CHDR is one of only a handful of clinical research institutes in the world that maintains a relatively large R&D budget, representing approximately 10% of our turnover. Continuously developing new R&D programs ‒ often in collaboration with industrial and/or academic partners ‒ allows us to remain at the forefront of modern drug development, ensuring that we give our clients the best possible service.
Monitoring immune function following kidney transplantation
We recently launched a new project to develop, apply, and validate a battery of functional tests designed to measure immunosuppression in kidney transplant patients. This test battery will measure general immune status, patient-specific and antigen-specific responses, and the relationship between these responses and the drug’s concentration in the plasma. This project will result in a panel of diagnostic tests to help guide the pharmacological treatment of individual kidney transplant recipients, thereby minimising kidney damage, graft rejection, and the risk of immunodeficiency and/or drug toxicity. This multi-disciplinary project will capitalise on close collaboration between several research groups. CHDR will coordinate the project and will be responsible for the clinical pharmacology, and the Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC) Pharmacy and the departments of Immunology, Nephrology, and Clinical Chemistry will be indispensable. Moreover, the Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR) will develop pharmacometrics models to correlate drug concentration with drug effects, and Erasmus Medical Centre EMC will provide expert advice regarding transplantation immunology.
Mitochondrial function and hip fractures
Another new study at CHDR is designed to measure mitochondrial dysfunction as a prognostic factor for predicting patient recovery following surgical hip fracture repair in elderly patients. This project will provide a detailed picture of the recovery process by measuring physical parameters on a daily basis using CHDR's Trial@Home. The measurements include the patient’s weight, body-mass index, physical activity, and metabolism. This project will be performed in collaboration with the LUMC’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, and local hospitals (e.g. Bronovo Hospital and Alrijne Hospital) will help recruit patients for the study.
