Tom van der Wel
Assistant professor
- Name
- Dr. T. van der Wel
- Telephone
- +31 71 527 3534
- t.van.der.wel@lic.leidenuniv.nl
- ORCID iD
- 0000-0002-6449-3233
Tom van der Wel aims to develop new chemical-genetic techniques to study the enzyme family of phosphodiesterases. Using a combination of chemical biology, proteomics and genetic techniques (CRISPR/Cas9, base editing), he investigates the function of these enzymes and their therapeutic potential to treat cancer and neurodegeneration.
Curriculum Vitae
Personal information
Nationality: Dutch
Date of birth: 6 May 1991
Education
2020 PhD, Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, The Netherlands, 22 January 2020. Thesis title: “Chemical genetic approaches for target validation”
Advisors: Prof. M. van der Stelt, Prof. H.S. Overkleeft, Dr. T. Barf.
2014 MSc in Chemistry, Leiden University, The Netherlands
2012 BSc in Life Science & Technology, Leiden University & TU Delft, The Netherlands
Current and previous research positions
2023 – now Assistant Professor, Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, The Netherlands
2020 – 2023 Postdoctoral researcher, Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University (Prof. M. van der Stelt)
Grants, awards, recognitions since 2016
2019 Best presentation award FIGON Dutch Medicines Days (Leiden, The Netherlands)
2018 Poster award EMBL Chemical Biology (Heidelberg, Germany)
Contribution to teaching and supervision
- Course for BSc Life Science & Technology at Leiden University & TU Delft: Chemische Biologie
(Co-)supervision of 2 PhD students.
Publication record including recent representative publications
20 papers with >550 citations, H-index 9 (Web of Science)
Full publication record: Leiden University
- van der Wel, T. et al. Chemical genetics strategy to profile kinase target engagement reveals role of FES in neutrophil phagocytosis. Nat. Commun. 11, 1–20 (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17027-5
- Berger, N. et al. Inhibition of diacylglycerol lipase β modulates lipid and endocannabinoid levels in the ex vivo human placenta. Front. Endocrinol. 14, (2023). DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1092024
- Gagestein, B. et al. Comparative Photoaffinity Profiling of Omega-3 Signaling Lipid Probes Reveals Prostaglandin Reductase 1 as a Metabolic Hub in Human Macrophages. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 144, 18938–18947 (2022). DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c06827
- Mock, E. D. et al. Discovery of a NAPE-PLD inhibitor that modulates emotional behavior in mice. Nat. Chem. Biol. 16, 667–675 (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41589-020-0528-7
Presentations including five presentations at international conferences since 2016
- Gordon Research Conference ‘Cannabinoid Function in the CNS’ (Ventura, USA, November 2021)
- EFMC-YMCS Young Medicinal Chemists’ Symposium (online, September 2020)
- FIGON Dutch Medicines Days (Leiden, The Netherlands, September 2019)
- Activity-based protein profiling symposium (Oxford, United Kingdom, March 2018)
Assistant professor
- Science
- Leiden Institute of Chemistry
- LIC/Chemical Biology
- LIC/CB/Molecular Physiology
- Berger N., Wel T. van der, Hirschmugl B., Baernthaler T., Gindlhuber J., Fawzy N., Eichmann T., Birner-Gruenberger R., Zimmermann R., Stelt M. van der & Wadsack C. (2023), Inhibition of diacylglycerol lipase beta modulates lipid and endocannabinoid levels in the ex vivo human placenta, Frontiers in Endocrinology 14: 1092024.
- Jiang M., Huizenga M.C.W., Wirth J.L., Paloczi J., Amedi A., Berg R.J.B.H.N. van den, Benz J., Collin L., Deng H., Di X., Driver W.F., Florea B.I., Grether U., Janssen A.P.A., Hankemeier T., Heitman L.H., Lam T.W., Mohr F., Pavlovic A., Ruf I., Hurk H. van den, Stevens A.F., Vliet D. van der, Wel T. van der, Wittwer M.B., Boeckel C.A.A. van, Pacher P., Hohmann A.G. & Stelt M. van der (2023), A monoacylglycerol lipase inhibitor showing therapeutic efficacy in mice without central side effects or dependence, Nature Communications 14(1): 8039.
- Gagestein B., Stevens A.F., Fazio D., Florea B.I., Wel T. van der, Bakker A.T., Fezza F., Dulk J. den, Overkleeft H.S., Maccarrone M. & Stelt M. van der (2022), Chemical proteomics reveals off-targets of the anandamide reuptake inhibitor WOBE437, ACS Chemical Biology 17(5): 1174-1183.
