Lab Overview
The Genetics and Molecular Biology Research Laboratory is a faculty-led research environment dedicated to experimental work in genetics, molecular biology, nucleic-acid processing, and biomolecular analysis. Located in room A212 at the main building of UNIC Athens, the laboratory is used exclusively for faculty research and supervised final-year student projects, providing a focused setting for advanced experimental training and research development.
The laboratory’s mission is to support rigorous molecular investigation, from biological sample handling and tissue disruption to DNA/RNA extraction, preservation, processing, and downstream analysis. It provides the infrastructure required for students and researchers to engage with the molecular basis of biological function, disease mechanisms, biomarker discovery, genetic variation, and experimental workflows that underpin modern biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences.
For final-year students, the laboratory offers a high-value research experience. Under faculty supervision, students are introduced to the standards of experimental design, sample integrity, molecular technique, data reliability, and laboratory documentation expected in research-intensive environments. This creates a bridge between undergraduate teaching and postgraduate or professional research practice.
Strategically, A212 strengthens the molecular research capacity of UNIC Athens. It supports faculty projects, student-led research outputs, interdisciplinary biomedical work, and the development of research questions that require molecular-level evidence rather than descriptive observation alone.
Research & Innovation Focus
The laboratory enables research and advanced teaching in genetics, molecular biology, nucleic-acid extraction, sample preparation, hybridisation-based workflows, and molecular analysis. It is particularly suited to projects involving DNA and RNA isolation, biological sample processing, tissue disruption, molecular profiling, and the preparation of samples for downstream genomic or transcriptomic investigation.
The presence of automated DNA/RNA extraction capacity is especially important for reproducibility, throughput, and sample-to-sample consistency. This allows the laboratory to support research projects where molecular integrity and standardised extraction workflows are essential. The combination of cold storage, tissue lysis, incubation, hybridisation, and sample agitation capabilities provides a coherent workflow for molecular biology projects from sample reception to prepared molecular material.
The laboratory also supports educational innovation by exposing final-year students to real research conditions. Students learn that molecular biology is defined not only by sophisticated techniques, but by sample quality, contamination control, protocol discipline, experimental planning, and critical interpretation.
Core Capabilities
The Genetics and Molecular Biology Research Laboratory enables:
- Faculty-led molecular biology and genetics research.
- Supervised final-year student research projects in advanced biomedical and molecular science.
- Long-term preservation of biological materials using ultra-low-temperature storage at -80°C.
- Tissue disruption and sample preparation using tissue lysis centrifugation.
- Automated DNA/RNA extraction to improve reproducibility, consistency, and workflow efficiency.
- Incubation, hybridisation, and controlled sample-processing workflows.
- Blood sample handling and mixing using rotary blood agitation.
- Preparation of high-quality nucleic-acid material for downstream molecular analysis.
- Research-grade training in experimental design, sample integrity, contamination control, and molecular workflow documentation.
Collaboration Opportunities
A212 is positioned to support interdisciplinary collaboration in genetics, molecular biology, biomarker-oriented research, biomedical science, pharmacogenomics, disease-mechanism studies, and molecular aspects of translational health research. It can contribute to faculty collaborations, externally funded projects, final-year research pipelines, and early-stage exploratory studies requiring reliable nucleic-acid extraction and molecular sample preparation.
The laboratory is relevant for academic partners, biomedical research groups, biotechnology collaborators, clinical research networks, and EU project consortia seeking a controlled molecular biology environment linked to health sciences education and applied biomedical research.
