Banu Seitzhaparova

Winners of the research internship program of the Shakhmardan Yessenov Foundation usually choose for training universities in The US or Western Europe. Banu suddenly chose Poland. Why a student of Asfendiyarov KazNMU, a young promising pharmacist from Aktobe made such a choice and what she managed to achieve there?

Banu was looking for an internship in which she would have the opportunity to work with a Professor on a topic of interest to her (amino acids as active substances in medicines). While there was a search for “the lab”, the University was visited by the Dean of the faculty of pharmacy and pharmaceutical analysis University of Lublin Anna Malm. Banu met with her, discussed the details, and… received an invitation from this University for an internship.

Banu, specialty pharmacist you decided to study in the last grade of school or decided even earlier?
In the 8th grade we began to study chemistry, and this subject is very interested me. I started to write scientific projects and participate in competitions. And once I became convinced of the effectiveness of a drug: one little pill took a sharp pain. Then I decided that my future will be connected with the profession of pharmacist.

What did you do in the Polish laboratory?
Studied and was engaged in improvement of technology of production of amino acids. Where did this topic come from? Amino acids guarantee a systematic flow of vital substances into the body. It is scientifically proven that they can help in the treatment of many diseases. For the study, I chose two plants collected in zayli Alatau. They have been little studied, and I decided that I will be able to fill the gap. I found 6 out of 20 essential amino acids in plants. At the University, I was able to see the mechanical part of the production, as well as the biological processes that occur in the body after taking medicines. In the laboratory, studied how to get amino acids. Now I am conducting experiments to determine the dosage form of amino acids, depending on their effects on the body: as vitamins or as supplements to the main components of drugs.

Was it possible to improve the technology of obtaining amino acids?
At the moment we are at the stage of development, so the exact answer can not yet be given.  For example, in the laboratory, we used several methods of extraction and the fastest and most effective was gas chromatography, it was carried out on the apparatus Shimadzu 17A. One of the most impressive was the discovery of antitumor activity of my extracts. We plan to reflect the results of our work in our joint scientific article with professors of the University of Lublin.

What interesting things have you seen in Poland?
I met a lot of interesting people, including our students. Since I trained in different departments, each week started with meeting new professors. Poles are very open to communication and tolerant. I also liked the country: I saw Warsaw, Lublin, Krakow and Wroclaw. And at the end of the internship visited Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands. Especially liked Amsterdam.

What’s next, Banu?
The internship helped me develop my interest in pharmaceuticals and see where to develop further. I finish the 3rd year and plan to enter the master’s program in a year. At the moment, I pass training in the international pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline. I want to be the one to do something more.  I really believe that I will be able to develop and implement my pharmaceutical project soon.