Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology

The Universidade Paulista (UNIP) counts with efficient administrative infrastructure that gives all support for typing, didactic organization, monitoring of the dissertations deposition deadlines and theses and other bureaucratic activities. The UNIP nowadays has a structure of research laboratories that support post-graduation activities in the level of Master's degree and PhD degree. All projects for dissertation of Master's degree or thesis of PhD degree are of experimental nature. To do so, students count on the following facilities:

Molecular And Cellular Biology Lab - To fully meet the objectives of the Strictu Sensu Post-Graduation (Master's degree, PhD degree and Post-Doctorate) and Graduation program, through Scientific Initiation, the research laboratories have been augmented in a continuous manner, both with regard to its structure, as to its location, based on the project elaborated by the programs’ collegiate. With the purpose of expanding and modernizing these conditions, UNIP allocated, at the time, a sum in the order of US$ 244,000.00 for the construction of Molecular and Cellular Biology Labs. The university hired a specialized technician in Molecular and Cellular Biology, with a PhD. title, to manage the laboratories as well as transferred technicians of basic and medium levels to support research projects. These laboratories, with all necessary equipment, were inaugurated at the end of 2007, in the presence of representatives from CAPES, and are in full operation, receiving students of Scientific Initiation, Master's degree, PhD. degree and Post-Doctorate. The laboratories are suitable for conducting experimental works related with the subjects of dissertation or thesis of post-graduation students, with the research projects of teachers and of their students of scientific initiation. The laboratories of the research center are equipped with furniture, computers connected to the Internet and equipment of precision. There are rooms for the researcher teachers and for the post-graduation and scientific initiation students, all equipped with computers, printers and scanners, so as to facilitate and integrate the work of students and faculty. A NIKON E200 Photomicroscope with Coolpix® camera, a computer equipped with Metamorph® Images Analysis System (acquired with CNPq assistance, value: R$ 14,030.00), a scanning electron microscope JEOL (value: US$ 169,648.95) and a Magpix Model Luminex Reader (value: US$ 67,036.11) are also available in the laboratory, allowing more accurate quantitative analyses of histological images, nanoparticles and dosages of high cytokines sensitivity, as well as of other soluble factors.

Cryopreservation Lab containing Ultra low intelligent Freezer, tank of liquid nitrogen for freezing of samples and of cells for culture, used in in vitro models.

Cell Culture Lab was idealized to support the increase in the number of both students and projects based on in vitro studies, mainly aiming at the current need of insertion of alternative models to decrease the use of experimentation animals. This room has been equipped with centrifuge, incubator, inverted fluorescence microscope and refrigerators to ensure the principles of quality in research. Part of the equipment of this new space was acquired with FAPESP’s assistance (2014/00967-1; values: R$ 14,030.00 and U$ 19,615.00), including a laminar flow, an incubator and an automatic cells counter, and with the FAPESP project (2012/51727-5; values: R$ 10,900) were acquired clusters of micro-insulator chambers for the mice vivarium. This new investment of the university enabled the implementation of new lines of research, aiming to answer important questions of Environmental and Experimental Pathology.

Cytometry Lab created as of 2015, an adjoining room that accommodates the Accuri® flow cytometer, acquired by UNIP (Amount: R$ 72,615.00).

Pathological Anatomy Lab of the UNIP Health Institute counts with all the facilities for studies in optical microscopy such as greenhouses, refrigerators, microtomes, microscope with image analysis and others. In association with this laboratory are being implanted methods and techniques in immunohistochemistry that, in association with the Molecular Biology, will be of great value for the development of diverse projects that require these methodologies. If there is need of use of more advanced and costly techniques such as electron microscopy, confocal microscopy and others, agreements will be established with institutions that have these services, until it is justified to acquire this equipment by UNIP or funding bodies.

