page_title: Bijvoet Centre for Biomolecular Research
section_title: Research
hierarchical_section_title: Bijvoet Centre for Biomolecular Research / Research
caption_attribution_description: English: Photo of the H.R. Kruyt building of Utrecht University at Padualaan 8, Utrecht, The Netherlands
context_page_description: The Bijvoet Centre for Biomolecular Research is a research institute at Utrecht University. The Bijvoet Centre performs research on the relation between the structure and function of biomolecules, including proteins and lipids, which play a role in biological processes such as regulation, interaction and recognition. The Bijvoet Centre houses advanced infrastructures for the analysis of proteins and other biomolecules using NMR, X-ray crystallography, electron microscopy and mass spectrometry. The institute is named after famous Dutch chemist Johannes Martin Bijvoet, who worked at Utrecht University.
context_section_description: The Bijvoet Centre has a staff of around 150 people, including about 10 full professors, 20 senior researchers, 50 postdocs and 50 PhD students.
  The general theme of the research in the Bijvoet Centre is understanding how biomolecules function in the human body and in life in general and how the processes and interactions between biomolecules in living cells are affected in patients.  This includes, for example, research to understand the cause and potential therapeutic approaches for a disease like cystic fibrosis, which is caused by misfolding of the protein CFTR when it is mutated due to a genetic defect. Another example is the development of so-called nanobullets, which are small antibody fragments, based on the single-chain antibodies found in llamas to target chemotheurapeutics directly to cancer cells in a cancer patient.
  Two previous scientific directors of the institute, prof. dr. Piet Gros and prof. dr. Albert Heck, both have received the NWO Spinoza Prize, in 2010 and 2017, respectively.
  The institute also has technological expertise that allows for the development of novel technology to study biomolecules, like the analysis of proteins inside cells using NMR spectroscopy, novel methods for the high-throughput, proteomics based analysis of protein phosphorylation and the development, together with the company Thermo Fisher Scientific, of a new mass spectrometer that allows the analysis of intact protein complexes, including therapeutic antibodies. The centre also works on the simulation of the interactions between proteins and their interaction with drugs. To be able to predict the effect these molecules have on each other's structure, Grid computing has been used for these simulations.
caption: The Hugo R. Kruytbuilding at Utrecht University houses the majority of the research groups of the Bijvoet Centre.
exif: {"Image ImageDescription": "SAMSUNG", "Image Make": "SAMSUNG", "Image Model": "GT-I9001", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "fw 05.25 prm 05.33", "Image DateTime": "2013:05:01 15:19:29", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Image ExifOffset": "252", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "1140", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "9227", "EXIF ExposureTime": "2/1783", "EXIF FNumber": "1351/512", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "50", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2013:05:01 15:19:29", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2013:05:01 15:19:29", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "49/5", "EXIF ApertureValue": "281/100", "EXIF BrightnessValue": "861/100", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "281/100", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Average", "EXIF LightSource": "Unknown", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "379/100", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2560", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1920", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "R98", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "968", "EXIF SensingMethod": "One-chip color area", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "0/0", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "0", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF Contrast": "Normal", "EXIF Saturation": "Normal", "EXIF Sharpness": "Normal"}