View source for Bijvoet Centre for Biomolecular Research

{{Infobox institute
|name              = Bijvoet Centre for Biomolecular Research
|motto             = Discovering the Molecular Basis of Life
|established       = 1988
|head_label        = Scientific Director
|head              = prof. dr. Friedrich Förster
|faculty           = ~30
|staff             = ~150
|budget            = ~10 M€ per annum
|location          = Utrecht University
|city              = Utrecht
|country           = The Netherlands
|address           = Padualaan 8, Utrecht, The Netherlands
|coordinates       = {{Coord|52.0855|5.1692|type:landmark_region:NL|display=inline,title}}
|website           = [http://www.uu.nl/science/bijvoet www.uu.nl/science/bijvoet]
}}
The '''Bijvoet Centre for Biomolecular Research''' is a research institute at [[Utrecht University]]. The Bijvoet Centre performs [[Structural biology|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.
==History==
Utrecht University and the Netherlands Foundation for Chemical Research (SON, which later became the Chemical Sciences division of NWO, the [[Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research]]) founded the Bijvoet Centre for Biomolecular Research as a joint research institute on March 25, 1988.<ref name="CC_Apr_1988">{{Cite news
|title=SON en RUU in Bijvoet Centrum
|author=Joop Kessels
|newspaper=Chemische Courant
|date=April 7, 1988
|language=Dutch
}}</ref> The goal was to create a centre for research and expertise in structural biology with an internationally recognized academic staff and an advanced instrumental and computational infrastructure, with the original task to "conduct research into the molecular structure and reactivity of chemically and biologically important, medium-sized molecules and new methods to analyze them".<ref name="CC_Apr_1988"/>
When the institute was founded, it received 8.5 million [[Dutch guilder]] (approximately 3.9 million [[Euro]]) for new equipment that would contribute to societally important areas such as pharmacochemistry  and biotechnology.<ref name="NRC_Apr_1988">{{Cite news
|title='Bijvoet-centrum voor moleculair Onderzoek' geopend
|author=b.k.
|newspaper=[[NRC Handelsblad]]
|date=April 1988
|language=Dutch
}}</ref> Among the first technology to be added to the institute, was equipment for [[in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy|in vivo NMR]] studies (which nowadays is mainly known as [[magnetic resonance imaging|MRI]]) for animal studies.<ref name="UN_Oct_1989">{{Cite news
|title='Bijvoet Centrum voor Biomoleculair Onderzoek' geopend
|author=Karin Bos
|newspaper=Utrechts Nieuwsblad
|date=October 31, 1989
|language=Dutch
}}</ref> The official opening of the institute was on October 27, 1989, on occasion of which a symposium was organized, with Nobel prize winner [[Hartmut Michel]] giving a keynote lecture.<ref name="CW_Jul_1989">{{Cite news
|title=Bijvoet Centrum
|newspaper=Chemisch Weekblad
|volume=85
|issue=30/31
|date=July 27, 1989
|language=Dutch
}}</ref>
Originally, the institute consisted of four groups focussing on different aspects of biomolecular research: NMR Spectroscopy, Crystal- and Structural Chemistry, Biomembranes and Modelsystems and Bio-organic Chemistry of Glycoconjugates.<ref name="CC_Apr_1988"/> Since that time, the institute has evolved and diversified and, as of 2013, consist of seven research groups at Utrecht University.<ref name="Bijvoet_groups">{{Cite web
|title=Bijvoet Centre - Research
|work=www.uu.nl
|url=https://www.uu.nl/en/research/bijvoet-centre-for-biomolecular-research/research
|accessdate=January 29, 2020
}}</ref>
==Research==
[[Image:Kruytbuilding, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.jpg|thumb|left|200px|The Hugo R. Kruytbuilding at Utrecht University houses part of the research groups of the Bijvoet Centre.]]The Bijvoet Centre has a staff of around 150 people, including about 10 full professors, 20 senior researchers, 50 postdocs and 50 PhD students.<ref name="EUROSCHOLARS">{{Cite news
|title=In the Spotlight: Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research at Utrecht University
|newspaper=EUROSCHOLARS
|date=December 2010
|url=http://www.eurolearn.org/Quotes/QuoteID315/
}}</ref>
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.<ref name="DUB_1">{{Cite news
|title=Bijvoet Centrum (1): ziektes bestrijden op atomair niveau
|newspaper=DUB
|author=Erik Hardeman
|date=October 30, 2012