Vivarium and Experimentation and Animal Behavior Lab was built in 2009, following the molds of the Model Vivarium SPF (Specific Pathogen Free), in agreement with national and international requirements for maintenance of rats and mice used in experimentation in the areas of immunology, parasitology, microbiology, pathology, toxicology, behavioral and therapeutics analysis. For the implementation of this project, UNIP spent, at the time, approximately US$ 314,000.00 in financial resources. The Vivarium and the Experimentation and Animal Behavior Lab have a room designed to welcome and exit of animals and housing them in TECHNIPLAST® micro-isolators (Reception of Animals); Subdivided room in maintenance Vivarium and manipulation laboratory, destined, respectively, to maintenance and manipulation of mice in experimentation, and three experimentation rooms, destined, respectively, to maintenance and manipulation of rats and mice to be used in behavioral research and two separate spaces intended for surgery and perfusion of animals in experimentation (Surgery and Perfusion Room). Equipment for observation of animal behavior were acquired and installed (video cameras, televisions and Noldus-Observer).
In the year of 2013, with UNIP’s investment and workforce, was carried out an adaptation of a room with inverted light cycle and the installation of air conditioning apparatus for the observation of sexual behavior of mice, in the Experimentation and Animal Behavior Lab. In addition, CCTV systems were installed for observation of animal behavior without the researchers’ presence in the room, which improves the quality of the experiments.
Further expanding the possibilities of research related to the Program, a Vivarium of aquatic organisms was built, between 2014 and 2015, as well as a new laboratory for cells culture and microscopy, allowing the expansion of the capacity of the pre-existing culture laboratory. In addition, in 2015, there was the expansion of the Behavioral Studies Laboratory, with the insertion of two new observation rooms. This expansion also involved the acquisition of two new racks (Amount: R$ 55,376.47), one for rats and another for mice, and also the maintenance of the isolation, air conditioning and autoclave systems of the Vivarium. In order to encourage the insertion of new alternative models for development of in vivo researches, UNIP invested, in 2017, about R$ 25,000.00 for the renovation and readjustment of the aquatic organisms Vivarium, initially with the insertion of the zebrafish model and, in 2018, with the installation of experimental models using artemia salina, with the mutual collaboration of Professor Leoni V. Bonamin and the responsible technician. Aiming at expanding the studies with fish and other aquatic organisms, in particular the zebrafish, the new facilities of the fish Vivarium were built respecting the ethical issues in the creation and the welfare of animals. The current facilities of the fish Vivarium rely on a maintenance room of fish for behavior and environmental toxicity research, a maintenance room of fish carrying diseases and infections, a room for handling and necropsy and a Room for manipulation of Artemias.
Still in 2017, a room for studies of ultrasonic vocalization with soundproofing was suited (CNPq-303701/2014-5, Researcher 1B), in the amount of R$ 5,000.00, in which there was allocated Ultravox software equipment (Noldus Information Technology, Leesburg, VA, USA) with filters and ultrasonic microphones connected to a laptop (CNPq-441580/2014-9, Universal) with values of R$ 2,999.00 and R$ 17,643.63. In 2018, the extension of the acoustic insulation was approved for the maintenance and experimentation rooms, adequacy to be performed in the first semester of 2019.

It also relies on a laboratory that aims at the extraction of active ingredients of plants from the Amazon Region and Atlantic Forest, with therapeutic properties, in experimental models both in vitro and in vivo.

All professors of the course maintain partnerships with other educational and / or research institutions, developing projects together and enabling our Master's degree and Scientific Initiation students to the realization and apprehension of methodologies / techniques carried out at these locations. The information below illustrates this type of activity.

Institutional Partnerships and Covenants

National

Professor: Eduardo Fernandes Bondan

  1. Laboratory / Institution: Transmission Electron Microscopy Laboratory, of the Anatomy Department of the School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Breeding, of Universidade de São Paulo (FMVZ - USP)
  2. Physical Activity and Sports Sciences Institute (ICAFE) - Universidade Cruzeiro do Sul
  3. Neurobiology Laboratory / Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie

Professor: Elizabeth Cristina Pérez Hurtado 

  1. Disciplines of Cell Biology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology - Federal University of São Paulo
  2. Division of Endocrinology Clinic of the Department of Medicine of the Federal University of São Paulo - UNIFESP
  3. Environmental, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Institute of Universidade Federal de São Paulo - Diadema Campus 
  4. Pathophysiology Laboratory, Instituto Butantã 

Professor: Ivana Barbosa Suffredini

  1. Laboratory of LIM-62 Medical Inquiry of the Medicine Faculty of the São Paulo University 
  2. Institute of Education and Research of the Sirio Libanes Hospital
  3. Thomson Laboratory of Universidade de Campinas

Professor: José Guilherme Xavier

  1. Methodist University of São Paulo
  2. Experimental Hematology Laboratory - Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, USP
  3. Faculty of Animal Science and Food Engineering - USP
  4. Faculty of Medicine - USP
  5. Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences - USP
  6. Immunogenetics Laboratory – Instituto Butantã

Professor: Leoni Villano Bonamin 

  1. Lab / Institution: Faculdade de Farmácia da USP. 
  2. Lab / Institution: IHPI – Instituto de Homeopatia e Práticas Integrativas de Ribeirão Preto. 
  3. Lab / Institution: Programa de História da Ciência da PUC-SP.

