Research Focus

Clinical Pharmacology

Area of Research

Effects of growth, development and diseases on how to optimize the use of medicines in neonates, infants, children and adolescents; Developmental pharmacology, pharmacometrics & systems pharmacology (computer modeling and simulation), pharmacogenetics, and pharmacoepidemiology; Development of bedside decision support tools to benefit sick children and their caregivers; State-of-the-art cloud based computer lab for systems pharmacology and pharmacometrics research

• A randomized controlled trial of adjunct corticosteroid therapy in hospitalized children with community acquired pneumonia (CAP): THE KIDS-STEP STUDY
• Optimizing the use of Methadone in Newborn Infants
• Metabolism and Toxicity of Acetaminophen in Preterm Infants
• Pediatric Toxicity and Efficacy in Long-term Systemic Treatment with Anti-sense
• Postdoctoral Research Training in Pediatric Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
• Bridging pharmacodynamics biomarkers to clinical outcomes in pediatric inflammatory diseases
• PK and dosing of metamizole in infants and children; internal funding; co-I
• KidMaCare study to investigate novel renal biomarkers in healthy infants and children and those with cancer; co-I

National Collaborations

• Leadership role in SNF funded SwissPedPha
• Collaboration between ETHZ, University of Basel and UKBB has resulted in a multiinvestigator proposal entitled: “Targeting a novel pathway for the treatment for pediatric psoriasis” that was submitted to the BRCCH inaugural funding scheme without receiving funding; This collaboration between Prof Pieters, Carreira and van den Anker will result in finding other funding mechanisms to support this important area in pediatric therapeutics

International Collaborations

• Dr. Samira Samiee-Zafarghandy, neonatal medicine specialist, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada on “the pharmacokinetics of ibuprofen in premature infants with a hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus”; She was awarded a Hamilton Health Sciences New Investigator Fund Grant based on our collaboration.
• Professor Rebecca Slater, Oxford University, “a PK/PD study following ibuprofen administration in children: linking pain-related changes in brain activity to ibuprofen pharmacokinetics in infants under 3 months old”, Prof Slater and Prof van den Anker are preparing a NICHD application to be submitted 2020.
• Professor Michael Rieder, London, Ontario and Professor Bruce Carleton, Vancouver, BC and Prof John van den Anker: multiple PIs NICHD R01 application with the general hypothesis “Patients with delayed HSRs to β-lactam antibiotics have a misdirected immune response to reactive drug metabolites of β-lactam antibiotics at the cellular and molecular level” will be submitted November 07, 2019

• A randomized controlled trial of adjunct corticosteroid therapy in hospitalized children with community acquired pneumonia (CAP): THE KIDS-STEP STUDY, 2017-2022; PI
• Bridging pharmacodynamics biomarkers to clinical outcomes in pediatric inflammatory diseases, 2016-2021; PI