Promotores: Prof.dr. H.S. Overkleeft, Prof.dr. G.A. van der Marel

Twee jonge excellente chemici, Jeroen Codée en Sander van Kasteren, hebben een ECHO subsidie van € 260.000 euro toegekend gekregen door de Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek. Hiermee kunnen hun onderzoeksprojecten van start gaan.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is the substrate used for the introduction of the ubiquitous and highly dynamic PTM in which either one or multiple adenosine diphosphate ribose (ADPr) moieties are covalently attached to a nucleophilic side chain of an specific amino acid in the target protein…

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

The research described in this thesis focused on the use of bioorthogonal antigens to investigate immunological processes in antigen presenting cells. Bioorthogonal antigens are antigenic proteins produced through recombinant expression in a methionine auxotrophic E. coli strain.

De Leidse biotech-startup Azafaros heeft met succes een financieringsronde afgerond waarin 25 miljoen euro aan investeringen zijn toegezegd voor het ontwikkelen van behandelingen van zeldzame metabole aandoeningen. Het bedrijf heeft een exclusieve licentie voor een reeks nieuwe gepatenteerde verbindingen,…

The research described in this Thesis was aimed at designing and synthesizing nature-inspired compounds as part of TB vaccine discovery.

Photocatalysis has emerged as a powerful tool for enabling challenging transformations in organic synthesis. This thesis explores the development of several photocatalytic reactions designed to form carbon-heteroatom bonds from less-functionalized precursors.

Overkleeft

Despite being the second largest transmembrane protein family after GPCRs, the SLC superfamily has only gained significant attention in early drug development over the past decade.

This thesis describes the use of an activity-based proteomics method to study the endocannabinoid system.

Carbohydrates, alongside proteins and nucleic acids, constitute a crucial and versatile family of biomolecules present in all life forms. They manifest as monosaccharides, oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides, covalently bonded to proteins and fats. Carbohydrates are integral to plant and arthropod…

This thesis tackles the urgent challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through the design of novel antibacterial agents.

The primary goal of this research is to deepen our understanding of substrate-enzyme interactions in Glycoside hydrolases. For this purpose, Bacillus circulans xylanase (BcX) has been selected as a well-established model to examine the Michaelis complex and glycosyl-enzyme adduct.

Promotores: H.S. Overkleeft; G.A. van der Marel Co-Promotor: B.I. Florea

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

Carbohydrates, or sugars, are the most diverse and most abundant biomolecules known. However, the isolation of carbohydrate samples in sufficient amounts and purity is often impractical or even impossible, so the chemical synthesis of glycosides becomes relevant. The glycosylation reaction, in which…

In this dissertation, the synthesis and characterization of a series of iron complexes based on different ligand platforms are described.

Promotor: A. Kros

Phospholipase A/acyltransferase 3 (PLAAT3) and PLAAT4 are enzymes involved in the synthesis of bioactive lipids. Despite sequential and structural similarities, the two enzymes differ in activity and specificity.

This thesis describes the development and optimization of the first molecular tools to study the enzyme PLA2G4E.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens, a gram-negative plant pathogen belonging to the family Rhizobiaceae, is the causative agent of crown gall disease, which can affect many plant species including agronomically important ones.

Promotor: G.A. van der Marel, Co-promotor: J.D.C. Codée

Promotores: Prof.dr. A.G.G.M. Tielens, Prof.dr. L. Kaper (UvA)

Drug development is a time- and resource-consuming process that starts with the discovery and validation of a (protein) target that contributes to pathogenesis or disease progression.

This thesis investigates reactive interfaces in surface science across three domains: heterogeneous catalysis, environmental nanoplastics, and two-dimensional materials.

This thesis focuses on the social dimensions of crane and wetland conservation in rural landscapes in Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

Due to their central physiological roles in living organisms, retaining beta-glycosidases have been the subject of tremendous research efforts to examine their structure/function relation using numerous biophysical and biochemical approaches.

Catalysis is of extreme relevance in the production of everyday materials and plays a central role in many aspects of our life.

Phosphorylation affects all four major biomolecules – proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and nucleic acids – and plays a pivotal role in the most fundamental cellular functions.

Humanity stands at a pivotal juncture, facing the dual challenge of environmental sustainability and rapid population growth, projected to exceed 11 billion by century’s end.

Lysosomal glycosidases are acid hydrolases that fragment glycoconjugates in lysosomes.

Promotors: Prof.dr. P.J. Punt, Prof.dr. C.A.M.J.J. van den Hondel

Self-assembly is an abundant process in nature and is vital to many processes in living organisms.

Promotor: Prof.dr. A. P. IJzerman, Co-Promotor: L.H. Heitman

Natural vanilla flavor is one of the most important in the world. However, the cost of this flavor is expensive. Production of this flavor by alternative methods, could reduce the cost.

One of the main challenges in the development of an effective anti-cancer vaccine is the generation of an adequate and directed cellular immune response.

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.

The growing demand of energy indicates that global energy resources in the form of fossil fuels will not be sufficient in the future. In order to solve potential future energy problems development of a sustainable hydrogen economy is highly desirable.

This thesis investigates innovative and classical strategies in glycoconjugate vaccine development to address the growing threat of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections.

In the emerging field of small-molecule RNA targeting, there is a growing demand for new high-throughput screening methods.

Tijdens de jaarlijkse Wetenschappelijke Dag van de Sectie Farmacochemie van de KNCV in Weesp werd de Nederlandse Farmacochemieprijs uitgereikt aan Dr. Tom Wennekes, voor zijn proefschrift, getiteld: ‘Lipophilic iminosugars: synthesis and evaluation as inhibitors of glucosylceramide metabolism’.

Deze week in Nature Chemistry & Biology: onderzoekers van de Universiteit Leiden en het AMC hebben een methode ontwikkeld om het enzym GBA1 zichtbaar te maken in levende cellen. Patiënten met de ziekte van Gaucher hebben een tekort aan dit enzym.

Wetenschappers van de Universiteit Leiden hebben een doorbraak bereikt in de bestudering van de erfelijke stofwisselingsziekte van Pompe. Samen met hun Yorkse collega’s ontwierpen zij een molecuul dat zich bindt aan het enzym dat aan de basis staat van het ziekteverloop. De bevindingen zijn gepubliceerd…

Biologisch chemicus Nathaniel Martin gaat een alternatief antibioticum testen dat veel voorkomende resistente bacteriën zoals de ziekenhuisbacterie kan bestrijden. Hij ontvangt hiervoor 350.000 euro uit het NACTAR-programma van NWO. ‘We willen weten hoe veilig en hoe werkzaam ons antibioticum is in…

In surface science there is great effort to move from studying simple, flat model surfaces in vacuum to investigating more complex model catalysts in gas environments (in situ). This thesis gives three examples of such studies using microscopy and spectroscopy.

Promotor: A.P. IJzerman

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is an important bulk chemical that is used in various industrial processes. More than 95% of the H2O2 used in industry is made via the anthraquinone process during which a large amount of energy is going to waste.

Promotor: A.P. IJzerman