Oxidative stress plays a crucial role in numerous diseases and pathological processes such as inflammation and neurotoxicity. As targets, we focus on the adaptor protein Keap1, which regulates the endogenous antioxidant response, and the superoxide-generating multi-subunit enzyme complex NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2).

We screen our libraries of fragments (small substructures of drug like molecules) by biochemical and sensitive biophysical methods (FP, SPR, ligand-based NMR). Promising hits are optimized into lead compounds by medicinal chemistry, X-ray crystallography, and pharmacological assays.

Biochemical assays, SPR*, and medicinal chemistry are core competences of our group, and X-ray crystallography is performed in close collaboration with internal colleague Prof. Michael Gajhede using various beamlines in Europe, e.g. ESRF (Grenoble), EMBL (Hamburg), MAX IV (Lund), and Diamond Light Source (Oxfordshire). NMR for studying ligand-protein interactions is done with collaborators in Germany (Helmholtz Zentrum München) and Denmark (Technical University of Denmark), and testing in disease models by collaborators in Denmark (University of Copenhagen and University of Southern Denmark), Sweden (Lund University and Karolinska Institute), and USA (University of Miami).

(*See SelectScience interview about our Pioneer system and how we use it)

We are also engaged in collaborative projects within brain cancer (with Asc. Prof. Petra Hamerlik, Danish Cancer Society Research Center) and bacterial targets (with Prof. Morten O. A. Sommer, Technical University of Denmark).

We thank the following foundations for their generous support of our research:

• HALOS Cross Border Research Grant (2019)
• Augustinus Foundation (2014, 2016, and 2018)
• China Scholarship Council (2017, 2018, and 2019)
• DRA/Lundbeck Foundation scholarship (2017)
• Lundbeck Foundation - Fellowship Starting Grant (2015) and Travel Grants (2017)
• The A.P. Møller Foundation for the Advancement of Medical Science (2014)
• Weimann Grant (2014)
• Hørslev Foundation (2014)

If you are you interested in doing a master thesis project in the group, please send your CV, grades and motivations to anders.bach@sund.ku.dk for further discussions. We have projects both within chemistry and biological areas of drug discovery.

- See examples of Master Thesis Projects here.

Currently we have no open PhD and postdoc positions in our group, but we are always interested in hearing from talented and potential candidates. If you are interested in becoming part of our group please send your CV and motivations to anders.bach@sund.ku.dk