Antwerp has a long tradition of clinical trials of childhood vaccines. The new Antwerp Pediatric Clinical Trial Network Chair aims to expand current expertise in pediatric clinical trials. The Chair also aims to initiate collaboration on clinical trials in children, focusing on vaccine research, to conduct more efficient clinical trials in Antwerp.
To achieve this, the Department of Pediatrics at UZA combined its expertise in clinical and academic studies in children with the pediatric expertise at the Antwerp hospitals GZA and ZNA and the expertise in vaccinations at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, including the Department of Vaccines & the Institute for Infectious Diseases (VAXINFECTIO) of the University of Antwerp .
The Antwerp Pediatric Clinical Trial Network Chair aims to create a sustainable collaboration and establish an official network with the following objectives :
- Establish an interinstitutional collaboration on pediatric clinical trials with an emphasis on vaccine trials and pediatric infection trials;
- Attracting pediatric clinical trials in these areas;
- The exchange of patients and research personnel in the context of the optimal conduct of clinical trials.
In addition, the partners also aim to organize joint meetings on future vaccine developments, to anticipate future research, and to jointly discuss and evaluate the process of pediatric vaccine trials.
- Chair holder: Stijn Verhulst (UZA and University of Antwerp), Daan Van Brusselen (ZAS and University of Antwerp), Ine Decuyper (ZAS and University of Antwerp) and Ilse De Coster (University of Antwerp)
- Faculty: Medicine and Health Sciences
- Active: since 2024
- Partners: Pfizer, Sanofi, GSK, UZA and ZAS