Delphi Coppens

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Class of:

Current affiliation:

Utrecht University

Contact:

D.G.M.Coppens@uu.nl

Motivation:

Biomedical innovation has the potential to improve lives for many people that suffer from a wide range of diseases, including cancer. Gene and cell based therapy based products are designed to specifically target disease, which could result in improved efficacy and less side effects. However, there are many hurdles to cross from the lab to the clinic and ultimately to the patient. Policy and regulation are governmental structures that have a huge influence on technological progression in the field of gene and cell based therapy products. As the field is relatively new, insights can aid policy makers to optimize policy and regulation to stimulate patient access to these future medicines.

Education and experience:

At the University of Amsterdam I completed a bachelor in Bio-medical Sciences and a research master in Cognitive Science. After these studies I first started working in the pharmaceutical industry. Due to my interest in pharmaceuticals and their relation to society, I completed a second master in Medical Anthropology and Sociology. Consecutively I worked for the Access to Medicine Foundation, which aims to stimulate the pharmaceutical industry to improve access to medicine in developing countries.

Title PhD project:

Dynamic relations between regulation and development of gene and cell based therapy products

PhD project description:

The gene and cell based therapy products (GCT) field consists of a heterogeneous set of technologies, including direct gene transfer through vectors and induced pluripotent stem cells. These often have unique benefits and risks compared to other medicinal products. In addition, the context in which GCTs are developed is different than for most other medicinal products. Research & development (R&D) activities are deeply rooted in clinical practice. Consequently, GCTs are often hospital innovations. Clinical practice is associated with different perspectives and incentives than commercial pharmaceutical development. All these factors complicate the regulation of GCTs as other commercial pharmaceuticals. Therefore, this PhD project aims to provide insight into the dynamic relations between regulation and the development of GCTs.

Teammembers and other people involved:

Prof. Bert Leufkens, Prof. Marieke de Bruin, Dr. Jarno Hoekman

Publications:

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