|language=Dutch
|url=http://www.dub.uu.nl/artikel/achtergrond/bijvoet-centrum-1-ziektes-bestrijden-op-atomair-niveau.html
}}</ref>  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 [[Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator|CFTR]] when it is mutated due to a genetic defect.<ref name="DUB_2">{{Cite news
|title=Bijvoet Centrum (2): Een medicijn voor taaislijmziekte
|newspaper=DUB
|author=Erik Hardeman
|date=October 31, 2012
|language=Dutch
|url=http://www.dub.uu.nl/artikel/achtergrond/bijvoet-centrum-2-medicijn-voor-taaislijmziekte.html
}}</ref> Another example is the development of so-called ''nanobullets'', which are small [[antibody]] fragments, based on the [[Single-domain antibody|single-chain antibodies]] found in [[llama]]s to target chemotherapeutics directly to cancer cells in a cancer patient.<ref name="DUB_3">{{Cite news
|title=Bijvoet Centrum (3): Met lama's kanker te lijf
|newspaper=DUB
|author=Erik Hardeman
|date=November 1, 2012
|language=Dutch
|url=http://www.dub.uu.nl/artikel/achtergrond/bijvoet-centrum-3-lamas-kanker-te-lijf.html
}}</ref>
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.<ref name="Volkskrant">{{cite news
|newspaper=[[Volkskrant]]
|title=Winnaar Spinozapremie 2010: Piet Gros, biomacromoleculair kristallograaf
|date=June 7, 2010
|author=Martijn van Calmthout
|url=http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2672/Wetenschap-Gezondheid/article/detail/996612/2010/06/07/Winnaar-Spinozapremie-2010-Piet-Gros-biomacromoleculair-kristallograaf.dhtml
|language=Dutch}}</ref><ref name="sciencenewsline">{{cite web
|website=www.sciencenewsline.com
|title=NWO Spinoza Prize for Psychologist, Astronomer, Chemist And Classicist
|date=June 7, 2010
|url=http://www.sciencenewsline.com/articles/2010060700007699.html
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130615193019/http://www.sciencenewsline.com/articles/2010060700007699.html
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=June 15, 2013
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|publisher=NOS|url=https://nos.nl/artikel/2178524-eiwit-onderzoeker-albert-heck-wint-spinozapremie.html|title=Eiwit-onderzoeker Albert Heck wint Spinozapremie|language=Dutch|date=June 17, 2017}}</ref>
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,<ref name="C2W_DNP">{{Cite news
|title=Nieuwe NMR ziet ook gevouwen eiwitten
|newspaper=Chemisch2Weekblad
|author=Frank van Geel
|date=December 10, 2011
|language=Dutch
}}</ref> novel methods for the high-throughput, [[proteomics]] based analysis of [[protein phosphorylation]]<ref name="C2W_fosfor">{{Cite news
|title=Moeilijk te vangen fosforgroepen
|newspaper=Chemisch2Weekblad Life Sciences
|author=Marysa van den Berg
|date=June 23, 2012
|language=Dutch
}}</ref> and the development, together with the company [[Thermo Fisher Scientific]], of a new mass spectrometer that allows the analysis of intact protein complexes, including [[Monoclonal antibody therapy|therapeutic antibodies]].<ref name="labonline">{{cite web
|title=Unravelling complex biomolecular structures
|work=www.labonline.au
|date=November 30, 2012
|url=http://www.labonline.com.au/articles/57522-Unravelling-complex-biomolecular-structures
}}</ref> 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.<ref name="DUB_4">{{Cite news
|title=Bijvoet Centrum deelt succesformule op internet
|publisher=DUB
|author=Henk Klomp
|date=May 6, 2013
|url=http://www.dub.uu.nl/artikel/achtergrond/bijvoet-centrum-deelt-succesformule-op-internet.html
|language=Dutch
}}</ref>
==Education==
The Bijvoet Centre hosts a large number of both Dutch and foreign PhD, master and bachelor level students with backgrounds in Chemistry, Pharmacy, Biology, Biomedical Sciences and related fields. All research groups provide education and research training programs for master level and PhD level students <ref name="EUROSCHOLARS"/> and, since 1992, the educational programme for PhD students of the Bijvoet Centre has been accredited by the [[Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences]].<ref name="KNAW">{{Cite web
|title=Accredited research schools
|publisher=Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
|url=https://www.knaw.nl/en/thematisch/kwaliteit/kwaliteitsoordelen/accredited-research-schools/accredited-research-schools
}}</ref>
