Matthew Heijne

Research:

During my studies, I was highly interested in the difficult puzzles involved in small molecule synthesis in Medicinal Chemistry. During my research internship at the University of Leeds, I gained an interest in using such complex molecules to gain insight into the functioning of proteins. During my PhD in the Cell and Chemical Biology department, I will combine my knowledge of synthetic chemistry and my interest in chemical biology to synthesize small molecules and activity-based probes to unravel some of the mysteries involved in writing, reading and erasing the ADP ribosylation of Ubiquitin and the biology those processes are involved in.

Curriculum Vitae:

In 2020 I completed my bachelor’s degree in Chemistry with a minor in Medicinal Chemistry at the Inholland University of Applied Sciences in Amsterdam. A crucial part of my undergraduate experience was the research internship conducted at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. During this internship, I was tasked with synthesizing novel derivatives to gain structural insight into the TRPC1/4/5 ion channels. I subsequently obtained my master degree in Drug Design and Synthesis at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in August 2022. During my master’s program, I gained experience in medicinal chemistry through an intensive internship at the department of medicinal chemistry. There, I specialized in the synthesis of photoswitchable ligands designed for the histamine H₄ receptor. Now, I have joined the Cell and Chemical Biology department for my PhD, under the supervision of Gerbrand van der Heden van Noort where I will study the role of ADP ribosylation of Ubiquitin in the onset of cancer and tumor growth.