UIU Biotech Club

🧠💙 One diagnosis. A life-changing event—for the patient, the family, everyone.

This World Brain Tumor Day, we stand with the warriors fighting silent battles and the caregivers who never let go. Not every struggle shows. But every story matters. 🎗️

June is Brain Tumor Awareness Month—time to Go Gray. A nod to our gray matter. A ribbon of hope. A roar for awareness, research, and change. Wear it. Speak it. Share it.

Every voice. Every shade of gray. Together, we're unstoppable. 💙🧠

“RNA targeting leads to protein control,
But therapeutic translation remains complex”

The article "Antisense Oligonucleotide Therapy: From Design to the Huntington Disease Clinic" explores how antisense oligonucleotides (A*Os) are being used to target Huntington disease at the molecular level. The main idea is straightforward-if the mutant huntingtin (mtHTT) protein is reduced, disease progression might be slowed. A*Os achieve this by binding to mRNA and triggering its degradation, which makes them a promising tool in gene-based therapy.

However, the article does not just focus on the potential--it critically examines why this
approach has not worked as expected in clinical trials. Two strategies are discussed: non-selective HTT lowering and allele-selective targeting. The non- selective approach is more broadly applicable but risks reducing normal HTT, which is still important for neuronal function.
In contrast, allele-selective methods are more precise but limited in patient coverage and have shown weak results in trials.

One of the most important takeaways is that reducing a target protein does not automatically lead to clinical improvement. For example, although tominersen successfully lowered mtHTT levels, patients did not show meaningful recovery, and in some cases, their condition worsened. This highlights a major gap between molecular success and real therapeutic benefit. The article also points out a key weakness in current research-most preclinical studies rely on
healthy animal models. This can be misleading because diseased neurons, especially in neurodegenerative conditions, respond very differently and may be more sensitive to toxicity. Additionally, dosing plays a critical role. Higher or more frequent doses were linked to worse
outcomes, likely due to drug accumulation and neurotoxic effects, with biomarkers like NfL indicating neuronal stress. Overall, this article makes it clear that A*O therapy is not a failed idea, but an incomplete one.
The biology of HTT and neuronal systems is more complex than initially assumed, and simply lowering protein levels is not enough. Future success will depend on better targeting strategies,
optimized dosing, and more realistic disease models. Without addressing these issues, repeating the same approach is unlikely to produce better results.

“Antisense Oligonucleotide Therapy: From Design to the Huntington Disease Clinic” শীর্ষক আর্টিকেলটিতে হান্টিংটন রোগের চিকিৎসায় antisense oligonucleotide (A*O) ব্যবহারের সম্ভাবনা এবং বাস্তব চ্যালেঞ্জগুলো বিশ্লেষণ করা হয়েছে। মূল ধারণাটি সহজ—যদি ক্ষতিকর mutant huntingtin (mtHTT) প্রোটিন কমানো যায়, তাহলে রোগের অগ্রগতি ধীর করা সম্ভব হতে পারে। A*O এই কাজটি করে mRNA-কে টার্গেট করে এবং তার degradation ঘটিয়ে প্রোটিন উৎপাদন কমায়, যা এটিকে gene-based therapy-র ক্ষেত্রে একটি সম্ভাবনাময় পদ্ধতি করে তোলে।

তবে এই আর্টিকেলের মূল শক্তি শুধু সম্ভাবনা দেখানোতে নয়, বরং কেন এই পদ্ধতি ক্লিনিক্যাল ট্রায়ালে প্রত্যাশা অনুযায়ী কাজ করেনি, সেটি বিশ্লেষণে। এখানে দুই ধরনের কৌশল আলোচনা করা হয়েছে—non-selective HTT lowering এবং allele-selective targeting। Non-selective পদ্ধতিতে ভালো ও খারাপ দুই ধরনের HTT-ই কমে, যা ঝুঁকিপূর্ণ কারণ স্বাভাবিক HTT নিউরনের জন্য গুরুত্বপূর্ণ। অন্যদিকে, allele-selective পদ্ধতি তুলনামূলকভাবে নির্দিষ্ট হলেও সব রোগীর ক্ষেত্রে প্রযোজ্য নয় এবং ট্রায়ালে তেমন কার্যকর ফল দেখাতে পারেনি।

