PESHAWAR: Shehla Akber, a research scholar in pharmacology, successfully defended her PhD thesis at the public defence held at University of Peshawar and qualified for the award of doctorate degree.

Ms Akbar, hailing from Swat, conducted her research on `Evaluation of 6-Methoxyflavanone in anxiety and neuropathic pain models; a behavioural and pharmaco kinetic study` under the supervision of Prof Fazal Subhan.

Her research proved 6-Methoxyflavanone to be more safe and effective as compared to drugs already available for treatment of patients suffering from nerves or neuro pain.

`Elderly patients especially those with diabetes feel a neuropathic pain similar to needles pinching in soles of feet and hands.

If clinical studies are conducted further I hope this medicine would greatly benefit such patients,` said Ms Akbar while explaining that so far medicine treating that kind of pain were not satisfactory as they treated symptoms but did notrid patients of the pain.

The tests in laboratories on animals revealed that the drug was very effective and had very few sideeffects.

Ms Akbar said that she got already two publications in well repute journals of the USA and England.

`International community is aware of my research but now it would be up to those, who would offer me to conduct further research on this medicine for clinical research and trials on human beings,` she added.

Ms Akbar said that there was neither any exposure nor any research and development in the pharmaceutical sector in the province that could help her to go further with her research to make it for clinical trials. The public defence was attended by a large number of faculty members and students. Bureau Report