In 2012, the Bijvoet Centre was the first institute in the [[Life Sciences]] in Europe to receive the prestigious Innovative Doctoral Programme grant from the [[Marie Curie Actions|Marie Curie Initial Training Network]] programme of the [[7th Framework Programme]] of the [[European Union]].<ref name="AgentschapNL">{{Cite news
|title=Unieke toekenning Innovative Doctoral Programme voor Nederlands onderzoek naar eiwit
|newspaper=Agentschap NL
|date=November 12, 2012
|language=Dutch
|url=http://www.agentschapnl.nl/actueel/nieuws/unieke-toekenning-innovative-doctoral-programme-voor-nederlands-onderzoek-naar-eiwit
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130615193050/http://www.agentschapnl.nl/actueel/nieuws/unieke-toekenning-innovative-doctoral-programme-voor-nederlands-onderzoek-naar-eiwit
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=June 15, 2013
}}</ref><ref name="NOG">{{Cite news
|title=Flinke subsidie voor Universiteit Utrecht
|newspaper=Nationale Onderwijsgids
|author=Martijn van Noppen
|date=September 18, 2012
|language=Dutch
|url=http://www.nationaleonderwijsgids.nl/universiteit/nieuws/12582-flinke-subsidie-voor-universiteit-utrecht.html
}}</ref>
==Facilities==
The Bijvoet Centre has leading infrastructures in protein mass spectrometry, electron microscopy, high-resolution NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography to analyze the structure of biomolecules <ref name="EUROSCHOLARS"/><ref name="MERIL">{{cite web
|title=Bijvoet Center - Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research
|work=MERIL - Mapping of the European Research Infrastructure Landscape
|url=https://portal.meril.eu/meril/view/facilitys/15433
|accessdate=Sep 4, 2019
}}</ref>
and the centre participates in the European [[ESFRI]] project Instruct for integrated structural biology.<ref name="Instruct_1">{{Cite web
|title=Bijvoet Centre - UU
|publisher=Instruct
|url=https://instruct-eric.eu/centre/bijvoet-center---uu/
|accessdate=Sep 4, 2019
}}</ref><ref name="Instruct_2">{{Cite web
|title=Structural biologists share their toys
|date=February 28, 2012
|first=Ewen
|last=Callaway
|publisher=Nature
|url=http://www.nature.com/news/structural-biologists-share-their-toys-1.10122
}}</ref>
Since 2005, the research group of prof. dr. [[Albert J.R. Heck]] in the centre is the host of the [[Netherlands Proteomics Centre]],<ref name="Ublad_NPC">{{Cite news
|title=Albert Heck zet Utrechts eiwit-onderzoek op de kaart
|newspaper=Ublad
|date=February 10, 2005
|language=Dutch
}}</ref> and in 2012 the institute received funding to continue their efforts in proteomics as part of the Dutch National Roadmap for Research Infrastructures.<ref name="DUB_Roadmap">{{Cite news
|title=Miljoenen voor supermagneet en eiwit-onderzoek in De Uithof
|newspaper=DUB
|date=March 2, 2012
|author=Xander Bronkhorst
|language=Dutch
|url=http://www.dub.uu.nl/artikel/nieuws/miljoenen-voor-supermagneet-en-eiwit-onderzoek-uithof.html
}}</ref><ref name="UU_Roadmap">{{Cite web
|title=32 miljoen euro voor twee grootschalige onderzoeksfaciliteiten
|publisher=Utrecht University
|date=March 2, 2012
|language=Dutch
|url=http://www.uu.nl/NL/Actueel/Pages/32miljoeneurovoortweegrootschaligeonderzoeksfaciliteiten.aspx
}}</ref><ref name="UU_Roadmap_Instruct">{{Cite web
|title=Utrecht coordinates collaboration in life sciences: 32 million euro for two large-scale research facilities
|publisher=Instruct
|date=March 2012
|url=http://www.structuralbiology.eu/support/whats-on/news/utrecht-coordinates-collaboration-life-sciences-32-million-euro-two-large-0}}</ref> Among the extensive NMR facilities available at the institute is also a unique [[Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance|solid state]] [[Dynamic nuclear polarisation|DNP]]-NMR spectrometer.<ref name="Azom_DNP">{{Cite news
|title=Bruker Announces Installation of 527 GHz Solid State DNP-NMR Spectrometer at University of Utrecht
|newspaper=Azom.com
|date=March 21, 2013
|url=http://www.azom.com/news.aspx?newsID=36140
