The Centre for Human Drug Research (CHDR) is about to open a new location in Twente. At this location, the Leiden-based drug research institute will work closely with the regional hospital Medisch Spectrum Twente (MST) and University of Twente’s Technical Medical Centre (TechMed Centre). The three parties signed a cooperation agreement yesterday. CHDR will be located on the MST site, where building renovation will start soon.
The collaboration of CHDR, MST and the TechMed Centre will give a strong impulse to medical drug research in Twente, as well as significantly strengthen the infrastructure for research and education in this field with an innovative approach. In doing so, the three parties will soon be better able to conduct innovative clinical drug research that should ultimately lead to better results for patients. The cooperation between CHDR, MST and TechMed Centre promotes entrepreneurship in the region, creates new jobs and enhances the sector’s appeal to potential employees.
Better patient outcomes
MST and UT’s TechMed Centre have been collaborating closely for many years on medical technology research and care innovations using medical technology. Collaboration encompasses research as well as training and education. As a leading clinical hospital, MST focuses on applied research mainly in the medtech domain. MST can provide housing for CHDR. Thanks to its scientific knowledge and expertise in medical technology innovations, UT has a strong reputation for societal impact and is already collaborating with CHDR on a project-by-project basis. CHDR has a long tradition of innovative clinical drug research and is an accredited training institution for the teaching of clinical pharmacology.
By joining forces, the three organisations expect to make a unique and significant contribution to international drug research. This will enable new drugs to be developed and evaluated more rapidly, resulting in faster availability and better treatment outcomes for patients.
Strengthening cooperation
CEO of CHDR Professor Geert Jan Groeneveld welcomes the initiative: “CHDR is looking forward to establishing a presence in Twente and carrying out technically innovative clinical drug research in close collaboration with MST and UT. Collaboration between a major hospital, a university of technology and an institute conducting phase 1 drug research is unique, so this is a hugely exciting step!”
Professor Jouke Tamsma, Medical Director at UT’s TechMed Centre shares his enthusiasm: “The collaboration between CHDR, MST and UT is a unique opportunity to connect three worlds to achieve better outcomes for patients. It is both a significant and a logical new step for the increasingly converging worlds of medical technology and drug research.”
Professor Miriam Vollenbroek-Hutten, Member of the Board of Directors, gives MST’s perspective: “We are delighted with the arrival of CHDR and our collaboration with the TechMed Centre. Both underline our ambitions as a leading clinical hospital with a MedTech profile. This initiative offers our staff development opportunities and helps improve our patient care through a commitment to drug research and innovative methods that enable us to study the working of drugs more effectively than ever before.”
About CHDR
The Centre for Human Drug Research (CHDR) is a non-profit foundation. Since 1987, CHDR has been conducting innovative clinical drug research on behalf of various pharmaceutical companies. Their aim is to study whether a new drug has the intended effect, how it behaves in the body and whether it has any side effects. These studies are conducted both in healthy volunteers and in small groups of patients. Extensive testing is essential for establishing whether a drug is effective and entirely safe to be placed on the market.
Alongside research conducted with pharmaceutical companies, CHDR also performs its own studies. These studies typically aim to find new biomarkers and methods for effectively measuring drug effects.
Photo above, from left to right: Eliane Mocking-Nieuwenhuis (UT), Koos Burggraaf (CHDR), Vinod Subramaniam (UT), Miriam Vollenbroek-Hutten (MST), Geert Jan Groeneveld (CHDR), Anouk de Jong (CHDR), Bärbel van den Berg-de Bakker (MST), Jan-Willem Jansen (MST).
