Biomolecular Sciences

Modern society faces a number of demanding challenges going forward. Safe, stable food & crop production and developing novel treatments for diseases in aging or infection are priorities. As well as finding novel solutions for emerging problems, such as broad antibiotic resistance or nitrogen fixation in our soils.

With a thorough understanding of molecular and cellular processes and a focus on fundamentals, we will be better positioned to innovate and develop biotechnological solutions or treatments to these issues. Moreover, today’s biomolecular scientists are increasingly exposed to huge volumes of data from high-throughput methods which require a critical scientific approach. To this end, it is vital that molecular and cell biology graduates are well-prepared to enter the lab within an interdisciplinary Life Sciences research community.

Teaching in the program takes the form of lectures, research tutorials, work groups, demonstrations, lab visits, lab and computer practicals, as well as onsite training and mentoring.

Our programme offers 3 specialisations;

· Molecular Cell Biology

· Biological Chemistry

· Molecular Bioinformatics

These combine both compulsory and a selection of elective courses. The two compulsory courses are Protein Science and Genomes & Gene Expression. However, it is also possible to choose courses across the different specializations to create your own unique study program.

Laboratory internships and an extensive literature study also form major components of the study program. These can be performed under the mentorship and guidance of a researcher of your choice. We also encourage our students to consider going abroad for the internship in the final year, our lecturers can help you with finding a suitable lab through their own extensive research networks.

Some examples of current research topics

·      A new method to fight tuberculosis

After a period of relative calmness, tuberculosis seems to be on the advance again, causing currently some 2 million casualties per year. Mycobacterium tuberculosis excretes different proteins all playing a role in disease development. Knowledge about the underlying mechanisms of excretion can be applied in the development of new drugs to fight the bacteria.

·      Regulation of gene expression

It is a miracle how a single fertilized egg cell develops into a complex organism and how undifferentiated stem cells can be assigned to take their role in this process. Expression and regulation of genes in eukaryotes is controlled by transcription factors, but in addition there is also post-transcriptional control. Unravelling these regulatory networks will open up huge possibilities in biomedical and biotechnological research.

·      Virus-induced cancer

Do viruses play a role in the development of cancer? Research from the VU University in Amsterdam suggest that they indeed do. These findings are important for the development of new cancer therapies.

·      Busy traffic within cells

Within our cells, there is ongoing and busy traffic of nutrients, organelles and signaling compounds, driven by motor proteins. In order to visualize, count and track these motor proteins and figure out how they cooperate in their job advanced new microscopy methods have been and still need to be developed.