Research themes

The coherence of GRIP research is evident when viewed in terms of the drug development process: rational drug design, mechanism of action, analysis, delivery and engineering, and drugs in practice (see Figure 1). New drug targets are identified on the basis of increased insight into the pathophysiology, including the molecular background, of various diseases. Based on these targets, rational drug design and development can deliver completely new generations of drugs with improved effectiveness and safety profiles. In addition, novel therapeutic strategies to treat previously untreatable diseases may result. The molecular biology toolbox, combined with proper bioinformatics, provides new opportunities for target finding and validation of experimental drugs. The fields of genomics and proteomics are thus increasingly important in innovative drug research.

The GRIP researchers interact in a matrix-like fashion with pathophysiological and clinical researchers within the UMCG providing the input of technology into many (bio)medical/clinical research programs.