Biography
Dr. Islam received the Bachelor of Pharmacy (2002-2007) and the Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Technology (2007-2008) from the Department of Pharmacy, University of Asia pacific, Dhaka, Bangladesh. He then received the Master of Medical Science in Medical Biology (2009-2011) from the Department of Health Science, Link”ping University, Link”ping, Sweden. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Medical Science (2011-2016) from the Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. Following his PhD degree, he completed Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. He was also a K99 Fellow (2021-2024) from National Eye Institute of National Institute of Health, USA.
Personal Statement
Dr. Islam is a distinguished researcher in the field of ocular science, specializing in advancing the understanding of visual disorders and developing novel treatments for eye diseases. Through innovative research methodologies and cutting-edge technologies, Dr. Islam aims to uncover new insights into the pathophysiology of the disease conditions and to design targeted and persolanized therapeutic interventions. His contributions are significant in bridging gaps between basic research and clinical application, with the goal of improving diagnostic accuracy and treatment efficacy. By leveraging his expertise in ocular biology and applying it to real-world challenges, Dr. Islam is at the forefront of efforts to enhance vision care and tackle the global burden of visual impairment.
Dr. Islam is focusing on treating ocular diseases through the approaches of regenerative medicine. He is developing cell therapy, drug delivery and tissue engendering methodologies to cure blindness. Cornea is the target organ for his main research interest. The cornea is the outermost part of eye, plays a critical role in vision by focusing and transmitting light to the retina, and protects the eye from external aggressions. According to World Health Organization, 1 billion people throughout the world are visually impaired and one of the major causes of blindness worldwide is corneal disease. Replacement of a diseased cornea with a transplanted donor cornea is the most practiced treatment. However, world-wide, donor corneas are in short supply, resulting in 10 million untreated patients, with 1.5 million additional patients every year. Only 1 donor cornea is available for 70 needed. Moreover, corneal allotransplantation is contraindicated in patients with autoimmune disorders, and severe chemical burns. Donor derived infection is also a major complication. Microbial testing, administration, and transportation of a donor cornea can cost $3,000 USD, which is unaffordable for many in developing nations. So, we need an alternative solution of donor cornea, which is ?Artificial Cornea? for transplantation. Dr. Islam developed artificial corneas to treat severe corneal disease patients. He made the artificial cornea in the Good Manufacturing Practice lab for a multi-center clinical trial. Post transplantation outcomes showed that his new corneal substitute was able to stabilize the diseased human cornea and improve vision.
Areas of Specialty
Regenerative medicine
Tissue engineering
Cell therapy
Drug Delivery
Cornea
Achievements & Awards
1. Earned the right to wear the Communicator ribbon at the ARVO 2018 Annual Meeting for abstract (2018).
2. Karolinska Institute?s travel allowance (2015).
3. Travel Grant under the Sweden-Bangladesh Trust Fund for the academic session from October 01, 2008 to September 30, 2009 (2010).
Key Publications
Journal Article
Islam, Mohammad, Buznyk, O, Reddy, J, C Pasyechnikova, N, Alarcon, E, I Hayes, S, Lewis, P, Fagerholm, P, He, C, Iakymenko, S, Liu, W, Meek, K, M Sangwan, V, S Griffith, M, 2018 Biomaterials-enabled cornea regeneration in patients at high risk for rejection of donor tissue transplantation. NPJ Regenerative medicine, vol. 3
Journal Article
Islam, Mohammad, Ravichandran, R., Olsen, D., Ljunggren, M., K. Fagerholm, Per, Lee, C., J. Griffith, M., Phopase, J., Self-assembled collagen-like-peptide implants as alternatives to human donor corneal transplantation RSC Advances, vol. 6, Issue 61, 55745-55749 http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c6ra08895c
Journal Article
Islam, Mohammad, Saha, Amrita, Trisha, Farzana, Afrose Gonzalez-Andrades, Miguel, Patra, Hirak, K. Griffith, May, Chodosh, James, Rajaiya, Jaya, 2024 An in vitro 3-dimensional Collagen-based Corneal Construct with Innervation Using Human Corneal Cell Lines Ophthalmology Science, vol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.xops.2024.100544
Journal Article
Mirazul Islam, M, C?pla, V, He, C, Edin, J, Rakickas, T, Kobuch, K, Ru?el?, ?, Bruce Jackson, W, Rafat, M, Lohmann, C, P Valiokas, R, Griffith, M, 2015 Functional fabrication of recombinant human collagen-phosphorylcholine hydrogels for regenerative medicine applications. Acta biomaterialia, vol. 12
Book Chapter
Islam, Mohammad, Griffith, M, Merrett, K, 2013 Fabrication of a human recombinant collagen-based corneal substitute using carbodiimide chemistry.
Gender
Male
Languages
- Bengali
- English
Courses Taught
"Ocular Biomaterials" at the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (2023).
University of New Mexico course coordinator for the course ?Practical Research Skills for Medical Students? for the first-year medical students (2024).
Research and Scholarship
Postdoctoral Fellow and K99 Fellow (2017-2024)
Schepens Eye Research Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Supervisor/Mentor: Dr. James Chodosh
Postdoctoral Fellow (2016-2016)
Department of Chemistry, Uppsala University. Supervisor: Dr. J”ns Hilborn
Graduate Research Fellow (2011-2016)
Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
Supervisor: Dr. May Griffith
Dissertation: Multifunctional biomimetic materials for corneal regeneration.
Masters Research Fellow (2009-2011)
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Link”ping University, Link”ping, Sweden. Supervisor: Dr. May Griffith
Bachelors Research Fellow (2005-2007)
Department of Pharmacy, University of Asia pacific, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Supervisor: Dr. Selim Reza