious diseases continue to pose significant risks to global health. Gaining a deeper understanding of disease mechanisms and host-pathogen interactions is critical for developing effective drugs and vaccines. These areas of research offer rich possibilities for bioinformatics analysis. We utilize bioinformatics and experimental biological techniques, along with high-throughput data—both publicly available and generated in our own laboratory—to tackle biological mysteries.
Our Research Interests
Medical Biotechnology
(Genomics & Molecular Biology of Diseases)
Epigenetic & Genetic mechanisms of human diseases, specially cancer, arthritis, diabetes and metabolic disorders; and emerging infectious diseases. Epigenetic drug target and drug discovery. Mechanism and drug/vaccine discovery against infectious disease, specially viruses
Bioinformatics, Computational & System Biology
Optimization, analysis and management of Next Generation (NGS)/Third generation sequence data (whole genome sequencing, exonm seq, ATAC-seq, ChIPseq, RNAseq, Single Cell RNAseq, CITE-seq, MethylomeSeq etc), HiC, microarray, Chip-on-chip, ChIP-tiling and other high-throughput genomic and proteomic data; In Silico/computer aided drug design (CADD); Vaccine design. Data integration, mining and visualization; bioinformatic study of Epigenetic mechanisms in cancer; drug target identification, biological PPIN/GRN/PCN/metabolic network; MALDI/NMR etc proteomic data analysis for marker identification for cancer diagnosis; prediction of structure based regulatory elements in genomics and proteomic data; Metagenomics
Our Aims
Cancer Genomics & Epigenetics
Arthritis, Diabetes Molecular Mechanisms
mRNA Vaccine Designing & Immunoinformatics
Host-Pathogen Interaction
Biology of non-coding RNAs
NGS, Whole Genome Analysis & Metagenomics
Epigenetics of Disease & Development
Drug Designing Biosimilar & Biologics
Selected Publications
Coronavirus Research
Abul B.M.M.K. Islam*, Md. Abdullah-Al-Kamran Khan, Rasel Ahmed, Md. Sabbir Hossain, Shah Md. Tamim Kabir, Md. Shahidul Islam, A.M.A.M. Zonaed Siddiki. (*Corresponding). (2021). Journal of Translational Medicine. (Impact Factor: 4.541)
Md. Abdullah-Al-Kamran Khan and Abul Bashar Mir Md. Khademul Islam. (2021). Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences. (Impact Factor: 4.188)
Abul Bashar Mir Md. Khademul Islam and Md. Abdullah-Al-Kamran Khan (2020). Scientific Report. (Impact Factor: 3.998)
Refat Sharmin and Abul B.M.M.K. Islam. (2016). Source Code in Biology & Medicine.
Cancer Research
Coregulation of Histone-modifying Enzymes in Cancer.
Abul B.M.M.K. Islam, Richter WF, Jacobs LA, Lopez-Bigas N and Benevolenskaya EV. (2011). PLoS One. (Impact Factor: 4.61)
Xinyu Chen, Majd Ariss, Gopalkrishnan Ramakrishnan, Veronique Nogueira, Cathreine Blahah, Wiliam Putzbach, Abul BMMK Islam, Maxim V Frolov, and Nissim Hay. (2020). Molecular Cell. (Impact Factor: 15.584).
DNA methylation and hormone receptor status in breast cancer.
Elizaveta Benevolenskaya, Abul B.M.M.K. Islam, Habibul Ahsan, Muhammad G. Kibriya, Farzana Jasmine, Ben Wolff, Umaima Al-Alem, Elizabeth Wiley, Andre Kajdacsy-Balla, Virgilia Macias, Garth H. Rauscher. (2016). Clinical Epigenetics. (Impact Factor: 4.543)
Renáta Váraljai*, Abul B.M.M.K. Islam*, Michael L. Beshiri, Jalees Rehman, Nuria Lopez-Bigas and Elizaveta V. Benevolenskaya. (2015). (*equal contribution). Genes and Development. (Impact Factor:12.64)
Lluís Millán-Ariño, Abul B.M.M.K. Islam, Andrea Izquierdo-Bouldstridge, Regina Mayor, Jean-Michel Terme, Neus Luque, Mónica Sancho, Núria López-Bigas and Albert Jordan (2014). Nucleic Acids Research. (Impact Factor: 8.278)
Chromatin-Bound IκBα Regulates a Subset of Polycomb Target Genes in Differentiation and Cancer.
