Discovering and developing drugs

Improving healthcare with our scientific discoveries: that is the goal of pharmaceutical research at Leiden University. And there’s a lot involved in that. Our research starts with the discovery of the effect achieved by a particular substance, and sometimes continues all the way through to the development of a medicine for patients. This is a long and costly process, which requires us to bundle all our knowledge and skills.

In Leiden, we connect the lab and the clinic. We take advantage of the knowledge we gain when discovering and developing a substance for a medicine. This allows us to know at an earlier stage whether a specific substance can be used, and whether it makes sense to study it further.

Researchers from multiple disciplines

This requires collaboration with many different researchers. Experts in various disciplines are involved, from the Leiden University Medicine Center (LUMC) and the Faculty of Science: chemists who create the substances needed, biologists who consider the biological working of a substance, AI and computer science experts who help with the complex calculations, and physicians who translate all of the above into practice.

Are you a scientific professional, active in the pharmaceutical industry? We would love to speak to you! Find out more about our research environment, and options for getting in touch.