Pharmacology, LACDR, University Leiden

What Pharmacology, LACDR, University Leiden does

The Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR) is a multidisciplinary drug discovery and development research centre within Leiden University's Faculty of Science, located at the Leiden Bio Science Park in the Netherlands. Founded in 1987 with 27 staff, LACDR operates four research divisions — BioTherapeutics, Cell Systems and Drug Safety, Medicinal Chemistry, and Systems Pharmacology and Pharmacy — alongside the Metabolomics and Analytics Centre. Its core technology platform combines imaging-based phenotypic screening, organ-on-a-chip 3D co-culture systems, computational systems pharmacology, multi-modal omics (transcriptomics, metabolomics), and cheminformatics to advance target identification, lead discovery, and personalised medicine. Supporting infrastructure includes the Cell Observatory and the BioMedical Metabolomics Facility Leiden (BMFL).

LACDR serves three primary segments: graduate and postgraduate students enrolled in BSc, MSc, and PhD programmes in Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacy; academic researchers and PhD candidates pursuing drug discovery; and bio-pharmaceutical companies — particularly those based at the Leiden Bio Science Park — engaging in joint research and contract projects. As a non-profit academic institution, LACDR generates revenue primarily through public research grants (NWO, EU Framework programmes, Dutch ministry funding), industry contract research via partnerships such as the LED3 hub, and IP/licensing/royalty streams from spin-offs commercialised with support from Luris. Recent grant awards include over €1 million for BRCA1 cancer treatment research, and the centre's spin-off Mimetas was acquired by Bruker Corporation in August 2026. Its GTM motion is community-led, centred on student recruitment, academic publications, industry collaborations, and public-facing events and seminars.

Name

Pharmacology, LACDR, University Leiden

Legal name

Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research

Website

https://lacdr.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

LACDR is a non-profit academic drug discovery centre within Leiden University's Faculty of Science, conducting multidisciplinary research across four divisions and a metabolomics centre, while training students in Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences and partnering with bio-pharmaceutical companies at the Leiden Bio Science Park.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Pharmaceutical Research

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Translational Medicine & Biomarkers (HLAIALAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Library & Diversity Generation Platforms (display libraries, DNA-encoded libraries for biologics, variant libraries) (HLAAAIAL), Cellomics & High-Content Screening (HCS) Services (HLAGANAD)

Keywords

• Academic drug research
• Biopharmaceutical sciences education
• Drug discovery research
• Metabolomics analytics services
• Organ-on-chip technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Leiden, Nederland

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Public Research Funding: As an academic centre within Leiden University, LACDR's primary revenue derives from government research grants (e.g., NWO, EU Framework programmes, Dutch ministry funding) and institutional funding. Research is conducted under public funding schemes and does not operate on a commercial revenue model.
2. Industry Research Collaborations: LACDR engages in joint research projects with bio-pharmaceutical companies based at the Leiden Bio Science Park, generating contract research revenue. The LED3 hub facilitates industry partnerships.
3. Spin-off Technology Commercialisation: Research outcomes are commercialised through spin-off companies. Mimetas, a spin-off from Thomas Hankemeier's research group, was acquired by Bruker Corporation, illustrating technology transfer and IP licensing as a revenue mechanism.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

LACDR is an academic centre of excellence within Leiden University conducting multidisciplinary research on drug discovery and development across four divisions (BioTherapeutics, Cell Systems and Drug Safety, Medicinal Chemistry, Systems Pharmacology and Pharmacy) and the Metabolomics and Analytics Centre. It delivers degree education in Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences (BSc, MSc), Pharmacy (MSc), and a PhD programme, alongside contract research collaborations with bio-pharmaceutical industry partners.

