The USTH Department of Medicine and Pharmacy benefits from a modern system of laboratories and research equipment supporting education, pharmaceutical research, and drug development at USTH’s A21 campus within the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) and the USTH Mini Campus in Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park.
A key strength of this infrastructure is its capacity to support multiple stages of pharmaceutical research and development, from synthesis and extraction, formulation and pharmaceutical technology, analytical testing and quality control, to pharmacological, cellular, and preclinical studies. This provides an important platform for students to gain hands-on experience with modern research equipment during their studies and to participate in research projects alongside faculty members.
Laboratory System
1. Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Industry Laboratory
The laboratory is equipped with instruments supporting pharmaceutical formulation and manufacturing process development at laboratory and pilot scales, including spray dryers, high-shear mixer-granulators, rotary tablet presses, single-punch tablet presses, tablet coating systems, high-pressure homogenizers, transepidermal water loss measurement systems, bulk density testers, and other supporting equipment.
The facilities enable students and researchers to access a relatively comprehensive pharmaceutical technology workflow, from formulation development → granulation → tableting → film coating → dosage-form evaluation, as well as research on advanced drug delivery systems and modern pharmaceutical technologies.
2. Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Analysis Laboratory
The laboratory supports medicinal chemistry research and quality control of pharmaceutical raw materials and finished products. Major equipment includes dissolution testing systems; tablet disintegration, hardness, and friability testers; Karl Fischer titrators; polarimeters; melting-point apparatus; viscosity/rheology measurement systems; rotary evaporators; vacuum filtration systems; fume hoods; and analytical and sample-preparation equipment.
Together with access to USTH’s advanced analytical facilities, this infrastructure provides a platform for chemical synthesis and compound characterization, pharmaceutical analysis, quality assessment, and drug development.
3. Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy Laboratory
The laboratory is equipped with systems supporting experimental pharmacology and preclinical research, including in vivo animal imaging systems, metabolic cages, plethysmometry systems, analgesy-meters, non-invasive blood pressure measurement systems, hot/cold plate systems, light/dark boxes, multifunctional microplate readers, refrigerated centrifuges, and tissue-processing systems.
These facilities provide an important foundation for investigating pharmacological effects, mechanisms of action, toxicity, and the efficacy of potential drug candidates in experimental models.
4. Microbiology and Experimental Biology Laboratory
The laboratory infrastructure includes Class II biological safety cabinets, CO₂ incubators, microbiological incubators, autoclaves, shaking and culture systems, and supporting equipment for cellular and microbiological studies.
These facilities support biological activity evaluation, compound screening, cell- and microorganism-based experiments, and other studies related to pharmaceutical research and drug development.
5. Pharmacognosy and Natural Products Laboratory
The laboratory is equipped with Soxhlet extraction systems, ultrasonic extraction systems, essential-oil distillation equipment, SpeedVac vacuum concentrators, grinding and raw-material processing equipment, microscopes, and other sample-preparation instruments.
The facilities support a broad workflow from raw-material processing and extraction to the investigation of the chemical composition and biological activities of natural compounds.
Interdisciplinary Research Infrastructure
Beyond the facilities directly dedicated to pharmaceutical education and research, a distinctive advantage of the Department of Medicine and Pharmacy is its position within the broader USTH–VAST science and technology ecosystem. This environment facilitates shared access to laboratories, advanced analytical instrumentation, and specialized research platforms available across USTH and research institutes under VAST.
This integrated infrastructure enables the Department to connect multiple stages of pharmaceutical research and education:
Medicinal chemistry & drug discovery → Pharmaceutics & pharmaceutical technology → Pharmaceutical analysis & quality control → Pharmacology & experimental biology → Preclinical research
Together, these facilities provide a highly integrated environment for pharmaceutical education, interdisciplinary research, and drug discovery and development.
