University Medical Centre Utrecht and TASK Research International B.V. formally signed their collaboration agreement at a recent meeting in The Netherlands. Prof Arno Hoes, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at UMC Utrecht, and Prof Andreas Diacon, Founder and Chairman of TASK, were delighted to discuss the prospects of the phase 1 clinical trial collaboration. While neither UMC Utrecht nor TASK are strangers to clinical research, the need for a formalised phase 1 clinical trial unit at UMC Utrecht and the experience in phase 1 and 2a clinical trials by TASK in South-Africa makes this a perfect relationship match. “The academic excellence of UMCU coupled with the depth of clinical research knowledge and experience of TASK makes this agreement a feather in our cap as an African-borne organisation” noted Prof Diacon about his excitement for the moment. Prof Hoes mentioned that “TASK comes highly regarded through a number of trial consortiums, past and present, in The Netherlands,” making them a good choice to help establish a phase 1 centre of excellence at UMC Utrecht.
The collaboration will officially be known as U_TaCT, and the office will be on the 5th floor in the Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care at UMC Utrecht. Discussions for potential clinical trials to be conducted have already started with Clinical Research Organisations (CROs), with the aim to have the first participants/patients enrolled by the end of Q1, 2023.
For further information, please reach out to Melissa Mitchell via melissa@task-europe.org or Peter Hermans via p.w.m.hermans-5@umcutrecht.nl.