PPG FARMABIO currently includes 11 laboratories and a biomedical research center, all equipped and available for the development of the program's research lines. These laboratories are furnished with the necessary equipment for a wide range of activities, such as biological assessments in the areas of behavior and inflammation, quantification of biochemical biomarkers of aquatic pollution, general biochemical analyses, analysis of inborn errors of metabolism, investigation of biochemical and pharmacological changes in living organisms under physiological conditions or due to disease or substance exposure, and pharmacological and toxicological evaluations of natural compounds.
In addition, the program has several laboratory rooms equipped for research activities in collaboration with the private sector at UFPA’s Technological Park. These include facilities for sample preparation; physicochemical analyses; microbiological testing; plant biotechnology and molecular biology; chromatographic and spectrometric analyses; sensory analyses; and bioprocesses.
The facilities also include four animal housing units for experimentation with rodents (mice and rats), properly licensed and maintained. One of these is a multi-user facility directly managed by PPG FARMABIO and is equipped for behavioral and metabolic testing (e.g., open field, metabolic cages, forced swim test, water maze (Morris test), inclined plane, pole test, automated image recording and analysis, rotarod, among others). Some laboratories also feature seminar rooms that accommodate up to fifteen people, equipped with computers and projectors.
The program further includes dedicated spaces for various types of analysis related to its research lines, equipped for the collection, processing, and storage of biological samples for tissue or biochemical evaluation (e.g., ultrafreezers, fume hoods, precision balances, sonicators, ultrasonic baths, cryostats). It also supports genetic analysis (PCR systems), molecular biology (electrophoresis and blotting systems, digital image capture systems), general biochemical assessments (spectrophotometry and fluorimetry), electrophysiological measurements (patch-clamp, Faraday cage, oscilloscope, acquisition plates), and primary and secondary cell culture (incubators, autoclaves, laminar flow hoods).
PPG FARMABIO also has a specialized laboratory dedicated to the diagnosis of metabolic diseases. Among the medium and large-scale equipment available are ultrafreezers, fluorescence microscopes with image capture systems, flow cytometer, ELISA reader and plate washer, liquid scintillation counter (for handling radioisotopes), inverted fluorescence microscope with calcium imaging system, fluorimeters, refrigerated centrifuges and microcentrifuges, and cryostats. Additionally, the program has access to a Multiuser Laboratory equipped with high-end microscopy (TEM and confocal microscope) and accessible structural and technical support for research groups.