Research

GRIP

The research of the Chemical and Pharmaceutical Biology basic unit is part of the Groningen Research Institute of Pharmacy (GRIP). This research institute forms, together with the dicipline groups of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, the Groningen University Institute for Drug Exploration (GUIDE).

CPB

The research of CPB has as its central aim the exploration of the living cell as a source of pharmaceutically relevant targets and products. Next to phytochemical analysis, molecular-biological techniques are applied to gain insight into biosynthetic routes and to control the production of bioactive compounds via metabolic pathway engineering. The biosynthesis of complex natural products is a universal theme within CPB, and its associated bottlenecks can be addressed by developing cell factories. The efficacy of biopharmaceuticals is being improved by the application of new techniques of combinatorial biology, protein engineering and computational design. New biocatalysts for stereoselective bond-forming reactions are being engineered, enabling the greener and more sustainable and step-economic synthesis of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs). Gene therapy for in situ expression of therapeutics is being pursued using the adenovirus as a vector, with a focus on the targeted delivery and expression of the transgene product. We also have a strong interest to develop and optimize CRISP/Cas-based strategies to fight human diseases as well as to perform genome editing in microbes. Through modulation of the activity of certain intracellular as well as membrane proteins, such as histone modifying enzymes, macrophage migration inhibitory factor and glutamate transporters, the research group is contributing to the development of novel cures for several diseases including inflammatory diseases and cancer.