Five specialist units. One integrated platform.
Each unit operates with dedicated instrumentation and expert staff while sharing infrastructure, data systems, and interdisciplinary expertise — enabling project scopes no single-domain laboratory can match.
Agri-Biotechnology Testing Unit
The Agri-Biotechnology Testing Unit serves as AIMS-PAGE's primary interface with the agricultural sector, offering a comprehensive analytical platform that spans from soil ecology to harvest-ready commodity safety. Our work addresses critical challenges in modern food production: ensuring seed purity, detecting emerging crop pathogens before they spread, verifying compliance with GMO regulations, and quantifying pesticide burdens in the food chain. Working closely with regulatory bodies, farming enterprises, and agri-input suppliers, this unit translates complex molecular data into decisions that protect both yield and public health. A dedicated mycotoxin programme covers the full analytical workflow from field sampling through LC-MS/MS confirmation, supporting export certification and domestic food safety standards.
Key Capabilities
- Molecular identification of fungal, bacterial, and viral crop pathogens
- Quantitative GMO detection by digital droplet PCR (ddPCR)
- Multi-residue pesticide panels — 200+ compounds by GC-MS/MS and LC-MS/MS
- Aflatoxin, ochratoxin, and fumonisins by LC-MS/MS
- Soil health index: nematode profiling, nitrogen-cycle gene quantification
- Bio-stimulant and biofertiliser efficacy trials under controlled conditions
- Seed pathology: blotter, freeze-blotter, and embryo-count methods
Bio-Pharma Testing Unit
Biopharmaceutical Research and Development Unit provides integrated services in drug discovery, formulation, development, and analytical characterization of pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, herbal, cosmetic, and nutraceutical products. The unit specializes in formulation optimization, stability testing, quality evaluation, and bioanalytical method development using advanced platforms such as HPLC, FPLC, UV–Visible Spectrophotometry, FTIR, and DSC. It also conducts in vitro and in vivo pharmacological studies, protein purification, biomolecule characterization, and research in biologics, vaccines, and targeted drug delivery. By supporting preclinical evaluation and regulatory compliance, the unit advances the development of safe, effective, and high-quality healthcare products.
Key Capabilities
- HPLC / UHPLC-UV and fluorescence for assay and purity
- LC-MS/MS for trace impurity profiling and metabolite identification
- Compendial and bio-relevant dissolution (USP, BP, Ph.Eur.)
- Bacterial endotoxin testing (LAL: gel-clot, turbidimetric, chromogenic)
- 14-day sterility testing with isolator technology
- ICH stability: accelerated, intermediate, and long-term chambers
- Biological potency assays: ELISA, cell-based neutralisation, SPR
Bioequivalence & Pharmacokinetics Unit
The Bioequivalence & Pharmacokinetics Unit supports pharmaceutical development through rigorous study design, bioanalytical quantification, and statistical evaluation of drug exposure. The unit designs and executes bioequivalence and pharmacokinetic protocols, from sample collection and processing through validated HPLC and LC-MS/MS assays. Core deliverables include Cmax, Tmax, AUC, half-life, and elimination-rate analysis, comparative bioavailability assessment, IVIVC, and biodistribution studies — including tissue accumulation and nanoparticle distribution. Preclinical PK programmes and formal bioequivalence statistics help partners generate regulatory-ready evidence of product performance and safety.
Key Capabilities
- Bioequivalence and pharmacokinetic study design and protocol development
- Bioanalytical method development and validation (HPLC / LC-MS/MS)
- PK parameter analysis: Cmax, Tmax, AUC, t½, Kel
- Comparative bioavailability and IVIVC studies
- Biodistribution, tissue accumulation, and nanoparticle distribution studies
- Preclinical pharmacokinetic studies
- Statistical analysis and bioequivalence evaluation
Environmental & Toxicology Testing Unit
The Environmental & Toxicology Testing Unit addresses the growing need for authoritative environmental monitoring data in the face of accelerating industrialisation and climate disruption. The unit operates a network of sample-collection protocols for water (potable, surface, groundwater, effluent), soil, sediment, and ambient air, backed by accredited analytical methods for over 150 regulated parameters. Beyond routine compliance testing, the unit conducts ecotoxicological investigations — bioassays using Daphnia, algae, and earthworm models — to assess the sub-lethal impacts of industrial discharges and agricultural runoff. A dedicated persistent organic pollutants (POPs) programme employs high-resolution GC-HRMS to detect legacy contaminants and emerging chemical threats at ultra-trace levels relevant to regulatory trigger values.
