This very first page is a good place to mention our ambitions here at the Division of Medicinal Chemistry of Leiden University. We want to understand drug action at ‘high resolution’, thus at an almost atomic level. We want to use that understanding for a more rational approach of drug design. We have chosen the most important class of drug targets to work on, the G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Close to half of all medicines work via these targets in our body.

Well, one can’t study all receptors, as there are over 800 of them in the human body. So, we have selected a few to concentrate on, receptors for adenosine, for chemokines and for nicotinic acid. We pursue a ‘chemical biology’ approach, in which we combine synthetic chemistry, new developments in the world of informatics and computer science (bioinformatics, cheminformatics), and both biochemistry/molecular biology and pharmacology. That is quite ideal, as we now have in one hand all ingredients to come up with ideas for new drugs, make them, and see how they work.

Why don’t you read more about the fascinating four adenosine receptors? One may help to cure Parkinson’s disease, most are involved in the actions of caffeine…