Medical Biochemistry

Medical Biochemistry is a section of the Leiden Institute of Chemistry at Leiden University. The section is headed by Prof. Dr. Hans Aerts.

A major part of the research of the Medical Biochemistry section focuses on inherited lysosomal storage disorders involving glycolipids (such as Gaucher - and Niemann Pieck disease) by a multidisciplinary effort of biochemists, organic chemists and clinicians. Particular attention is paid to biomarker discovery using advanced proteomics and lipidomics as well as development of small compound therapeutics. Another part of our research is dedicated to the relationship between glycolipid metabolism and regulation of glucose and fat metabolism, using newly developed inhibitors of glycolipid metabolism as experimental tool. These inhibitors profoundly affect insulin signalling and inflammation in several models of obesity, resulting in significant amelioration of obesity-induced insulin resistance and diabetes.

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