Overview

Distinguished Professor Rita R. Colwell, University of Maryland and john Hopkins University and honorable BOT Chair, Mr Azimn Uddin Ahmed inaugurated the NSU Genome Research Institute (NGRI), the first of its kind in Bangladesh on May 14, 2017. Such establishment is a milestone in the country and provides the genomic infrastructure for Bangladesh and train new talent in this emerging field.

The vision of the institute is to become the center for excellence in genomic research in Bangladesh and help to improve health of people in our region and around the world through advances in genomic science.

Facilities

The institute works closely with the Faculty Members of School of Health and Life Science and other scientists in the relevant fields that range in expertise from basic biology to translational and medical fields. Platform Leaders comprise some of early career researchers will handle the latest technology available at the institute such as: Next Generation Sequencing, High-throughput Biology, Metagenomics, Genome Engineering, Genotyping, Cytogenetics, and Single Cell Genomics.

NGRI Strategic Research Priorities

1. Genomics Epidemiology
2. Functional Genomics and Gene Regulation
3. Precision Medicine Initiatives
4. Epigenetics and Disease Susceptibility
5. Population Genetics and Evolutionary Genomics
6. Biobanking and Genetic Resource Management
7. Computational Genomics and Bioinformatics Tools
8. Global Collaborations and Capacity Building

Director

Dr. Muhammad Maqsud Hossain

Phone: +880-2-55668200 Ext: 1903
E-mail:muhammad.maqsud@northsouth.edu; mdmaqsud0@gmail.com
Researcher ID: C-1663-2019
Profile URL: http://www.researcherid.com/rid/C-1663-2019; orcid.org/0000-0001-9794-411X

Selected Publications

1. Jason A, Laura HK., Ashley S, Ashraful H, Alamgir K, Ellen BJ, Emily C, Jade B-C, Shabib R, Shadman R, Salim B, Neeti Z, Peter J. W., Maqsud H, Hasan MR,Abdullah J, Shawkee GM, Aura R, Faika LB, Tahrima SH, Stephen PL, Ahmed MM. Impact of community masking on COVID-19: A cluster-randomized trial in Bangladesh. Science. abi9069 (2021). doi: 10.1126/science.abi9069
2. Baker M, Zhang X, Maciel-Guerra A, Babaarslan K, Dong Y, Wang W, Hu Y, Renney D, Liu L, Li H, Hossain M, Heeb S, Tong Z, Pearcy N, Zhang M, Geng Y, Zhao L, Hao Z, Senin N, Chen J, Peng Z, Li F, Dottorini T. Convergence of resistance and evolutionary responses in Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica co-inhabiting chicken farms in China. Nat Commun. 2024 Jan 5;15(1):206. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-44272-1. PMID: 38182559; PMCID: PMC10770378.
3. Abir FF, Alyafei K, Chowdhury MEH, Khandakar A, Ahmed R, Hossain MM, Mahmud S, Rahman A, Abbas TO, Zughaier SM, Naji KK. PCovNet: A presymptomatic COVID-19 detection framework using deep learning model using wearables data. Comput Biol Med. 2022 Aug;147:105682. doi: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2022.105682. PMID: 35714504; PMCID: PMC9170596.
   
4. Islam MA, Marzan AA, Arman MS, Shahi S, Sakif TI, Hossain M, Islam T, Hoque MN. Some common deleterious mutations are shared in SARS-CoV-2 genomes from deceased COVID-19 patients across continents. Sci Rep. 2023 Oct 30;13(1):18644. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-45517-1. PMID: 37903828; PMCID: PMC10616235.
5. Suleiman AS, Abbass M, Hossain M, Choudhary P, Bhattacharya P, Islam MA. Impact of antibiotic-coated sutures on surgical site infections: a second-order meta-analysis. Int J Surg. 2024 Jan 1;110(1):507-519. doi: 10.1097/JS9.0000000000000822. PMID: 37830948; PMCID: PMC10793740.
6. Johura FT, Sultana M, Zohura F, Bhuyian SI, Parvin T, Sack D, Ahmed T, Saif-Ur-Rahman KM, Hossain M, Watanabe H, George CM, Alam M. Gut microbiota shifts favorably with delivery of handwashing with soap and water treatment intervention in a prospective cohort (CHoBI7 trial). J Health Popul Nutr. 2023 Dec PMID: 38129922; PMCID: PMC10740293.
   