এই আর্টিকেলের একটি গুরুত্বপূর্ণ শিক্ষা হলো—কোনো টার্গেট প্রোটিন কমানো মানেই ক্লিনিক্যাল উন্নতি হবে, এমন নয়। উদাহরণ হিসেবে tominersen mtHTT কমাতে সক্ষম হলেও রোগীদের অবস্থার উন্নতি দেখা যায়নি, বরং কিছু ক্ষেত্রে অবনতি হয়েছে। এতে বোঝা যায় যে molecular level-এ সফলতা সবসময় বাস্তব চিকিৎসাগত ফলাফলে রূপ নেয় না।
আর্টিকেলটি আরও একটি বড় সীমাবদ্ধতার দিকে ইঙ্গিত করে—বেশিরভাগ preclinical গবেষণা সুস্থ প্রাণীর উপর করা হয়। কিন্তু রোগাক্রান্ত নিউরন, বিশেষ করে neurodegenerative অবস্থায়, ভিন্নভাবে প্রতিক্রিয়া দেখায় এবং বেশি সংবেদনশীল হতে পারে। পাশাপাশি dosing-ও একটি গুরুত্বপূর্ণ বিষয়। বেশি বা ঘন ঘন ডোজের কারণে খারাপ ফলাফল দেখা গেছে, যা সম্ভবত drug accumulation এবং neurotoxicity-এর সাথে সম্পর্কিত। Neurofilament light chain (NfL)-এর মতো biomarker নিউরনের ক্ষতির একটি প্রাথমিক সংকেত হিসেবে কাজ করেছে।
সবকিছু বিবেচনায়, এই আর্টিকেলটি স্পষ্ট করে যে A*O থেরাপি ব্যর্থ কোনো ধারণা নয়, বরং এখনো অসম্পূর্ণ। HTT এবং নিউরোনাল সিস্টেমের জটিলতা আগের ধারণার চেয়ে অনেক বেশি, এবং শুধু প্রোটিন কমানোই যথেষ্ট নয়। ভবিষ্যতে সফল হতে হলে আরও নির্দিষ্ট targeting, সঠিক dosing strategy এবং বাস্তবসম্মত disease model প্রয়োজন। এই বিষয়গুলো সমাধান না করলে একই পদ্ধতি পুনরায় ব্যবহার করে ভিন্ন ফল আশা করা যুক্তিযুক্ত নয়।

Summarised by Azmita Nushin Aurna
Modified by Rukaiya Rezwan Oishorjo

"𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐈𝐔 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐑𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦"

History has been made, and it's time to celebrate!

The UIU Mars Rover Team (UMRT) has achieved a historic milestone at the University Rover Challenge (URC) 2026, bringing global recognition to Bangladesh and UIU by securing the following:

🏆 3rd Place Worldwide
🌏 1st Place in Asia
🤖 Best Autonomous System Recognition

Now, our champions are coming home, and the entire UIU family will be there to welcome them back with pride, energy, and applause!

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬:
Date and Day: 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟎𝟕, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔, 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲
Time: 𝟏𝟏:𝟎𝟎 𝐀𝐌
Venue: 𝐔𝐈𝐔 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐬 (𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐫)

Let's come together, show our support, and give our heroes the grand welcome they deserve.

Congratulations UIU Mars Rover Team. This is proud moment for us

History now has a new name: UIU.

At URC 2026, the UIU Mars Rover Team carried Bangladesh to the global stage and delivered a record-breaking result:

World No. 3 | Asia No. 1

A defining moment for Bangladesh.
A proud milestone for Asia.
A powerful reminder that world-class innovation can be built inside a university lab.

This is more than a ranking.
This is ambition engineered.
This is UIU, breaking the record.

🌙 Eid Mubarak from the UIU Biotech Club Family! 🦬✨

Eid-ul-Adha is a beautiful reminder of the values of selflessness, giving, and community. As we gather with our families to celebrate this sacred occasion, we want to extend our warmest wishes to our brilliant students, faculty members, and well-wishers

May this Eid bring endless blessings, peace, and happiness to your doorstep. Let’s share the joy, remember those in need, and celebrate responsibly!

