Dissertation

Towards a system-based pharmacology approach to predict developmental changes in renal drug clearance in children

Promotores: Prof.dr. C.A.J. Knibbe, Prof.dr. M. Danhof, Prof.dr. K. Allegaert (Leuven)

Author: R.F.W. De Cock
Date: 06 May 2014
Links: Thesis in Leiden Repository

Renal clearance is responsible for the elimination of a large number of water-soluble drugs and metabolites and is therefore of large importance when characterizing the pharmacokinetics of drugs. Renal clearance includes glomerular filtration, tubular secretion and reabsorption and each of these processes is subject to different developmental changes. To estimate the renal clearance of drugs in children, a thorough understanding of these developmental changes in the different subprocesses contributing to renal function is needed. Therefore the aim of the research described in this thesis was to characterize the developmental changes in renal function over the entire pediatric age range. To this end, a system-based pharmacology approach was applied implicating that within the models for the different subprocesses contributing to renal function a distinction was made between system-specific and drug-specific properties. The transition to a more system-based pharmacology approach and the combination of different strategies (extrapolation to other drugs, adult data or non-clinical data) will result in an approach focusing on the underlying system instead of focusing on the drugs and may facilitate development of pharmacokinetic models and evidence-based dosing regimens in the pediatric population.