MMPs are endopeptidases that play an important role in different diseases such as cancer, COPD, arthritis and sepsis. On the one hand we will generate MMP specific inhibitors, such as inhibiting nanobodies and siRNAS. On the other hand, we will unravel the precies role of the different MMPs in inflammation by studying their expression pattern, the phenotype of the MMP in inflammation by studying their expression pattern, the phenotype of the MMP specific knock out mice, their substrates and their regulation.