Mulero C, Ferres-Marco D, Abul B.M.M.K. Islam, Pecoraro M , Charneco C, Bellora N, Toll A, Gallardo F, Asensio E, López-Arribillaga E, Rodilla V, Iglesias M, Shih V, Alba M, Di Croce L, Hoffmann A, Villà-Freixa J, López-Bigas N, Keyes B, Domínguez M, Bigas A and Espinosa L. (2013). Cancer Cell. (Impact Factor: 28.2)
miRNA epigenetics Research
Wahid Murad, Md. Abdullah-Al-Kamran Khan, Md. Sajedul Islam, and Abul BMMK Islam. Journal of Cellular Biochemistry. (Impact Factor: 3.448)
Salwa Mohd. Mostafa, Md. Wahid Murad, Eusra Mohammad and Abul B.M.M.K. Islam. (2017). Journal of Applied Biotechnology & Bioengineering.
Md Sajedul Islam, Md Abdullah-Al-Kamran Khan, Md Wahid Murad, Marwah Karim, and Abul BMMK Islam. (2019). Journal of Medical Virology. (Impact Factor: 2.094)
Biosimilar and Biologics Research
Md. Abdullah-Al-Kamran Khan, Rafeed Rahman Turjya, Rabi Us Sany, and Abul BMMK Islam. (2021). Journal of Molecular Graphics and Modelling. (Impact Factor: 2.079)
Immunoinformatics Research
Salwa Mohd. Mostafa and Abul B.M.M.K. Islam. (2016). Future Virology. (Impact Factor: 1.011)
Refat Sharmin and Abul B.M.M.K. Islam. BMC Bioinformatics. (Impact Factor: 3.02)
Arthritis research
Mandar Dave*, Abul B.M.M.K. Islam*, Roderick V. Jensen, Agueda Rostagno, Jorge Ghiso, Ashok R. Amin.
Proteomic Analysis Shows Constitutive Secretion of MIF and p53-associated Activity of COX-2-/- Lung Fibroblasts. (2017). Genomics, Proteomics & Bioinformatics. (*equal contribution). (Impact Factor: 7.051).
Abul Islam, Mandar Dave, Sonia Amin; Roderick Jensen, Ashok Amin. (2016). Genomics, Proteomics & Bioinformatics. (Impact Factor: 7.051)
Lorenzo de la Rica, José M Urquiza, David Gómez-Cabrero, Abul B. M. M. K. Islam, Nuria López-Bigas, Jesper Tegnér, René E.M. Toes, and Esteban Ballestar. (2013). Journal of Autoimmunity. (Impact Factor: 7.37)
Single Cell Research
Single-cell transcriptional changes associated with drug tolerance and response to combination therapies in cancer.
Alexandre Aissa, Abul BMMK Islam, Majd Ariss, Cammille Go, Alexandra Rader, Ryan Conrardy, Alexa Gajda, Carlota Rubio-Perez, Klara Valyi-Nagy, Mary Pasquinelli, Lawrence Feldman, Stefan Green, Nuria Lopez-Bigas, Maxim Frolov, and Elizaveta Benevolenskaya. (2021). Nature Communication. (Impact Factor: 12.121).
Single cell RNA-sequencing identifies a metabolic aspect of apoptosis in Rbf mutant.
Majd M Ariss, Abul BMMK Islam, Meg Critcher, Maria Paula Zappia, and Maxim V Frolov. (2018). Nature Communications. (Impact Factor: 12.353).
Maria Paula Zappia, Majd Ariss, Lucia De Castro, Abul BMMK Islam, and Maxim V Frolov. (2020). EMBO Reports. (Impact Factor: 4.95).
Xinyu Chen, Majd Ariss, Gopalkrishnan Ramakrishnan, Veronique Nogueira, Cathreine Blahah, Wiliam Putzbach, Abul BMMK Islam, Maxim V Frolov, and Nissim Hay. (2020). Molecular Cell. (Impact Factor: 15.584).
Majd M. Ariss, Alexander R. Terry, Abul B. M. M. K. Islam, Nissim Hay and Maxim V. Frolov. (2020). Journal of Cell Science. (Impact Factor: 4.573).
Dragana Kopanja, Vaibhav Chand, Eilidh O'Brien, Nishit Mukhopadhyay, Maria Zappia, Abul Islam, Maxim Frolov, Bradley Merrill, and Pradip Raychaudhuri. (2022). Cancer Research (Impact Factor: 12.843)
Clinical management of COVID-19 is still complicated due to the lack of therapeutic interventions to reduce the breathing problems, respiratory complications and acute lung injury - which are the major complications of most of the mild to critically affected patients and the molecular mechanisms behind these clinical features are still largely unknown.
The SARS-CoV-2 genome, initially reported on January 12, has been studied extensively with the hope of uncovering useful information about COVID-19. The novel Coronavirus that has created so much havoc in several countries but was unable to do so in some other countries. One very important question is, why is it so? Also, some are severely affected while others even remain asymptomatic. The genomes, transcriptomes and immunome of SARS-CoV-2 hold many answers to questions scientists are searching for at a feverish pace. Our group is working on this area to understand the COVID-19 disease mechanism, find drug targets and drug design.
Our five research articles have been published already and some other projects are going on.