Dr. Laura Heitman of the Division of Medicinal Chemistry Leiden is this year's winner of the C.J. Kok People’s Choice Award and was named Discoverer of the Year 2009!

Employees and students from the Leiden University Faculty of Sciences were able to vote for their favorite researcher over the past weeks. The prize was awarded on January 11th at the Faculty of Sciences New Years’ reception.

Dr. Heitman discovered a new approach to influence GnRH- and LH- receptors in the cell membrane.  This offers possibilities for new medicines which are less intrusive for the patient.

Laura Heitman (1981) studied Bio-Pharmaceutal Sciences in Leiden. Soon, she was enthralled by the processes involved in receptor function. From 2004 to 2008 she did her PhD research at the Division of Medicinal Chemistry Leiden under Professor Ad IJzerman. Since January 2009, she has been operating as assistant professor in a tenure track position at the same division.