Health and Drugs

The 21st century is the century of the Life Sciences. As the global population ages, and requires more and more healthcare, this field is becoming increasingly important. At the Faculty of Science, we have excellent researchers in the Life Sciences who are approaching the topic from the following angles:

• Drug development
• Production of therapeutic proteins
• Drug targeting and drug delivery
• Side effects and epidemiology

Drug development

The Faculty of Science is involved in developing new drugs that will target a number of areas of health, including:

• The development of new antibiotics, such as antibiotics consisting of peptides and antibiotics with specific sugar groups;
• Therapeutic llama antibodies, which may be useful in the long term for fighting cancer, blood poisoning and other sicknesses;
• The development of new vaccines to tackle conditions such as meningitis;
• Immunological research into chronic inflammation illnesses that affect the intestines and respiratory organs, including a focus on prebiotics and probiotics;
• The isolation of bioactive materials in plants.

If you have research questions or problems relating to any of these topics, please complete a question form (you will be redirected to the Dutch website).

Production of therapeutic proteins

The production of therapeutic proteins is becoming increasingly significant, and companies and organisations are now asking for more cost-effective methods of facilitating production. A number of research groups within the Faculty of Science are currently working on the optimisation of protein production in various production organisms.

If you have research questions or problems relating to any of these topics, please complete a question form (you will be redirected to the Dutch website).

Drug targeting and drug delivery

The Faculty of Science also conducts research in the field of specific drug targeting. Drug targeting is based on the idea that if a drug can be delivered directly to the right place, it will be more effective, and can be given in smaller doses. We believe that by using smart methods such as antibodies, we can expect some major breakthroughs in this area.

Drug delivery research is investigating smart methods to administer drugs, for example, through a hydrogel with liposomes. Then, the concentration of the drug can be reduced, lowering the risk of side-effects, while also making drug administration easier for the user.

If you have research questions or problems relating to any of these topics, please complete a question form (you will be redirected to the Dutch website).

Side effects and epidemiology

The Science Shop has carried out a number of different studies in the field of drugs, for several groups, including patient associations. Our research has focused particularly on side-effects and epidemiology.

If you have research questions or problems relating to any of these topics, please complete a question form (you will be redirected to the Dutch website).