Product overview

The Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR) is an academic research institute at Leiden University, not a product company. It conducts multidisciplinary research on drug discovery and development through four research divisions (BioTherapeutics, Cell Systems and Drug Safety, Medicinal Chemistry, Systems Pharmacology and Pharmacy) and one research centre (Metabolomics and Analytics Centre). The institute offers educational programs in Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences (BSc, MSc, PhD) and operates research facilities including the Cell Observatory and BioMedical Metabolomics Facility Leiden (BMFL). No commercial products are offered by LACDR.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BSc Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences Bachelor's degree programme in Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences providing foundational training for prospective students in pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical sciences.
• MSc Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences Master's degree programme in Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences providing advanced training in drug discovery and biopharmaceutical research for graduate students.
• MSc Pharmacy Master's degree programme in Pharmacy providing graduate-level training for students pursuing careers in pharmacy practice and pharmaceutical sciences.
• LACDR PhD Programme PhD research training programme at LACDR providing postgraduate researchers with personalised research environments and supervision by internationally renowned supervisors in drug discovery and development.
• Contract research collaboration services Joint research project and contract research services delivered to bio-pharmaceutical companies, leveraging LACDR's imaging-based phenotypic screening, organ-on-a-chip, computational systems pharmacology, and medicinal chemistry capabilities.
• BioMedical Metabolomics Facility Leiden (BMFL) services Metabolomics and analytics services delivered through the BioMedical Metabolomics Facility Leiden, providing innovative analytical strategies for metabolomics-driven health monitoring and systems biology studies.
• Cell Observatory services Advanced imaging and cell analysis facility services supporting drug target discovery, phenotypic screening, and characterisation of 3D and organ-on-a-chip model systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• Mimetas spin-off acquired by Bruker Corporation — demonstrating successful translation of academic research into commercialised technology.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bruker CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2026Mimetas, a spin-off from Thomas Hankemeier's LACDR research group, was acquired by Bruker Corporation in August 2026, representing successful technology transfer from academic research to commercial application in the biotech/pharma space.
• Leiden Institute of Chemistry (LIC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLACDR collaborates with the Leiden Institute of Chemistry (LIC) through the LED3 hub (Leiden Early Drug Discovery & Development), a joint initiative to accelerate drug discovery from academia to application.
• Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLACDR collaborates with the Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL) through the LED3 hub, a partnership between LACDR, LIC, and IBL to advance early drug discovery and development.
• Bio-pharmaceutical industry (Leiden Bio Science Park)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLACDR actively seeks collaborations with bio-pharmaceutical companies located at the Leiden Bio Science Park, one of Europe's largest science parks. Proximity enables joint research projects and knowledge exchange.
• Sanquin Blood SupplycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration between Sanquin Blood Supply and LACDR (via Marieke Vinkenoog's PhD research through the Data Science Research Programme) to develop machine learning models for predicting donor haemoglobin levels and improving blood donation efficiency.
• dsm-firmenichcoreStrategic or Co-development Partnerdsm-firmenich partners with Leiden University's Faculty of Science through the Krijn Rietveld Memorial Awards (Graduate Societal Impact Award, Doctoral Societal Impact Award, Business Development Grant), honouring researchers who turn scientific insight into real-world impact in life sciences and biotechnology.
• Luris (Leiden University Knowledge Exchange Office)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLuris is Leiden University's knowledge exchange office that supports technology transfer, spin-off development, and industry partnerships. It provides business advice and network access to researchers and startups, including recipients of the Krijn Rietveld Business Development Grant.
• SAILS (Society, Artificial Intelligence and Life Sciences)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAILS is Leiden University's interdisciplinary AI research programme. LACDR participates in SAILS alongside other faculties, applying AI and data science methods to life sciences and drug discovery research.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Bruker Corporation: Major life-sciences instrumentation company that acquired LACDR spin-off Mimetas; relevant as the acquirer of LACDR-derived technology and as a commercial counterpart for metabolomics/imaging platforms the centre develops.

Direct peers

• University of Cambridge, Centre for Drug Discovery: UK academic drug discovery centre running translational research, medicinal chemistry, and industry partnerships; comparable mission and structure, though at larger scale and with broader global visibility.
• VU Amsterdam, Amsterdam Institute for Molecular and Life Sciences: Dutch university institute performing pharmaceutical and life sciences research with translational focus; directly comparable academic research environment operating in the same national funding and regulatory context as LACDR.
• EPFL, Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering: Swiss institute conducting drug discovery, medicinal chemistry, and chemical biology research with strong industry ties; closely aligned with LACDR's multidisciplinary, platform-driven approach.
• ETH Zürich, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences: Leading European university department with multidisciplinary drug discovery and medicinal chemistry research, pharmaceutical sciences training, and strong industry collaboration models — closely comparable to LACDR's structure and mission.
• University of Oxford, Drug Discovery Institute: UK-based academic drug discovery unit combining medicinal chemistry, biology, and translational research with industry engagement — comparable in scope and operating model to LACDR's divisions.
• KU Leuven, Drug Discovery & Medicinal Chemistry: Belgian academic drug discovery research cluster with translational and pharmaceutical sciences programmes, located adjacent to a major life sciences industry cluster — comparable in scope, mission, and industry-academia integration model.
• Utrecht University, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences: Dutch academic institute conducting pharmaceutical sciences and drug discovery research with adjacent industry partnerships; highly comparable in geographic, structural, and disciplinary positioning to LACDR.
• University of Groningen, Groningen Research Institute of Pharmacy: Dutch pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences research institute offering comparable degree programmes (BSc, MSc, PhD), industry collaborations, and multidisciplinary drug discovery research structure.
• Karolinska Institutet, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics: Swedish academic institute conducting translational biomedical and pharmaceutical research with industry partnerships; comparable in research scope, educational programmes, and technology transfer orientation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xbsky.app/profile/unileiden.bsky.social
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/UniversiteitLeiden
• Facebookfacebook.com/UniversiteitLeiden
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/biopharmaceutics-leiden-amsterdam-centre-for-drug-research
• Instagraminstagram.com/universiteitleiden

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Pharmacology, LACDR, University Leiden