On October 16, 2023, a team from the Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) visited the Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology (CEMB) and evaluated two projects that were funded by PHEC. The team members gave positive feedback on both projects.

The first project, led by Dr. Abdul Qayyum and Dr. Ahmad Ali Shahid, focused on the genetic modification of aloe vera using human serum albumin to improve its cosmetic impact on human skin. The project received funding of 5 million Pakistani rupees from PHEC and successfully produced transgenic aloe vera plants with a high concentration of human serum albumin. This breakthrough will lead to the commercialization of aloe vera that expresses human serum albumin, which will revolutionize the skin care product industry. The PHEC project evaluating team praised the project's outcome, stating that human serum albumin is costly in the market, and this research outcome will make it possible to have an alternative, cheap, and natural product.

The second project, led by Dr. Bushra Ijaz, received funding worth 8 million PKR from PHEC. The project focused on “Generation of SARS-COV-2 spike and protease cell culture system screening of medicinal plants, plant-based compounds and molecular basis of interaction with host”. The project's completion resulted in the identification of six indigenous plants and nine plant-based compounds with anti-SARS-CoV-2 potential. The team members appreciated the efforts put into successfully achieving the project's objectives and said that it would help identify cost-effective and cytotoxic-free compounds from plant sources as an alternative medicine.

Overall, the successful completion of these two projects is a significant achievement for CEMB and PHEC. The breakthroughs made in these projects will have a positive impact on the development of alternative anti-SARS-CoV-2 medicines and the skin care product industry.