LabMut-uerj

about us

For more than 20 years, our laboratory has been analyzing the harmful and biological effects of physical, chemical and biological agents on human and environmental health.

In recent years, Andreia da Silva Fernandes and Carlos Fernando Araujo-Lima, from the Pharmaceutical and Technological Innovation Laboratory (LIFT-UniRio), joined LabMut-UERJ around ​​mutagenesis and environmental toxicology. We are interested in studying the effects of drugs, natural products, foods and environmental pollutants, especially in relation to the damage caused to the structure and function of DNA and its consequences.

The methodologies used by our group allow, among others, to identify and understand the mechanisms related to the interaction of the most diverse materials with DNA in standardized models for the outcome of genotoxicity and mutagenicity recommended by harmonization agencies, such as the OECD. Our laboratory is part of the network of laboratories that participate in the interlaboratory evaluation for the Ames Test, or Salmonella/microsome Assay carried out by Mutagen-Brasil. This is an essential test to determine the mutagenicity of any product intended for human or animal health. In addition, other in vitro assays are recommended as alternative models for the large-scale use of animal experiments, such as the in vitro micronucleus assay with cytokinesis blockade in various eukaryotic cell models and in vitro phototoxicity assays in human keratinocytes.

We also performed antimutagenesis and chemoprotection assays. In our work, we seek to guarantee the safety and effectiveness in the use of new molecules developed in order to allow them to act for their appropriate therapeutic purposes, as pharmaceutical candidates and nanomaterials with medical applications. 

Over the years we have trained qualified human resources for the academic area and the job market.