Concentration Area: Pharmacology and Biochemistry

The PhD and Master Programs in Pharmacology and Biochemistry (FARMABIO) has a single multidisciplinary area of concentration that includes the knowledge of both pharmacology and biochemistry.

It is worth highlighting the innovative character of this area of concentration not only at UFPA but in the entire northern region, where until the moment of the creation of FARMABIO there was no PhD Program with a curricular structure that aimed at training in Biochemistry and/or Pharmacology. This area of concentration addresses both knowledge in a broad and comprehensive way, allowing a complete training. The combination of pharmacological and biochemical knowledge is purposeful considering the complementary character of the two disciplines. In this way, the generation of biochemical knowledge, especially geared towards oxidative and macromolecule metabolism and the control of enzymatic action, expands pharmacological knowledge about the influence of external substances, as well as basic pharmacological knowledge with an emphasis on target drug interactions. deepens the biochemical knowledge about biomolecules and their mechanisms of molecular, cellular, tissue and systemic transduction. The alumni of FARMABIO will be able to see the living being as a whole, understanding the influence that the main systems and organs have (liver, kidney, heart, etc.) and the chemical dialogue they establish between them to respond to external agents (drugs, nutraceuticals, contaminants, etc.). This view is essential for understanding and developing new solutions in diagnosis and therapy.

LINES OF RESEARCH

1. DIAGNOSIS AND THERAPEUTICS

This line aims to identify and describe the biochemical and pharmacological mediators that modulate the different biological activities of living beings in physiological conditions and in pathological states, together with the response to the action of drugs and nutraceuticals, which can subsidize and pave the knowledge in the identification of targets biological and pharmacological diseases. The development of basic research in clinical biochemistry, on therapeutic and diagnostic targets, research on pharmacokinetic modulation and research to analyze traditional ethnopharmacological knowledge are included in this line. Thus, we seek to cross the border of our knowledge using biochemical-pharmacological knowledge to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and expand ethnobotanical knowledge. In this context, the performance in understanding new therapies and the characteristics of the Amazon, are highlights of this line.

2. OXIDATIVE METABOLISM AND TOXICOLOGY

This line focuses on describing the biochemistry of oxidative metabolism in different biological systems and its modulation by antioxidant agents. It also includes basic and translational research on the exposure of these beings to mining waste, metals with toxic potential, poisons and pesticides, as well as the biochemical and toxicological aspects of drug addiction. Highlights of this line include basic research focusing on problems caused by disasters and environmental interventions in the Amazon, such as in the context of large hydroelectric plants or river drainage projects for mining, and/or in vulnerable populations (children, communities remote, indigenous, drug-dependent, etc.).