This year’s Semmelweis Symposium addressed new challenges and good practices in clinical research and innovation. The accompanying programs of the conference included a visit to the Phase I Center of the Department of Internal Medicine and Oncology, headed by Dr. István Takács. We asked two internationally renowned plenary speakers of the Symposium about their experiences there.
“A prerequisite for the implementation of high-quality early phase clinical trials is the availability of adequate quantity and quality of research during the development. This is the factor in which Semmelweis University performs outstandingly in international comparison,” emphasized Dr. Oren Cohen, professor of immunology and infectious diseases at the Faculty of Medicine at Duke University, and the medical director of LabCorp Drug Development. “At Semmelweis University, early phase clinical trials are conducted at three accredited Phase I centers. The three centers are each specified in studies conducted in different fields: one in pediatrics, one in intervention, and one in general internal medicine,” said Dr. János Filakovszky, Director of the Clinical Research Coordinating Center, who organized the event and accompanied the guests. The experiences gained in the early phase clinical trials, as well as the relationship established with development companies facilitate the university’s participation in later phases of development.
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“During the pandemic period, the number of early phase clinical trials declined significantly worldwide. This is a new challenge for the profession, which highlights the role of teamwork and intensive international cooperation,” pointed out Dr. András Maifeld, a member of the Berlin-based Charité Research Organization specialized in conducting Phase I trials. To facilitate international cooperation, Charité University is working to build an academic network in which research centers at Semmelweis University might get a prominent role.
Veronika Szelid
Photo: Norbert Hartyányi
