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Organisation

Molecular and Biochemical Pharmacology

Research Group

Lifecycle:1 Jan 1970 →  1 Jan 2020
Organisation profile:

The main objectives of research within MBFA are: 1. Identification and characterisation of hormone and neurotransmitter receptors. We are especially interested in the difference between agonist- and antagonist- receptor interactions and in the pharmacology of new receptor subclasses. This may contribute to the development of new and more efficient drugs for clinical therapy. 2. Investigation of the mechanisms of receptor regulation by physiological and patho- physiological conditions with special emphasis to pathologies of the human CNS (brains are obtained in collaboration with Prof G. Ebinger, Dept. Neurology, AZ-VUB). 3. The interaction between natural products from plants, animal venoms (conotoxins) and functional foods with receptors and their ligands. The aim is to find new tools for discriminating receptors and receptor subtypes from each other and to find leads for new classes of therapeutical drugs. 4. Investigation of the physiological and clinical relevance of membrane proteins with a potential receptor-like activity. Recent developments in the fields of molecular pharmacology and molecular biology have led to the discovery of proteins (e.g. imidazoline receptors, 'orphan' receptors) with a potential role in signal transmission.

Keywords:Angiotensin Ii, Cell Lines, Pharmacology, autoradiografie, Human Brain, Insurmountable Antagonism, Receptors, Conotoxines, Angiotensin II, Autoradiography, NPY, angiotensin IV, Monoamines, Receptor Mutants, Lipolysis, Radioligand Binding, Natural Products
Disciplines:Neurosciences, Pharmacology, Medical biochemistry and metabolism