The research conducted at the Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research is clustered within the divisions of BioTherapeutics, Drug Discovery & Safety and Systems Biomedicine and Pharmacology, and the Metabolomics and Analytics Centre.

Research Profile Area

We participate in 'Bioscience: the science base of health', one of the profile areas of Leiden University. The LACDR develops key concepts along the line of the drug-discovery pipeline: from early and fundamental drug discovery, on areas of drug development and in the optimization and innovative delivery of new and existing drugs.

Read more about our vision, mission and our lines of research

Grouping around Divisions

Our research is grouped around four divisions and one research centre:

BioTherapeutics focuses on performing research in the development of experimental therapies based on biologics. Key areas focus on formulation, delivery and targeting of drugs (i.e. microneedles), pre-clinical testing in advanced models for disease and with a specific aim at artherosclerosis.

Cell Systems and Drug Safety research focuses on the context of the process of cancer-cell behaviour and cancer-progression. We put the emphasis on two important targets in cancer: kinases and G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). To deliver the drugs at the right dose, at the right time and at the right place.

Medicinal Chemistry research is focused on designing and synthesizing novel and better ligands for drug targets.

Systems Pharmacology and Pharmacy aims to develop precision medicine approaches to characterize and predict variation in treatment response and enhance translational drug development strategies.

The Metabolomics and Analytics Centre aims to develop innovative analytical strategies for metabolomics-driven health monitoring and systems biology studies.

Multidisciplinary research

We encourage multidisciplinary research. The Leiden Science weekly meeting called ‘This week’s Discoveries’ brings together all researchers. Each year, staff and students select the ‘Discoverer of the Year’ of the faculty. 

LACDR Research School

The Leiden research programmes are concentrated within university research institutes. These institutes are often part of cross-boundary research schools. Research schools are centres of high quality research where researchers from different universities and non-academic institutes collaborate, and where special attention is paid to the training of researchers to PhD level.

In the LACDR we provide this training for PhD researchers in our PhD programme

Leiden University participates in about 40 research schools, the majority of which are recognised by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW).

Read more about the  Research Schools in which Leiden University participates