Research

Areas

Our research is focused on CMC or quality aspects of pharmaceutical drugs and related products with a strong emphasis on the regulatory point of view. A functional quality approach is followed.

The full life cycle is being considered: from early discovery, receptor and pre-clinical phases to first in human/animal and post-approval pharmaceutical quality aspects.

The projects at the laboratory of Drug Quality and Registration (DruQuaR) are focused on the following topics:

  • Oligo/poly-(peptide, nucleotide, saccharide) drugs
  • Transmembrane (skin, BBB, mucosa) drug characterisation
  • Surface behaviour of pharmaceuticals (adsorption and interaction phenomena)
  • Sample preparation for new API and FPP (paediatric, polymeric, ... drug formulations)
  • Impurity profiling techniques
  • Biomedical relevance of pharmaceutical quality
  • Regulatory link between analytics, quality and functionality

These projects involve fundamental research, analytical-technical developments and in-vitro/in-vivo evaluation of the analytical relevance.

Next to the research, there is also an extensive servicing activity for the competent authorities, including functioning as quality expert for EMA, as well as for the pharmaceutical and related industries.

The laboratory of Drug Quality and Registration (DruQuaR) is recognised by the Belgian Government for the analysis of pharmaceutical drugs. Moreover, DruQuaR obtained EU-GMP-certificates for the chemical/physical quality control testing of human and veterinary medicines and human medicines for research purposes (BE/GMP/2016/061-062-063). DruQuaR is thereby 1 of the 2 Belgian GMP-recognised University laboratories.

 

(Newspaper of Belgian Laws / Belgisch Staatsblad)

 

 Perspectives

Within the following years, the research work will remain focused on the main research topics, based on the expertise gained within these research areas over the last years and based on the extensive cooperation with several national and international research institutes.