PhD defence S.D.T. (Sebastiaan) Sassen

Dosing of medication in children is complex. Children are not simply small adults for a variety of reasons. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a form of cancer affecting circa 100-120 children each year in the Netherlands. Treatment consists of combinations of chemotherapeutic agents and supportive care. Optimal dosing is essential to avoid toxicity and assure maximal efficacy. Hence, three drugs used in the treatment were studied to optimize individual dosing namely, Erwinia asparaginase, prednisolone and ciprofloxacin. These were studied through the development of mathematical models (pharmacokinetics models) to gain better understanding of how each child processes the medication. Subsequently, these models can be used to further optimize the dosing for each individual patient.

Due to the lockdown, the PhD defences will not take place publicly in the usual way. A live stream link has been provided to candidate. The ceremony will begin exactly at 13:00.