AI kan in de toekomst helpen om medicijnen sneller op de markt te krijgen. Dat legt Gerard van Westen uit in de radiouitzending van EenVandaag van 20 juni. Het proces om medicijnen te ontwikkelen duurt lang en is kostbaar. Heel zinvol dus als AI een voorselectie van kansrijke medicijnen kan maken.

Image-Pro Plus, ImageJ, Cell Profiler, R, Knime en NIS-elements

De keten die patiënten voorziet van nieuwe medicijnen, bestaat uit diverse complexe schakels: van fundamentele wetenschap, tot klinische tests, tot productie. Deze hele keten is aanwezig in Leiden. De Universiteit Leiden, het Leids Universitair Medisch Centrum (LUMC) en de bedrijven op het Leiden Bio…

Large parts of the research described in this Thesis aims at the development of oligopeptide-masked toxins and their in situ immunoproteasome-mediated activation.

This thesis seeks to investigate how cancer-associated mutations affect the pharmacological properties of selected GPCRs—primarily A2AAR and 5-HT2CR—through a combination of ligand binding assays, signaling readouts, kinetic profiling, and cellular functional assays.

In this work, we illustrate unconventional approaches towards the fabrication of edge functionalized graphene nanostructures and bidimensional architectures in polymeric and metallic supports, with an outlook towards molecular sensing devices.

Integrins play an essential role in multicellular life by connecting cells to the extracellular matrix.

Image segmentation is a fundamental task in computer vision, with applications ranging from medical diagnostics to archaeological research.

Promotors: W. Jiskoot; G.J. Witkamp, Co-promotor: M.R. Nejadnik

Endothelial dysfunction and microvascular diseases are key drivers of cardiovascular disease, the world's leading cause of death.

The overarching goal of this thesis is to set the foundations, but also make the first essential steps towards establishing a comprehensive, mesoscopic, hydrodynamic theory of epithelial tissues. The stage is set by an exhaustive study of topological defects in passive p-atic liquid crystals, singularities…

Drug development is hampered by the limited predictive value of conventional 2D culture systems, which fail to recapitulate the complexity of the disease microenvironment and contribute to high clinical attrition rates.

Less than 1 in 10 drug candidates that enter phase 1 clinical trials actually gets approved for human use.

In previous studies at our laboratory it was demonstrated that drug exposure of HepG2 cells can lead to an altered TNFα-induced NF-κB oscillatory phenotype, concurrent with a synergistically increased sensitivity for TNFα-induced apoptosis.

In this thesis, we focus on novel proteins/mechanisms that regulate integrin-adhesion mediated mechano-transduction.

Pericytes, the mural cells of blood microvessels, are important regulators of vascular morphogenesis and function that have been postulated to mechanically control microvascular diameter through as yet unknown mechanisms.

Promotores: H.S. Overkleeft, G.A. van der Marel, Co-Promotor: R.G. Boot

During the development of the (human) body from a single fertilized egg, organs and structures must form. The development and growth of biological forms is called morphogenesis.

Promotor: H.S. Overkleeft, Co-promotor: M. van der Stelt

Metal complexes and 2D materials like graphene were combined to produce structures that can function as sensors.

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa is a Gram-negative bacterium which can form biofilms, increasing its resistance against antibiotics and the host immune system. Polysaccharides are an integral part of this biofilm, one of these polysaccharides is called Psl. PslG is a glycosidase, able to cleave this polysaccharide,…

The adenosine receptors are proteins that reside in the extracellular membranes of cells. Activation of adenosine receptors plays a role in many physiological and pathological processes, such as immune responses and cancers.

Understanding how chemical complexity emerges during star formation requires connecting molecular material preserved in interstellar ices with that observed in the gas phase after protostellar heating begins.

Het chemische biologie-onderzoek bij het Leids Instituut voor Chemisch Onderzoek (LIC) is gericht op het begrijpen van biologische processen op moleculair niveau, om zo onze kennis te vergroten over gezondheid en ziekte van de mens.

In human cells, a meter-long DNA is condensed inside a micrometer-sized cell nucleus. Simultaneously, the genetic code must remain accessible for its replication and transcription to functional proteins.

The molecular mechanisms that instigate a healthy cell to become malignant are fueled by (epi)genetic alterations in so-called driver genes.

Kinase inhibitors are key therapeutic agents, particularly in oncology, yet their clinical efficacy is often hampered by off-target effects and limited understanding of their cellular target profiles.

Promotor: Roeland M.H. Merks

Drug induced organ toxicity is the main problem of the drug development and drug usage in the clinic. The liver and kidneys are the most sensitive organs towards drug induced toxicity.

The function of TLRs in innate immunity has aroused worldwide attention soon after its discovery. Because of the broad functions of TLR2 in innate immunity, the drive for the development of TLR2-targeted vaccines or therapeutic treatments has accelerated in the last decades.

Promotores: Prof.dr. H. van Veen & Prof.dr. W. de Boer (Wageningen University)

The applications of studying the early development of insects range from agriculture to material science.

The investigations described in this thesis lay out strategies aimed at advancing antibiotic research and development. The examples presented revolve around two main approaches: understanding drug-target interactions and target identification.