Bio-Organic Chemistry

To obtain the most optimal biological response in vivo, nanoparticles that are used for transport of drugs, or as scaffolds for antigen display, need to be tailor made for their specific application. With advanced synthetic techniques and assembly methods, we can construct particles with control over size, shape, surface charge and functionality. These particles are employed, in collaboration with our (international) partners, in treating brain related (metabolic) diseases, ophthalmology, cancer research and bacterial vaccine development.

The eukaryotic cell is a multicompartment structure, in which the different compartments, the organelles, enable the cell to execute in a highly controlled way delicate processes without interference with the direct environment. We construct artificial nanoreactors that can be incorporated as artificial organelles in living cells to complement or affect cellular processes.  The cell as a whole also provides a boundary with the outside world, via which the cell interacts with and responds to external stimuli. We aim to create responsive smart compartments that mimic the behavior of living cells, with respect to communicative features, motility, growth and division.

Jan van Hest combines biology and chemistry in such a way that the boundaries between the two disciplines become really blurred. He was awarded the Spinoza Prize 2020, the most important award in Dutch science. We put Jan van Hest in the spotlight by publishing a portrait, in both text and video, which appeared earlier on the website of the Dutch Research Council (NWO).