}}</ref> In 2012 the institute acquired funding to obtain one of the world's first 1.2&nbsp;GHz NMR spectrometers, as part of the uNMR-NL project, coordinated by prof. [[Marc Baldus]] and funded by the [[Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research]] (NWO) with 18.5M Euro, to establish a national infrastructure for ultra-high field NMR spectroscopy, a joined initiative between Utrecht University, the [[Radboud University Nijmegen]], [[Wageningen University and Research Centre|Wageningen University]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wageningenur.nl/nl/show/18.5-million-euro-for-largescale-NMR-research-facility.htm|title=18.5 million euro for large-scale NMR research facility|publisher=Wageningen University|date=2 March 2012|accessdate=2016-03-18}}</ref> [[Leiden University]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://macbio.lic.leidenuniv.nl/news/185-miljoen-euro-voor-grootschalige-nmr-onderzoeksfaciliteit|title=18.5 miljoen euro voor grootschalige NMR onderzoeksfaciliteit|language=NL|publisher=Leiden University|date=19 March 2012|accessdate=2016-03-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409105200/http://macbio.lic.leidenuniv.nl/news/185-miljoen-euro-voor-grootschalige-nmr-onderzoeksfaciliteit|archive-date=9 April 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Eindhoven University of Technology]] and the Dutch public-private partnership COAST for the analytical sciences.<ref name="DUB_Roadmap"/><ref name="UU_Roadmap"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.structuralbiology.eu/support/whats-on/news/utrecht-coordinates-collaboration-life-sciences-32-million-euro-two-large-0|title=Utrecht coordinates collaboration in life sciences: 32 million euro for two large-scale research facilities|publisher=Instruct|accessdate=2016-03-18}}</ref> On November 5, 2015, Dutch state secretary Sander Dekker officially opened the new national NMR facility at the Bijvoet Centre.<ref name="UtrechtNieuws">{{Cite news
|title=Staatssecretaris Dekker opent uNMR-NL-faciliteit
|language=NL
|newspaper=utrecht.nieuws.nl
|publisher=nieuws.nl
|date=November 4, 2015
|url=http://utrecht.nieuws.nl/onderwijswetenschap/49790/staatssecretaris-dekker-opent-unmr-nl/
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Staatssecretaris Dekker opent ultrasterke 'MRI' voor moleculen
|url=http://pers.uu.nl/staatssecretaris-dekker-opent-ultrasterke-mri-voor-moleculen/
|publisher=Universiteit Utrecht
|language=NL
|date=November 6, 2015}}</ref>
== Bijvoet Medal ==
The Bijvoet Centre awards the [[:Category:Bijvoet Medal recipients|Bijvoet Medal]] to scientists with an outstanding contribution to furthering the fields of biomolecular chemistry and/or structural biology. Previous recipients of the Bijvoet Medal include [[Hartmut Michel]], [[Matthias Mann]], [[Nicolaas Bloembergen]], [[Kurt Wüthrich]], [[Ivano Bertini (chemist)|Ivano Bertini]]<ref>{{Cite journal
|url=https://cen.acs.org/articles/90/i39/Ivano-Bertini.html |title=Ivano Bertini |last=Ainsworth |first=Susan J. |date=September 24, 2012 |journal=Chemical & Engineering News |volume=90 |issue=39 |publisher=[[American Chemical Society]] |access-date=2023-08-09
}}</ref> as well as former scientific director [[Hans Vliegenthart]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.uu.nl/en/research/bijvoet-centre-for-biomolecular-research/about-us/bijvoet-medal|title=Bijvoet Medal|publisher= Bijvoet Centre for Biomolecular Research|accessdate=2020-01-29}}</ref>
== Scientific Directors ==
Since the Bijvoet Centre was founded, the following people have served as scientific director of the institute:
* 2023-now : [[Friedrich Förster]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.uu.nl/en/news/friedrich-forster-new-scientific-director-of-the-bijvoet-centre|title=Friedrich Forster new scientific director of the Bijvoet Centre|publisher=Utrecht University}}</ref>
* 2019-2023 : [[Alexandre Bonvin]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.uu.nl/en/news/alexandre-bonvin-new-scientific-director-of-the-bijvoet-center|title=Alexandre Bonvin new scientific director of the Bijvoet Centre|publisher=Utrecht University|accessdate=2019-10-03|date=9 September 2019}}</ref>
* 2016-2019: [[Marc Baldus]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.uu.nl/en/news/marc-baldus-new-scientific-director-of-the-bijvoet-center|title=Marc Baldus new scientific director of the Bijvoet Center|publisher=Utrecht University|accessdate=2019-10-03|date=6 April 2016}}</ref>
* 2012-2016: [[Piet Gros]]
* 2006-2011: [[Albert J.R. Heck]]
* 2000-2006: [[Rob Kaptein]]
* 1988-2000: [[Hans Vliegenthart]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
== External links==
* [http://www.uu.nl/research/bijvoet Website of the Bijvoet Centre]
{{authority control}}
[[Category:Research institutes in the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Utrecht University]]
[[Category:Research institutes established in 1988]]