The goal of research at the Cell Observatory is to visualize and comprehend the dynamics of the living cell down to the molecular level, because understanding of these fundamental mechanisms of life is essential for progress in tackling disease. It encompasses one of the core scientific profiles of Leiden University.
The first basic step towards understanding the function of certain molecules in the living cell is to figure out their 3D structure. We develop new methods to make the structures of these biological molecules visible.
The genetic code of many organisms and viruses has been cracked, but still leaves us in the dark on the exact functioning of DNA and RNA. Therefore we look beyond the code and investigate the structure, dynamics, physics and maintenance of genetic material of various organisms .
Each cell is specialized for a specific role and moves and communicates in a different way. If properties of cells change, this can result in serious diseases like epilepsy or cancer. We investigate fundamental processes in these disturbed cells in the brain, immune system and other organs. This is necessary in order to tackle diseases in the future.
Cells can get damaged by many factors, for instance sunlight, aging or drugs. Usually cells are able to repair themselves but sometimes the damage is too severe and the cell dies. Tumor cells on the other hand, are damaged cells that do not die and proliferate at every cost. We investigate how cells get damaged and repair and how we can use mechanisms of cell death to fight tumor cells.