- Gazzi T., Brennecke B., Atz K., Korn C., Sykes D., Forn-Cuni G., Pfaff P., Sarott R.C., Westphal M.V., Mostinski Y., Mach L., Wasinska-Kalwa M., Weise M., Hoare B.L., Miljuš T., Mexi M., Roth N., Koers E.J., Guba W., Alker A., Rufer A.C., Kusznir E.A., Huber S., Raposo C., Zirwes E.A., Osterwald A., Pavlovic A., Moes S., Beck J., Nettekoven M., Benito-Cuesta I., Grande T., Drawnel F., Widmer G., Holzer D., Wel T. van der, Mandhair H., Honer M., Fingerle J., Scheffel J., Broichhagen J., Gawrisch K., Romero J., Hillard C.J., Varga Z.V., Stelt M. van der, Pacher P., Gertsch J., Ullmer C., McCormick P.J., Oddi S., Spaink H.P., Maccarrone M., Veprintsev D.B., Carreira E.M., Grether U. & Nazaré M. (2022), Detection of cannabinoid receptor type 2 in native cells and zebrafish with a highly potent, cell-permeable fluorescent probe, Chemical Science 13(19): 5539-5545.
- Gagestein B., von Hegedus J.H., Kwekkeboom J.C., Heijink M., Blomberg N., Wel T. van der, Florea B.I., Elst H. van der, Wals K., Overkleeft H.S., Giera M., Toes R.E.M., Ioan-Facsinay A. & Stelt M. van der (2022), Comparative photoaffinity profiling of omega-3 signaling lipid probes reveals prostaglandin reductase 1 as a metabolic hub in human macrophages, Journal of the American Chemical Society 144(41): 18938–18947.
- Wel T. van der (22 January 2020), Chemical genetic approaches for target validation (Dissertatie. Leiden Institute of Chemistry (LIC), Faculty of Science, Leiden University). Supervisor(s) and Co-supervisor(s): Stelt M. van der & Overkleeft H.S., Barf T.
- Wel T. van der Hilhorst R Dulk H. den Hooven T. van den Prins N.M. Wijnakker J.A.P.M. Florea B.I. Lenselink E.B. Westen G.J.P. van Ruijtenbeek R. Overkleeft H.S. Kaptein A. Barf T. Stelt M. van der (2020), Chemical genetics strategy to profile kinase target engagement reveals role of FES in neutrophil phagocytosis, Nature Communications 11(1): 3216.
- Mock E.D., Mustafa M., Gunduz-Cinar O., Cinar R., Petrie G.N., Kantae V., Di X., Ogasawara D., Varga Z.V., Paloczi J., Miliano C., Donvito G., Esbroeck A.C.M. van, Gracht A.M.F. van der, Kotsogianni I., Park J.K., Martella A., Wel T. van der, Soethoudt M., Jiang M., Wendel T.J., Janssen A.P.A., Bakker A.T., Donovan C.M., Castillo L.I., Florea B.I., Wat J., Hurk H. van den, Wittwer M., Grether U., Holmes A., Boeckel C.A.A. van, Hankemeier T., Cravatt B.F., Buczynski M.W., Hill M.N., Pacher P., Lichtman A.H. & Stelt M. van der (2020), Discovery of a NAPE-PLD inhibitor that modulates emotional behavior in mice, Nature Chemical Biology 16(6): 667-675.
- Zhou J., Mock E.D., Al Ayed K., Di X., Kantae V., Burggraaff L., Stevens A.F., Martella A., Mohr F., Jiang M., Wel T. van der, Wendel T.J., Ofman T.P., Tran Y., Koster N. de, Westen G.J.P. van, Hankemeier T. & Stelt M. van der (2020), Structure-Activity Relationship Studies of α-Ketoamides as Inhibitors of the Phospholipase A and Acyltransferase Enzyme Family, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 63(17): 9340-9359.
