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Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences

Eva Meeus receives NWO Rubicon grant

25 July 2024

Chemist Dr Eva Meeus, a PhD graduate of the Van ’t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences at the University of Amsterdam, has been awarded a Rubicon grant by the Dutch Research Council NWO. She will use this grant to work in the lab of Prof. Bill Morandi at ETH Zurich, Switzerland, as a postdoc for two years. In her research, she will work on new synthetic methodologies that pave the way for novel cancer treatments with reduced side effects. Based on the concept of ‘shuttle catalysis’, these methodologies will enable the local activation of drug precursor molecules.
Dr Eva Meeus. Photo by Roos Meeus.

Many cancer patients suffer from the side effects of cancer medication. With the number of cancer cases increasing each year worldwide, it is crucial to develop innovative treatments that minimize side effects. A promising approach is to locally convert prodrugs (pharmacologically inactive molecules) into active drugs.

To realize treatments based on prodrug-to-drug conversions, however, the development of new and complementary synthetic methodologies is required. Meeus hopes to fulfil this need by developing a new methodology based on shuttle catalysis. This research will open new avenues for innovative cancer treatments with reduced side effects by piloting a shuttle catalysis-based methodology for local prodrug-to-drug conversions.

In March of this year, Meeus already started working as a postdoc in the group of Prof. Bill Morandi at ETH Zurich, which is well-known for developing new concepts in catalysis to tackle major synthetic challenges in organic chemistry. Per September, this will be extended for 2 more years, supported by the Rubicon grant.

About Eva Meeus

Dr Eva Meeus obtained her PhD in January 2024 at the University of Amsterdam’s Van ‘t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences under the supervision of Prof. Joost Reek and Prof. Bas de Bruin (research group Homogeneous, Supramolecular and Bio-inspired Catalysis). During her PhD, she worked on radical-type catalysis in aqueous and biologically relevant media to explore its application potential in intracellular drug synthesis in living cells. In this context, she visited the University of Basel (Switzerland) to investigate asymmetric radical-type transformations catalyzed by artificial metalloenzymes under the supervision of Prof. Thomas Ward. This visit was supported by a Mobility Grant from the Holland Research School of Molecular Chemistry (HRSMC). Currently, she is working at ETH Zurich (Switzerland) to further explore the application of catalysis for intracellular drug synthesis by developing new synthetic methodologies for catalytic prodrug-to-drug conversions under the supervision of Prof. Bill Morandi.

See also