Frijlink, Prof. Erik
Erik Frijlink (1960, Meppel) has been professor of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmacy at the University of Groningen since 1998. Prior to this, he was head of the Pharmaceutical Development department at Solvay Pharmaceuticals. His research group focuses on advanced technologies to improve the administration of medicines and is internationally prominent in this area.
At least 600,000 patients currently use an inhaler invented by the team around Frijlink. ‘And that number is headed towards one million. It’s great when you are able to develop a product that can help patients’, Frijlink says. The Novolizer is a powder inhaler that allows asthma patients, for example, to get medication into their lungs. The secret of the inhaler lies within the cyclone it contains, a chamber in which the medicine spins rapidly, driven by the patient’s inhalation force.
Frijlink is head of an international consortium that is searching for a universal flu vaccine in a research project in which twelve international partners are participating. The European Union supports the research with a EUR 6 million grant. Frijlink is confident that a vaccine protecting people from all types of flu will be found in the near future, making the annual flu jab redundant. Frijlink is particularly enthusiastic about drugs that can be administered via an inhaler, as these could be more effective than injections.
Erik Frijlink was nominated for the Huibregtsen Prize 2016. The jury report says: ' Frijlink’s work is a textbook example of ground-breaking research that is also of great importance to society. He combines academic excellence with social relevance, while also being the inventor one of only a handful of discoveries by a Dutch university leading to a remarkable flow of patent-generated income.'
Previously in the news
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Universeel griepvaccin op komst [Universal flu vaccine on the horizon; article in Dutch]
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Griepprik overbodig met inhaler [Inhaler makes flu jab redundant; article in Dutch]
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De farmaceut als uitvinder [The pharmacist as an inventor; article in Dutch] (Broerstraat 5, p.8)
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| Last modified: | 04 September 2024 3.10 p.m. |