7. Hossain MS, Chowdhury MEH, Reaz MBI, Ali SHM, Bakar AAA, Kiranyaz S, Khandakar A, Alhatou M, Habib R, Hossain MM. Motion Artifacts Correction from Single-Channel EEG and fNIRS Signals Using Novel Wavelet Packet Decomposition in Combination with Canonical Correlation Analysis. Sensors (Basel). 2022 Apr 21;22(9):3169. doi: 10.3390/s22093169. PMID: 35590859; PMCID: PMC9102309.
8. Rahman A, Styczynski A, Khaleque A, Hossain SA, Sadique A, Hossain A, Jain M, Tabassum SN, Khan F, Bhuiyan MSS, Alam J, Khandakar A, Kamruzzaman M, Ahsan CR, Kashem SBA, Chowdhury MEH, Hossain M. Genomic landscape of prominent XDR Acinetobacter clonal complexes from Dhaka, Bangladesh. BMC Genomics. 2022 Dec 5;23(1):802. doi: 10.1186/s12864-022-08991-x. PMID: 36471260.
9. Rahman, A., Akter, S., Sadique, A., Alam, J., Asrafie, S., Tabassum, A., Hossain, S.A., Rahman, M.M., Billah, M.B., Huq, T.S. and Uddin, K.M., 2024. Whole genome sequence of denitrifying bacterium Stutzerimonas stutzeri strain NGHE31, collected from an eutrophic wetland in Sunamganj, Bangladesh, following the 2017 flash floods. Microbiology Resource Announcements, pp.e00001-24.
10. Shirin, T., Akram, A., Hasan, S., Rahman, A., Sultana, S., Alam, A.N., Khan, M.H., Hossain, S., Flora, M.S. and Hossain, M., 2022. Analysis and identification of genomic and immunogenic features of dengue serotype 3 genomes obtained during the 2019 outbreak in Bangladesh. New Microbes and New Infections, 48.
11. Hossain, M., Huq, T.S., Rahman, A., Islam, M.A., Tabassum, S.N., Hasan, K.N., Khaleque, A., Sadique, A., Hossain, M.S., Bahadur, N.M. and Ahmed, F., 2021. Novel mutations identified from whole-genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 isolated from Noakhali, Bangladesh.
12. Jain P, Bepari AK, Sen PK, Rafe T, Imtiaz R, Hossain M, Reza HM. High prevalence of multiple antibiotic resistance in clinical E. coli isolates from Bangladesh and prediction of molecular resistance determinants using WGS of an XDR isolate. Sci Rep. 2021 Nov 24;11(1):22859. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-02251-w. PMID: 34819576; PMCID: PMC8613203
13. Khan S, Akter S, Goswami B, Habib A, Banu TA, Barton C, Osman E, Samir S, Arjuman F, Hasan S, Hossain M. Whole genome mapping and identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms of four Bangladeshi individuals and their functional significance. BMC Res Notes. 2021 Mar 20;14(1):105. doi: 10.1186/s13104-021-05514-x.
14. Rahman A, Bhuiyan OF, Sadique A, Afroze T, Sarker M, Momen AMI, Alam J, Hossain A, Khan I, Rahman KF, Kamruzzaman M, Shams F, Ahsan GU, Hossain M. Whole genome sequencing provides genomic insights into three Morganella morganii strains isolated from bovine rectal swabs in Dhaka, Bangladesh. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 2020 Mar 1;367(6):fnaa043. doi: 10.1093/femsle/fnaa043.
    
15. Hossain, M., Tabassum, T., Rahman, A., Hossain, A., Afroze, T., Momen, A.M.I., Sadique, A., Sarker, M., Shams, F., Ishtiaque, A. and Khaleque, A., 2020. Genotype–phenotype correlation of β-lactamase-producing uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) strains from Bangladesh. Scientific reports, 10(1), p.14549.
16. Ahmed F, Islam MA, Kumar M, Hossain M, Bhattacharya P, Islam MT, Hossen F, Hossain MS, Islam MS, Uddin MM, Islam MN, Bahadur NM, Didar-Ul-Alam M, Reza HM, Jakariya M. First detection of SARS-CoV-2 genetic material in the vicinity of COVID-19 isolation Centre in Bangladesh: Variation along the sewer network. Sci Total Environ. 2021 Jul 1;776:145724. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145724
17. Akter S, Banu TA, Goswami B, Osman E, Uzzaman MS, Habib MA, Jahan I, Mahmud ASM, Sarker MMH, Hossain MS, Shamsuzzaman AKM, Nafisa T, Molla MMA, Yeasmin M, Ghosh AK, Al Din SMS, Ray UC, Sajib SA, Hossain M, Khan MS. Coding-Complete Genome Sequences of Three SARS-CoV-2 Strains from Bangladesh. Microbiol Resour Announc. 2020 Sep 24;9(39):e00764-20. doi: 10.1128/MRA.00764-20.
18. Bhattacharya P, Kumar M, Islam MT, Haque R, Chakraborty S, Ahmad A, Niazi NK, Cetecioglu Z, Nilsson D, Ijumulana J, van der Voorn T, Jakariya M, Hossain M, Ahmed F, Rahman M, Akter N, Johnston D, Ahmed KM. Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in Communities Through Wastewater Surveillance- a Potential Approach for Estimation of Disease Burden. Curr Pollut Rep. 2021 Apr 6:1-7. doi: 10.1007/s40726-021-00178-4.
19. Hossain, M., Bhattacharjee, A., Tabassum, T., Rahman, A., Islam, M. (2021). Prevalence and population biology of mastitis-causing Streptococcus uberis using an MLST based approach. Journal of Advanced Biotechnology and Experimental Therapeutics.
20. Hossain M, Tasnim S, Safa A, Rayhan ABH, Khan MTIA, Bulbul N, Sadique A, Ahsan GU, Jime JS. Draft Genome Sequence of Bacillus cereus TN10, a Chromium-Resistant and -Reducing Strain Isolated from Tannery Effluent. Microbiol Resour Announc. 2020 Jul 2;9(27):e00603-20.

Grants Awarded

• Medical Research Council (MRC) UK: A grant of £1.6 million for AI research in discovering new drugs and therapies to tackle antibiotic-resistant infections. The MRC is a UK-based organization dedicated to improving human health through world-class medical research.
• Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) University of Nottingham UK: Two grants, one of 250 thousands GBP for the Cholera Antibiotic Resistance in Bangladesh (CARE) project in 2019-20 and another of 220,000 GBP for fighting COVID-19 in Bangladeshi and Rohingya populations in 2021-22. The GCRF supports cutting-edge research that addresses challenges faced by developing countries.
• GiveWell: Funding of USD 2.94 million for a Randomized Controlled Trial on the Effect of Face Masks on COVID-19, reflecting GiveWell's commitment to supporting high-impact health interventions.
• Wellcome Trust: While the exact funding amount is not specified, a grant was received for"Developing the genomic capacity in 7 federated sites across the country,"in collaboration with several esteemed institutions, indicating a substantial investment in building genomic research infrastructure in Bangladesh.

Existing Collaborations

NGRI in Media 

• Cholera Antibiotic Resistance in Bangladesh (CARE): big data mining and machine learning to improve diagnostics and treatment selection

https://blogs.nottingham.ac.uk/newsroom/2019/12/06/cholera-antibiotic-resistance-in-bangladesh-care-big-data-mining-and-machine-learning-to-improve-diagnostics-and-treatment-selection/

• New £1.6 million research project will use AI to tackle antibiotic resistant infections in a post-pandemic world

https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/news/antibiotic-resistant-infections-in-a-post-pandemic-world

https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/health/219817/ngri-bangladeshi-covid-19-genome-sequence-similar

• Bangladeshi researchers detect rare mutation in spike proteins of SARS-Cov-2

https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/health/235819/bangladeshi-researchers-detect-rare-mutation-in

• Bangladeshi researchers detect toxigenic vibrio cholerae in Dhaka water bodies

https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/health/268302/bangladeshi-researchers-detect-toxigenic-vibrio

Bangladeshi researchers detect Covid-19 in wastewater

https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/health/223635/bangladeshi-researchers-detect-covid-19-in

• NSU Genome Research Institute finds rare mutation of SARS-CoV-2

https://www.newagebd.net/article/127525/nsu-genome-research-institute-finds-rare-mutation-of-sars-cov-2

NGRI Services

Bioinformatics Services Price List

Service charge structure. The bioinformatics service charge will vary by the affiliation of the researcher, application category, and extent of analysis:

Comprehensive data analysis:  statistics analysis, RNA splicing, peak annotation, publication quality visualization, gene function analysis (pathway, gene ontology), motif prediction, miRNA target analysis, genome assembly, etc.  Analysis will billed on a hourly rate.

RNA-seq: differential expression statistics, pathway, gene ontology, splicing, imprinting

ChIP-seq: peak annotation, peak differential comparison, visualization

miRNA-seq: differential expression statistics, target genes, pathways, visualization, other small RNA analysis, novel miRNA prediction, etc

DNA-seq: De novo assembly, genotyping, GWA, 16s rRNA metagenomics, shotgun metagenomics