- Sarott R.C., Westphal M.V., Pfaff P., Korn C., Sykes D.A., Gazzi T., Brennecke B., Atz K., Weise M., Mostinski Y., Hompluem P., Koers E., Miljuš T., Roth N.J., Asmelash H., Vong M.C., Piovesan J., Guba W., Rufer A.C., Kusznir E.A., Huber S., Raposo C., Zirwes E.A., Osterwald A., Pavlovic A., Moes S., Beck J., Benito-Cuesta I., Grande T., Ruiz de Martin Esteban S., Yeliseev A., Drawnel F., Widmer G., Holzer D., Wel T. van der, Mandhair H., Yuan C.Y., Drobyski W.R., Saroz Y., Grimsey N., Honer M., Fingerle J., Gawrisch K., Romero J., Hillard C.J., Varga Z.V., Stelt M. van der, Pacher P., Gertsch J., McCormick P.J., Ullmer C., Oddi S., Maccarrone M., Veprintsev D.B., Nazaré M., Grether U. & Carreira E.M. (2020), Development of high-specificity fluorescent probes to enable cannabinoid type 2 receptor studies in living cells, Journal of the American Chemical Society 142(40): 16953-16964.
- Esbroeck A.C.M. van, Kantae V., Di X., Wel T. van der, Dulk J. den, Stevens A.F., Singh S., Bakker A.T., Florea B.I., Stella N., Overkleeft H.S., Hankemeier T. & Stelt M. van der (2019), Identification of alpha,beta-Hydrolase Domain Containing Protein 6 as a Diacylglycerol Lipase in Neuro-2a Cells, Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience 12: 286.
- Esbroeck A.C.M. van, Kantae V., Di X., Wel T. van der, Dulk J. den, Stevens A.F., Singh S., Bakker A.T., Florea B.I., Stella N., Overkleeft H.S., Hankemeier T. & Stelt M. van der (2019), Identification of α,β-Hydrolase Domain Containing Protein 6 as a Diacylglycerol Lipase in Neuro-2a Cells, Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience 12: 286.
- Esbroeck A.C.M. van, Janssen A.P.A., Cognetta III A.B., Ogasawara D., Shpak G., Kroeg M. van der, Kantae V., Baggelaar M.P., Vrij F.M.S. de, Deng H., Allara M., Fezza F., Lin Z., Wel T. van der, Soethoudt M., Mock E.D., Dulk H. den, Baak I.L., Florea B.I., Hendriks G., Petrocellis L. de, Overkleeft H.S., Hankemeier T., Zeeuw C.I. de, Di Marzo V., Maccarrone M., Cravatt B.F., Kushner S.A. & Stelt M. van der (2017), Activity-based protein profiling reveals off-target proteins of the FAAH inhibitor BIA 10-2474, Science 356(6342): 1084-1087.
- Deng H., Wel T. van der, Berg R.J.B.H.N. van den, Nieuwendijk A.M.C.H. van den, Janssen F.J., Baggelaar M.P., Overkleeft H.S. & Stelt M. van der (2017), Chiral disubstituted piperidinyl ureas: a class of dual diacylglycerol lipase-alpha and ABHD6 inhibitors, MEDCHEMCOMM 8(5): 982-988.
- Ogasawara D., Deng H., Viader A., Baggelaar M.P., Breman A., Dulk H. den, Nieuwendijk A.M.C.H. van den, Soethoudt M., Wel T. van der, Zhou J., Overkleeft H.S., Sanchez-Alavez M., Mori S., Nguyen W., Conti B., Liu X., Chen Y., Liu Q., Cravatt B.F. & Stelt M. van der (2016), Rapid and profound rewiring of brain lipid signaling networks by acute diacylglycerol lipase inhibition, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113(1): 26-33.
- Baggelaar M.P., Chameau P.J.P., Kantae V., Hummel J., Hsu K.L., Janssen F., Wel T. van der, Soethoudt M., Deng H., Den Dulk H., Allara M., Florea B.I., Di Marzo V., Wadman W.J., Kruse C.G., Overkleeft H.S., Hankemeier T., Werkman T.R., Cravatt B.F. & Stelt M. van der (2015), Highly Selective, Reversible Inhibitor Identified by Comparative Chemoproteomics Modulates Diacylglycerol Lipase Activity in Neurons, Journal of the American Chemical Society 137(27): 8851-8857.
- Wel T. van der, Janssen F.J., Baggelaar M.P., Deng H., Dulk H. den, Overkleeft H.S. & Stelt M. van der (2015), A natural substrate-based fluorescence assay for inhibitor screening on diacylglycerol lipase alpha, Journal of Lipid Research 56(4): 927-935.
- Janssen F.J., Deng H., Baggelaar M.P., Allara M., Wel T. van der, Dulk J. den, Ligresti A., Esbroeck A.C.M. van, McGuire R., Marzo V. di, Overkleeft H.S. & Stelt M. van der (2014), Discovery of Glycine Sulfonamides as Dual Inhibitors of sn-1-Diacylglycerol Lipase alpha and alpha/beta-Hydrolase Domain 6, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 57(15): 6610-6622.