Professor: Maria Anete Lallo

  1. Laboratory/Institution: School of Veterinary Medicine of Araçatuba UNESP
  2. Instituto Butantã, Pathophysiology Laboratory, for the conduction of transmission electron microscopy 
  3. Immunology Laboratory of the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Universidade Estadual de Araraquara
  4. Cellular Biology and Immunology Subjects of the Microbiology and Immunology Department – Universidade Federal de São Paulo

Professor: Maria Martha Bernardi

  1. Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária da Universidade de São Paulo- FMVZ-USP

Professor: Mario Mariano

  1. Microbiology and Immunology Department of Universidade Federal de São Paulo – UNIFESP

Professor: Paulo Ricardo Rocha Dell'Armelina

  1. Laboratory of Applied Pathology. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science of UNESP of Araçatuba

Professor: Selene Dall' Acqua Coutinho

  1. Instituto IPE 
  2. Laboratório de Micologia do Instituto Adolfo Lutz e Faculdade de Enfermagem da Universidade Federal de Alagoas

Professor: Thiago Berti Kirsten

  1. School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Breeding, Pathology Department, FMVZ-USP
International

Professor: Leoni V. Bonamin

  1. Patologia Generale – Università di Verona – Itália.
  2. Institution: Global Homeopathy Foundation (GHF) – Mumbai – India.
  3. Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine (RLHIM) – London – UK.
  4. Institution: VFK - Verein fuer Krebsforschung – Society for Cancer Research – Arlesheim – Switzerland. Professors: Stephan Baumgarter and Maria Olga Kokornazyck.
  5. Universidade Maimônides – Buenos Aires – Argentina. Professor: Francisco Eizayaga. 
  6. Institution: Bion Institute - Lyubliania, Slovenia. 
  7. Institution: DiagnOx Laboratory, Cherwell Innovation Centre, Upper Heyford, Oxon, United Kingdom 
  8. Institution: Hyland´s Homeopathy – USA

Professor: Selene Dall 'Acqua Coutinho

  1. Mycology Laboratory of the School of Veterinary Medicine of Turin

Professor: Paulo Ricardo Dell’Armelina Rocha

  1. Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Italy
  2. Laboratory/Institution: Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, The Johns Hopkins University

Research aid obtained in progress

Project: Differentiation of B-1 Lymphocytes in Insulin-Producer Cells: Involved Mechanisms and Process Optimization.
Responsible Professor: Prof. Dr. Mario Mariano
Development Agency: FAPESP (Lawsuit No 2017/06733-0) 
Term: from 07/01/2017 to 06/31/2019
Amount: R$ 46,000.00 and USD $ 20,000.00

Project: Modulation of phagocytosis in vitro by homeopathic preparations in a co-culture model with Leishmania (L) amazonensis
Responsible Professor: Prof. Dr. Leoni Villano Bonamin
Organ of Foment: FAPESP
Process: 2014/00967-1
Duration: 2014 to 2016
Value: R$ 70.446,66 + US$ 29 312,66

Project: Possible prevention or treatment of the damage induced by exposure at the beginning of gestation to lipopolysaccharide in an experimental model of autism 
Responsible Professor: Prof. Dr. Thiago Berti Kirsten
Organ of Foment: CAPES 
Process: CAPES (AUXPE nº 1029/2014)
Duration: 23/04/2014 a 23/03/2019
Value: R$ 159.982,02

Project: Use of experimental model of depression in rats induced by lipopolysaccharide in the search for possible treatments 
Professor Responsible: Professor PhD. Thiago Berti Kirsten
Fostering Body: CNPq-Universal (406835/2016-0) 
Duration: from Aug/01/2016 to Aug/01/2019 
Amount: R$ 24,800.00

Project: Influence of the administration of Buchinha-do-Norte on the serum concentration of corticosterone, TNF-α, IL-1, IL-6 and IL-10, testosterone, TGO, TGP and creatinine as indicators of behavioral alterations, on the reproductive system, liver and kidneys of Wistar rats 
Professor Responsible: Professor PhD. Ivana Barbosa Suffredini
Fostering Body: Auxílio à Pesquisa Fapesp #2017/03470-9 
Duration: from 04/2018 to 03/2019