Key Capabilities
- ICP-MS for 40+ trace metals in water, soil, and biota
- GC-HRMS for POPs: PCBs, dioxins, furans, PFAS
- Microbiological water quality: total coliforms, E. coli, Enterococci
- LC-MS/MS pesticide and pharmaceutical residues in environmental matrices
- Acute and chronic bioassays (Daphnia magna, Raphidocelis, Eisenia fetida)
- Particulate matter (PM2.5 / PM10) gravimetric and chemical speciation
- EIA support: baseline surveys, impact modelling, mitigation tracking
Cell Culture & Genetic Engineering Unit
The Cell Culture & Genetic Engineering Unit represents AIMS-PAGE's most advanced translational research capability, bridging fundamental cell biology with applied biotechnology and next-generation therapeutic development. The unit houses BSL-2-rated primary and established cell-culture facilities equipped for mammalian, insect, and plant cell systems. Gene-editing services — anchored by an optimised CRISPR/Cas9 workflow validated across multiple cell types — are supported by molecular confirmation (Sanger, next-generation sequencing) and functional phenotyping. The unit collaborates with pharmaceutical and agricultural clients to produce recombinant proteins, validate biosimilar candidates, and develop model systems for toxicology screening, reducing reliance on animal models and accelerating compound triage.
Key Capabilities
- BSL-2 mammalian cell culture: HEK293, CHO, HeLa, primary cultures
- CRISPR/Cas9 knock-out, knock-in, and base-editing services
- Lentiviral and adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector production
- Recombinant protein expression: bacterial, yeast, and baculovirus systems
- Multiparameter flow cytometry (16-colour capable)
- 3-D spheroid and organoid culture for drug efficacy studies
- Cytotoxicity panel: MTT, LDH, Annexin V / PI apoptosis
Nano Formulation & Characterisation Unit
The Nano Formulation & Characterisation Unit addresses the frontiers of drug delivery and nanotechnology, helping partners formulate, optimize, and characterize nanostructured materials. From lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) and liposomes to polymeric nanoparticles and nano-emulsions, we provide robust analytical workflows to assess stability, morphology, and release kinetics. The unit specializes in Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA) for direct size distribution and zeta potential measurements. In addition, we design custom encapsulation studies to optimize the loading and release profiles of sensitive biomolecules, ensuring their therapeutic efficiency.
Key Capabilities
- Particle size distribution and zeta potential analysis (DLS)
- Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA) for colloidal suspensions
- Encapsulation efficiency and drug loading profiling of nano-carriers
- In vitro release profiling and membrane diffusion studies
- Stability studies for colloidal and nano-suspensions (ICH-aligned)
Bioinformatics Unit
The Bioinformatics Unit provides the computational backbone for AIMS-PAGE's sequencing-intensive research programmes and offers standalone data-analysis services to external clients generating high-throughput omics data. AIMS-PAGE provides advanced in silico drug design and computational biology services to support modern pharmaceutical and biomedical research. The unit specializes in DNA/RNA sequence analysis, protein structure prediction, molecular docking, virtual screening, and ADMET profiling for drug discovery applications. Using Python/R-based bioinformatics tools, automation pipelines, and machine learning approaches, the facility enables biomarker discovery, disease prediction, and biological network analysis. Our services are designed to accelerate rational drug design, reduce experimental cost, and support innovative, data-driven therapeutic development
Key Capabilities
- Short-read (Illumina) WGS: assembly, annotation, SNP/indel calling
- Long-read (ONT) assembly and structural variant detection
- 16S/ITS/18S amplicon diversity analysis (QIIME 2, DADA2)
- Differential expression: DESeq2, edgeR, limma-voom
- Pathway and gene-ontology enrichment (GSEA, clusterProfiler)
- Molecular phylogenetics: IQ-TREE, BEAST, RAxML
- Custom Snakemake / Nextflow pipeline development and containerisation
Clinical Diagnostics Unit
The Clinical Diagnostics Unit offers state-of-the-art molecular diagnostic testing services, focusing on high-accuracy pathogen identification, genetic screening, and biomarker profiling. Utilizing advanced real-time PCR, DNA sequencing, and multiplex immunological profiling, the unit delivers trace-level detection of viral, bacterial, and fungal agents. Working under strict quality standards, we support clinical trials, epidemiological studies, and specialized screening applications, providing the molecular precision needed for early detection and therapeutic monitoring.
Key Capabilities
- Multiplex real-time PCR for rapid pathogen detection panels
- Genetic predisposition testing and mutation profiling (Sanger / NGS)
- Serological profiling and biomarker quantification (ELISA / multiplex)
- Molecular assay design, validation, and optimization
- High-throughput screening platforms with certified quality assurance