Inge wants to find chemical ways to target the biological clock

Inge Snijders has recently started her PhD research at the University of Leiden. Under supervision of prof. Dr. Laura Heitman and Dr. Daan van der Es, she will look for new targets and modulators of the biological clock. Since the circadian system is involved with many diseases but also becomes more dysfunctional with age for instance, it is highly important to find drug targets that can interfere with the functioning of the clock. Inge will work on this and introduces herself here.

Tell us a little about yourself, who are you?

My name is Inge Snijders and I am 23 years old. I grew up in De Lier and attended university in Leiden. Recently I started working on a BioClock project at Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR). In my free time, I enjoy exercising (hiking, bouldering, biking), reading books and traveling.  

What is your background?

I obtained both by Bachelor and Master degree in Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences at Leiden University. During my study I became increasingly interested in chemistry, I performed two master internships. The first internship, which I performed at the LACDR, focused on the synthesis and evaluation of a chemical tool to gain more insight into a receptor. During the second internship, performed at the University of Gothenburg, I focused on the synthesis of novel molecules.

Where will you work on your project and what is your project about?

During my PhD, I will be stationed at the LACDR, within the department of drug discovery and safety. I will combine what I have learned during my internships. I will be working on the design, synthesis and evaluation of chemical tools which can help investigating novel targets for the biological clock. Besides this I will be working on the development of novel modulators for the newly discovered and known targets of the biological clock.

When did you first hear about the biological clock?

Of course the biological clock has been around me for all my life, and this became especially clear two times a year when the clock went an hour back or forward. However, I started reading more into the biological clock during my masters when I performed a literature study on the topic. After reading more into the topic I became enthusiastic about all the synthetical possibilities to further study the biological clock.

What is something that people should know about you?

I like to discover new places it does not matter if it is a park nearby where I have never been, a different city or a new country. When I am in another country I love to try their cuisine, especially the local delicacies if they are not too peculiar.  

To get in touch with Inge, send her an email: i.m.snijders@lacdr.leidenuniv.nl