The research conducted at the Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research is clustered within the divisions of BioTherapeutics, Drug Discovery & Safety and Systems Biomedicine and Pharmacology.

The two-years MSc programme spans the entire spectrum of Analytical BioSciences, Biopharmaceutics, Drug Delivery Technology, Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmacology and Toxicology.

The need for novel drugs as well as innovations in their development and application is as urgent as ever. Below we present our vision , mission, and our key research areas.

PhD Defence

PhD Defence

PhD Defence

PhD Defence

PhD Defence

PhD Defence

Do medicines arrive in the right amount at the right spot in our brain? By making a model that depicts our brain in small 'brain blocks', Esmée Vendel tries to find an answer to this question. Her new, mathematical model predicts the concentration of medicines in the brain over time and space. Vendel…

Pharmacologist Liesbeth de Lange has won the Lewis B. Sheiner Lecturer Award from the International Society of Pharmacometrics (ISoP). As Professor of Predictive Pharmacology she is working, among other things, on a mathematical model that can predict drug concentrations in the brain. On the occasion…

Timely, adequate and optimal treatment of infectious diseases is essential for the survival of patients with bacterial infections (Surviving Sepsis campaign).

The Leiden Ethnosystems and Development Programme (LEAD) of the Faculty of Science of Leiden University has been involved since 1987 in several Projects and Programmes in policy-based Training & Research, as well as in International Exhibitions, in Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia and the Mediterranean…

The cannabinoid CB2 receptor (CB2R) represents a promising therapeutic target for various forms of tissue injury and inflammatory diseases. Although numerous compounds have been developed and widely used to target CB2R, their selectivity, molecular mode of action and pharmacokinetic properties have…

In neonates and infants, body size, enzyme pathways, and expression and function of receptors and (target) proteins are still developing.

Currently, more than 80% of drugs are used in an off-label manner in critically ill neonates.

Can we establish a new quality control system for herbal medicines that is based on bioactivity rather than a few abundant chemicals?

The division of Drug Discovery and Safety combines the former divisions Toxicology and Medicinal Chemistry.

Can we link multiple components from herbal extracts with their biological activities?

Emeritus professor at the Natural Products Laboratory, Institute of Biology, Leiden University - the Netherlands

In the Master’s programme in Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences of Leiden University you are trained for a scientific career in drug research and development.

What are the differences between the trade in Chinese herbal drugs in Europe between 1800 and now? Can we see the major metabolic changes after 200 yours?

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

Promotor: Prof.dr. T. Hankemeier, Co-Promotor: R.J. Vreeken

The Cognitive Psychology Unit has two main reseach lines, which focus on basic research questions and more applied challenges.

Key publications of the Computational Drug Discovery group

Human skin equivalents (HSEs) can be a valuable tool to study aspects of human skin, including the skin barrier, or to perform chemical or toxicological screenings.

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

Childhood obesity is an increasing health issue. In the first part of this thesis comorbidities in children with obesity were studied, concerning the diagnostic process and dosing regimens.

Research projects

Are you thinking about studying at Leiden University? Come and visit our Master’s Open Day.

In this thesis, we have studied the potential of the zebrafish larval model in studying the ECS, as a complementary model to the existing rodent models.

Physics and Engineering Approaches to Biomedicine and Pharmacology

The mission in this research group, headed by Ad IJzerman, is to design and synthesize novel and better ligands for drug targets. Drug discovery is a lengthy but inspiring adventure. It is often an interplay between academic institutes and pharmaceutical industry, in which scientists at university develop…

Prediction of human (CNS) target site concentrations in health and disease In the vision of Prof. de Lange we will only be able to predict human (central nervous system, CNS) target site concentrations and effects if we perform systematic, condition-dependent, integrative, and strictly quantitative…

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

A next, general pharmacological problem to be tackled is how drug-target binding kinetics in vivo, affects target occupancy as an important indicator of the time-course of drug effects.

Are you looking for a research project?

These are CCLS events that have already taken place. PDFs of the presentations will be added once they have been received.

Webinars: We are organising virtual events only until further notice; please return to this website for updates.

International pharmaceuticals company Grünenthal is to open an innovation hub on the Leiden Bio Science Park. The hub will make it easier for scientists and drug developers to work together.

Medicines are becoming increasingly precise and innovative, but at the same time increasingly expensive. With their innovations, it is up to universities to increase competition, thus causing prices to drop. This is what newly appointed Professor of Biomolecular Analysis Hubertus Irth argues. His inaugural…

The master’s specialisation Industrial Pharmacy at Leiden University examines safety and quality control in the production of medicinal products, and prepares students for a career in Quality Assurance and Quality Control in the biotechnological and pharmaceutical industry.

Diacylglycerol lipase (DAGL)-α and -β are enzymes responsible for the biosynthesis of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG). Selective and reversible inhibitors are required to study the function of DAGLs in neuronal cells in an acute and temporal fashion, but they are currently lacking.…

Source: Biosens Bioelectron, Volume 74, pp. 233-42 (2015)

From descriptive to physiological models that can predict oral absorption and elimination of CYP3A substrates across the pediatric age range.

The master’s specialisation BioTherapeutics at Leiden University is a two-year programme which trains students in research in specific drug delivery techniques. The programme also examines the development of new therapeutic approaches to treat immune-based disorders, such as atherosclerosis, metabolic…

Leiden University offers you several services related to career orientation and job application skills.

You’ve been accepted! Leiden University looks forward to welcoming you as a new student. Your next step is to prepare for your studies. Below you can find some tips to help you get a head start as you embark on your studies at Leiden University.

The master's specialisation Drug Discovery and Safety at Leiden University provides students with research-oriented education into the discovery of new drug targets and new lead molecules, particularly in the field of cancer, through a combination of advanced imaging techniques (‘systems microscopy’),…