Dr. Muhammad Tayyab Akhtar is a bioscientist and natural products researcher with over 15 years of expertise in phytochemistry, metabolomics, and plant-based drug discovery. He holds a PhD in Biosciences and Biotechnology from Leiden University, he has significantly contributed to the fields of plant metabolomics, natural product chemistry, and zebrafish-based bioassays. Dr. Akhtar’s research spans cannabinoid chemistry, plant responses to environmental and genetic variation, food authentication, natural product pharmacology, and the development of sustainable plant-based solutions for health and agriculture. He has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications, and has supervised over 60 students across PhD, MPhil, and undergraduate levels. His international research experience includes a four-year postdoctoral appointment at University Putra Malaysia, where he established advanced metabolomics workflows, designed a zebrafish bioassay laboratory, and contributed to several competitive research grants. He has presented his work at numerous international conferences in Europe, the United States, and Asia, and has served as a facilitator, reviewer, and academic program designer at various institutions. Dr. Akhtar is also actively engaged in innovation and commercialization initiatives, serves on multiple Boards of Studies, and maintains strong national and international research collaborations aimed at advancing natural product research and agricultural sustainability.
| Siti Nazirah, Muhammad Tayyab Akhtar, Maula Diani, Khozirah Shaari (2017). "Discriminative analysis of different grades of Gaharu (Aquilaria malaccensis Lmak.) H- NMR based metabolomics using PLS-DA and random forests classification models." Molecules, , . | |
| Ramesh Kumar Santhanam, Muhammad Tayyab Akhtar, Faridah Abas, Intan Safinar Ismail1, and Khozirah Shaari (2017). "Inhibition of UVB-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines and MMP expresiion by Zanthoxylum rhetsa bark extract and its active constituent hesperidin." Phytotherapy Research, , . | |
| Muhammad Fraz Hussain, Hye Kyong Kim, Huub J.M. Linthorst, Muhammad TayyabAkhtar (2017). "Overexpression of ATWRKY50 correlated with enhanced production of sinapicderivatives in Arabidopsis." Metabolomics, , . | |
| Ramesh Kumar Santhanam, Muhammad Tayyab Akhtar Syahida Ahmad, Faridah Abas, Intan Safinar Ismail1, Yaya Rukayadi1, and Khozirah Shaari (2017). "Utilization of ethyl acetate fraction of Zanthoxylum rhetsa bark extract as an active ingredient in natural sunscreen formlations." Industrial Crops and Products, , . | |
| Muhammad T. Akhtar, Mohamad S. Bin Mohd Sarib, Intan S. Ismail, Faridah Abas, Khozirah Shaari (2016). "Anti-Diabetic Activity and Metabolic Changes Induced by Andrographis paniculata Plant Extract in Obese Diabetic Rats." Molecules, , . | |
| 3. Muhammad T. Akhtar, Khozirah Shaari, Robert Verpoorte (2016). "Biotransformation of Tetrahydrocannabinol." Phytochemistry review, , . | |
| Muhammad T. Akhtar, Mian Yahya Mushtaq, Robert Verpoorte, Michael K. Richardsonand Young Hae Choi (2016). "Metabolic effects of cannabinoids in zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo determined by 1H NMR metabolomics." Journal of Metabolomics, , . | |
| 4. Muhammad T. Akhtar, Mian Yahya Mushtaq, Robert Verpoorte, Michael K. Richardson and Young Hae Choi (2016). "Zebrafish as a model for systems medicine R&D: Rethinking the metabolic effects of carrier solvents and culture buffers determined by 1H NMR metabolomics." OMICS: A Journal of Integrative Biology, , . | |
| Muhammad T. Akhtar, Natali Rianika Mustafa, Robert Verpoorte (2015). "Hydroxylation and glycosylation of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol by Catharanthus roseus cell suspension culture." Biocatalysis and Biotransformation, , . | |
| Akhtar MT, Ali S, Rashidi H, Van der Kooy F, Verpoorte R, Richardson MK (2013). "Developmental effects of cannabinoids on zebrafish larvae." Journal of Zebrafish, , . | |
| Rashidi H, Akhtar MT, Kooy FDR, Verpoorte R, Duetz. WA (2009). "Hydroxylation and Further Oxidation of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol by Alkane-Degrading Bacteria." Applied Environmental Microbiology, , . |
| Title | Role | Funded by | Amount | Year | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phytochemical analysis of cannabis varieties available in Pakistan | Principal Investigator | HEC | 4300000.00 | 2025 | Ongoing | |
| Transcriptomics, metabolomics, and mutagenesis of Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni) PC1 variety: towards the development of new stevia varieties suitable for cultivation in Malaysia | Team Member | University Putra Malaysia | 19277027.00 | 2018 | Completed | |
| Elucidating the anti neuroinflammatory effect of Clinacanthus nutans on LPS induced neurotoxicity in BV2 cells and rat. Niche Research Grant Scheme (NRGS). Completed | Team Member | Malaysian Ministry of Education (Niche Research Grant Scheme) | 17988300.00 | 2016 | Completed | |
| Elucidating the anti-depressive effects of Centella asiatica and Nigella sativa on reserpine-induce depression-like zebrafish model via multi-platform metabolomics approach | Team Member | Malaysian Ministry of Education (Fundamental Research Grant Scheme) | 4875090.00 | 2016 | Completed | |
| Microalgae for sustainable aquaculture health | Team Member | Malaysian Ministry of Education, Japan International Cooperation Agency and Japan Science and Technology Agency(SATREPS-COSMOS) | 43455000.00 | 2001 | Completed |
| Overseas scholarship MPhil leading to PhD (2007), HEC. |
| Zain Aabideen (2020), Ph.D.. Thesis: "Anti-obesity attributes and metabolite profiling to identify active constituents of promising medicinal floa from azad jammu and Kashmir Pakistan" (Completed) | |
| Waseem Abbas (2019), MS/MPhil. Thesis: "Efficacy of various COVID-19 vaccines for the production of neutralizing antibodies" (Completed) | |
| Syed Faizan Ahmed (2018), MS/MPhil. Thesis: "NMR based metabolite profiling and different biological activities of Cassia Senna" (Completed) | |
| Muhammad Ahtsham (2018), MS/MPhil. Thesis: "Cloning and expression of Bacillus thuringiensis insecticidak cry1la12 gene in E.coli" (Completed) | |
| Anam Amin Shami (2017), MS/MPhil. Thesis: "Metabolic analysis of insect resistant and wild type cotton plant by using NMR spectroscopy" (Completed) | |
| Muneeba Sammar (2017), MS/MPhil. Thesis: "1H-NMR based metabolomics of various meats" (Completed) | |
| Syed Jawad Haider (2017), BS. Thesis: "NMR-based metabolite profiling and anti-cancer activity of Cannabis plant available in Pakistan" (Completed) | |
| Oneeb Ahmad (2017), BS. Thesis: "A review on the therapeutic doses of cannabinoids for medical applications" (Completed) | |
| Muhammad Abdul Samad (2017), BS. Thesis: "Chemical Characterization and Anti-cancer Potential of Canabis sativa" (Completed) | |
| Sidra Riaz (2016), BS. Thesis: "Isolation and quantification of Cannabinoids" (Completed) | |
| Tasbeeha Marjan (2015), BS. Thesis: "Antimicrobial activity and metabolic profiling of cannabis essential oil" (Completed) | |
| Satwant Singh (2015), BS. Thesis: "Internship Supervisor" (Completed) | |
| Rabail Rana (2015), BS. Thesis: "Internship" (Completed) | |
| Naureen Ahsan (2015), BS. Thesis: "Internship" (Completed) |
