Department of Life Sciences and Medicine

Research at the Department of Life Sciences and Medicine (DLSM) seeks fundamental understanding of human diseases to help us detect, prevent and treat illnesses. Combining molecular, cellular and computational approaches, research at DLSM focuses on the fundamental understanding of biological processes relevant to human diseases to make use of it for biomedical applications. The centrepiece of this research is the cell which serves as a unifying principle for life. The capacity of cells to divide, to differentiate into various types or to migrate is crucial for tissue integrity, renewal and function. The behaviour of cells is tightly controlled in time and space by signals they receive from their environment. When cells fail to communicate, the consequences can be severe. Many high impact diseases, including cancer and inflammatory diseases, are caused by abnormal cell communication and abnormal cell behaviour.

The Department of Life Science and Medicine (DLSM) is composed of six research areas. These are: