Research and Education Center for Pharmacy (Pharmaceutical REC) was established in 2011 under the Federal Program "Development of the Pharmaceutical and Medical Industry of the Russian Federation until 2020 and beyond" and is a key unit of KFU. Currently, the pharmaceutical REC employs more than 70 experts in the fields of chemistry, biology, medicine and veterinary medicine. The main objective of the center is to develop innovative medicines, including the synthesis of pharmaceutical substances and the investigation of their specific activity in vitro, to explore the mechanisms of action, to conduct preclinical studies for safety and efficacy in vivo, as well as the production of finished dosage forms.

There are four departments in the REC: medicinal chemistry, exploratory research, pre-clinical studies, clinical pharmacology and quality control.

In the Department of Medical Chemistry laboratory-scaled synthesis of medicine samples is carried out, lab regulations of pharmaceutical substances production are worked out as well. The composition and structure of the synthesized compounds are determined by the mass spectrometer of ultrahigh resolution AB SCIEX 5600.

The Department of Exploratory Research puts effort to find new samples of drugs and innovative treatments for various human diseases. Screening of drugs samples depends on the basis of their cytotoxicity, specific activity and other biological properties. New models for the screening are being developed and the mechanisms of their action at the molecular and cellular level are studied.

The Department of Preclinical Studies includes cleanrooms for temporary storage of small lab animals with K and D cleanliness classes under the GMP standards, microbiology laboratory with C & D cleanliness classes. These facilities allow turnover of a full cycle of preclinical drug samples according to the international GLP (Good Laboratory Practice) standards. Studies of general toxicity of the compounds (acute, subchronic, chronic toxicity), specific toxicity (carcinogenic, allergenic properties, immunotoxicity), pharmacokinetics (LC / MS / MS of high sensitivity), bioavailability and biodistribution, pharmacological activity tested in mice and rats of SPF- status (free from pathogenic microorganisms) are carried out in strict accordance with the guidelines in the field of preclinical drug compounds in Russia.

Department of Clinical Pharmacology and quality control carries out clinical research under the GLP standards.