Have a safe and blessed Eid-ul-Adha! 🕊️❤️

ℕ𝕒𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖'𝕤 𝕌𝕝𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕖 𝔾𝕖𝕟𝕖𝕥𝕚𝕔 𝕃𝕠𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕪: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕔𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝔹𝕖𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝕍𝕚𝕣𝕒𝕝 "𝔻𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝𝕕 𝕋𝕣𝕦𝕞𝕡" 𝔹𝕦𝕗𝕗𝕒𝕝𝕠! 🦬🌾

If you’ve been on Facebook or TikTok recently, you’ve definitely crossed paths with a massive 700-kg white buffalo from Narayanganj. He became an overnight internet sensation, nicknamed "𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐝 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩" due to his incredibly distinct, natural golden-blonde hair brushed right over his forehead! 👱‍♂️✨

While some rumors online jokingly claimed he was "𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐥𝐚𝐛" or a secret biotech experiment, the actual reality is far more fascinating. This isn't a human lab creation—it is a stunning showcase of a natural genetic phenomenon! 🧬🎰

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤?
It all comes down to a perfectly natural condition called "𝐀𝐥𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐦". Instead of a scientist altering his DNA, he was simply born with a spontaneous, harmless genetic variation that completely switched off his body's ability to produce melanin. Melanin is the biological pigment that normally turns Bangladeshi water buffaloes dark gray or black.

Without that pigment:
* His skin looks a unique pinkish-white.
* His eyes are distinct and pale.
* His hair naturally defaults to that striking golden-blonde color!

It's a brilliant real-world example of how a tiny, hidden change in a genetic blueprint can completely change an organism's entire appearance. Nature is the ultimate bio-engineer!

🎭 𝐅𝐮𝐧 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐦: "Donald Trump" wasn't the only celebrity on the plot! The farm handlers also raised a massive, mischievous 750-kg bull named "Benjamin Netanyahu" due to his tough-to-manage personality, alongside another flashy, golden-haired bull named after the football star "Neymar"!

Note: Check the pinned comment for more details.

👇 Drop a comment below: Have you ever seen an albino animal in real life? Tag a friend who loves crazy genetic facts!

Ramisa, Abdullah and every one of them deserved safety, kindness, and a future filled with hope not violence, not cruelty, not silence.

Today, we stand for every victim whose pain has shaken our hearts and conscience.
We refuse to stay silent while innocence continues to suffer.

We demand justice.
We demand accountability.
We demand a society where every child can live without fear.

May their names never be forgotten.
May our voices be louder than injustice.

Justice for Ramisa.
Justice for Abdullah.
Justice for every victim.

THE SCIENTIFIC PEN WORKSHOP IT'S A WRAP!
The UIU Biotech Club successfully concluded The Scientific Pen Workshop, focused on the art of understanding and presenting scientific articles and papers. The session was divided into two key segments, understanding scientific literature and presenting it effectively, both delivered with remarkable clarity and depth.
The room was houseful, but even more impressive was the level of engagement. Students participated actively, asked thoughtful questions, and stayed involved throughout the session.
A heartfelt thank you to our speaker, Ms. Kaniz Fatema, Lecturer at the Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Dhaka. Ma’am, your ability to make scientific literature approachable and exciting gave students not only knowledge, but confidence.
More to come. Stay tuned.

Reminder Folks
Get ready for an amazing Experience ‼️
Starting Today at 2:30pm
Room:628(UIU permanent Campus)

Workshop on The Scientific Pen: Mastering the Art of Understanding and Presenting Scientific Articles

UIU Biotech Club presents a workshop on how to understand and present scientific articles with the help of Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, UIU. Understanding and presenting scientific articles is crucial because it empowers us to communicate complex ideas, advance research, and contribute to meaningful change. The workshop will be instructed by Ms. Kaniz Fatema, Lecturer of the Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Department at University of Dhaka. Open for: All UIU students
Date & Day: May 20th, 2026, Wednesday
Time: 2:30 PM
Venue: Room 628
Explore new ideas, learn deep insights, present with confidence, and make a difference.