The UMC Utrecht will have a facility for phase 1 human drug research. Here, a new drug will be administered to (healthy) people for the first time. With this new Phase 1 Unit led by U-TRIAL, early phase research within the six research programs of the UMC Utrecht gets a huge boost. This will allow UMC Utrecht to provide the full research pathway for new drugs. UMC Utrecht will thus become more attractive for follow-up research in which the drug is also studied in patients.
It takes a very long time for a drug to reach the market. Once researchers are ready to conduct research on humans, four phases will follow. During phase 1, (healthy) test subjects are administered the drug under strictly controlled conditions. The researchers check for side effects. Phase 1 Units are almost always linked to a hospital, because then action can be taken in case of complications.
The next three phases (phases 2, 3 and 4) also study the drug for effectiveness and side effects, in people who actually suffer from the condition for which the drug is intended. The patients needed for this may come from UMC Utrecht, for example. If the first phase of drug research has taken place at UMC Utrecht, it is more likely that subsequent research phases will also be conducted in collaboration with UMC Utrecht. Therefore, a Phase 1 Unit is an important development for UMC Utrecht and our patients.
U-TRIAL is part of the UMC Utrecht. It is a knowledge and expertise center for research into the efficacy and safety of (new) drugs. “As U-TRIAL, we have a driving function for clinical research within UMC Utrecht,” says Peter Gisberts, director of U-TRIAL. “This Phase 1 Unit helps with that because we can now facilitate all phases of research. That makes UMC Utrecht an even more interesting research partner for pharmaceutical and diagnostic institutions. And UMC Utrecht’s patients can benefit from this, as soon as a new drug can also be investigated in them.” The Phase 1 Unit is realized in cooperation with the South African research institute TASK.
U-TRIAL is in full the Utrecht Trial Innovation Alliance. U-TRIAL contributes to the mission of UMC Utrecht: together we improve people’s health and create the care of tomorrow. The knowledge and expertise center is there for both researchers within UMC Utrecht and external stakeholders such as research organizations and companies organizations that develop medical and diagnostic devices. U-TRIAL thus strengthens the climate for clinical studies within the six UMC Utrecht strategic programs. And that benefits the patient.