The inverse electron demand Diels-Alder (IEDDA) pyridazine elimination emerged in 2013 as a new bioorthogonal reaction and constitutes a prime example of what is now known as dissociative bioorthogonal chemistry. The research described in this Thesis aims to develop synthetic strategies which enable…

Carbohydrates are present on the surface of bacteria making them suitable antigen candidates for vaccine development. This thesis deals with the synthesis of two carbohydrate-based components; the capsular polisaccharide of S. aureus type 5 and teichoic acids from staphilococci and enterococci speci…

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.

Molecular complexes can be used as electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction, water oxidation, and/or hydrogen peroxide production.

Promotors: Prof.dr. E. Bouwman, Prof.dr. E. Drent

This thesis focuses on the synthesis, characterization and performance towards CO2 electroreduction of mono and bi-metallic particles based on p-block metals

The thesis focuses on synthesis strategies in oligosaccharide campaigns, and the influence of protecting groups.

Promotor: G. J. Kroes

Promotor: G. A. van der Marel, Co-promotor: D. V. Filippov

MHC class I and MHC class II molecules present peptides to the immune system to drive proper T cell responses. Pharmacological modulation of T-cell responses can offer treatment options for a range of immune-related diseases.

This thesis explores squaramide-based supramolecular polymers and hydrogels, enhancing their mechanical strength for 3D cell culture.

This thesis investigates the relations between metabolism and anatomy through the use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).

Promotor: Prof.dr. M. Ubbink

N-acylethanolamines (NAEs), including N-arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide, AEA), N-palmitoylethanolamine (PEA) and N-oleoylethanolamine (OEA), are signaling lipids that play an important role in different physiological process.

The studies described in this thesis deal with glycosidases, in particular alpha-galactosidases.

This dissertation focused on computational methods based on first principles calculations using the Density Functional Theory (DFT) framework. Emphasis was laid on affordable methods that can provide a tradeoff between computational expense and accuracy.

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) generation via electrochemical oxygen reduction is a sustainable production method for this bulk chemical. However, the selectivity of molecular catalysts for electrochemical H2O2 generation has hardly been investigated in a systematic manner, and it is unknown if their stability…

This thesis describes the design, synthesis, and immunological evaluation of varying (neo)antigenic peptide conjugates containing either a TLR2 or a TLR7 agonist.

Heterogeneous catalyzed processes are highly significant to the chemical industry. Dissociative chemisorption (DC) of molecules on surfaces is always considered as a step with a high degree of rate control for heterogeneous catalysis.

This dissertation was to develop effective graphene-based nanofluidic devices by developing scalable fabrication methods and elucidating proton transport mechanisms.

Promotor: Prof.dr. M. Ubbink

The aim of this thesis is to study cell-cell interactions and the development of an assay to explore and quantify the exchange of membrane compounds.

The dissociative chemisorption of methane on metal surfaces is of fundamental and practical interest, being a rate-limiting step in the steam reforming process. The reaction is best modeled with quantum dynamics calculations, but these are currently not guaranteed to produce accurate results because…

Nonadiabatic energy transfer from the translational motion (T) of a molecule impinging on metal surface to the metal’s electrons may determine whether the molecule can lose enough energy to adsorb or react.

We report new computational and experimental evidence of an efficient and astrochemically relevant formation route to formaldehyde (H2CO). This simplest carbonylic compound is central to the formation of complex organics in cold interstellar clouds and is generally regarded to be formed by the hydrogenation…

Authoritative and cutting-edge, Bacterial Chromatin: Methods and Protocols aims to be useful as an up-to-date reference work for scholars in the bacterial chromatin field, those entering the field from adjacent research fields, and scientists in the eukaryotic chromatin field.

This thesis focused on the exploration of monolayer graphene as a membrane in direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) applications, with improvements achieved through plasma exposure or damage- free chemical functionalization.

This thesis comprises the development of reproducible synthesis procedures for two-dimensional materials (composed of boron, nitrogen and carbon) on different metallic surfaces.

The research described in this thesis combines the latest insights in lysosomal function with lysosome centred cell signalling.

Diacylglycerol lipases (DAGLα and DAGLβ) convert diacylglycerol to the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol. Our understanding of DAGL function has been hindered by a lack of chemical probes that can perturb these enzymes in vivo.

PhD defence

PhD defence

Since the global COVID-19 pandemic, the coronavirus responsible (SARS-CoV-2) has been extensively probed for promising protein targets to establish drug-based therapies.

Lecture

An attractive feature of the MSc Chemistry programme at Leiden University is the great flexibility of the study programme, allowing students to put together a tailor-made programme following their personal interests. Within the limits set by the programme, students can make their own choices and adjust…

If you are interested in Life Science and you are looking for a programme with ample opportunities to put together your own study path, our Life Science and Technology programme is the right choice. The programme focuses on societal problems at the molecular and cellular level.

It has been found that the better a prisoner is treated, the more effective the sentence. Leiden criminologists therefore research how detention can be improved in such areas as prison life and contact between prisoners and their children.

Plants, algae and cyanobacteria have the amazing capacity to perform delicate photophysical and photochemical processes of light capture, excitation transfer, charge separation and catalysis in fluctuating living environments. As a consequence, photosynthetic proteins and membranes form dynamic architectures.…

The Faculty of Science is located at the Leiden Bio Science Park. It was founded more than two centuries ago and currently, more than 8000 people are working and studying at the eight institutes.

The Leiden Institute of Chemistry (LIC) offers a unique tailor-made programme in Life Science and Technology. You can customize the programme to your own interests and ambitions with the help of your own personal mentor. Your study will focus on either a biomedical, molecular or biophysical approach…

How do lipases in Mycobacterium tuberculosis help the bacteria survive, and can we target them to create new antibiotics?

The LACDR represents the core of bio-pharmaceutical research at Leiden University, and we interact closely with our partners:

Can small molecule drugs restore the immune system’s ability to fight tuberculosis by boosting autophagy?

How can efficient chemical synthesis and clinical microbiology be combined to identify new antibiotics against Clostridioides difficile infections?

Research and education at the Leiden Institute of Chemistry is overseen by the Institute Board. The Board and representatives of the two research themes form the Management Team. The Scientific Council (WERA), the Institute Council (I-Raad) and the platform for PhDs and post-doctoral co-workers (LIC73)…

In the last decade, the redox interconversion between metal thiolate and disulfide compounds has been extensively investigated for copper, but not for other transition metal ions.

Sustainable energy from wind and solar is most readily available near the sea.

All life on earth contains DNA, which is used to store biological information. Organisms compact their DNA in order for it to fit inside their cell(s).