Interview with Mr Julien Compère, CEO of University Hospital of Liege (CHU Liège

© CHU Liège

What are the key figures for research at CHU Liège ? CHU Liège has almost 1,000 doctors who devote between a fifth and a quarter of their time to research. This corresponds to the equivalent of 200 full-time researchers. In addition, there are close to 400 clinical studies in progress at CHU Liège. One of its doctors, Prof. Lancellotti, received two ERC grants from the European Commission for the development of a prosthetic heart valve with a specific coating of bioactive material to combat thrombosis. This project involved collaboration with GIGA, the interdisciplinary research institute in biomedical sciences of Liège University. personnel of the pharmaceutical company, which is very up to date with all the new developments regarding treatments. There has even been an agreement concluded between the GIGA doctoral school and Janssen Pharmaceutica.

In your opinion, what are the main challenges faced by human health researchers? It is essential that clinician-researchers keep their status because they are in contact with patients and behind the main progress in medical research. But, the pressure on clinicians is increasing all the time as they are expected to see more and more patients to meet productivity and profitability requirements. Moreover, clinicians are increasingly faced with the difficulties related to finding funding for their research work. However, they must reconcile these two aspects of their activity and still save enough time for fundamental research and for patients likely to take part in clinical trials. In conclusion, I would like to point out that there is increasing competition on a global level due to the rise of medical research in developing countries. Therefore, it is essential that we maintain our level of excellence if we wish to continue to receive funding from the pharmaceutical industry and the European Commission. Our excellence is the real key to the future.

What are the strong points of CHU Liège research? Our main asset is the concentration of clinician-researchers from the CHU, the GIGA with its research platforms and animal facility, the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine on one site. This concentration is very conducive to the development of translational research.

Could you give us a few examples of research projects in progress? In addition to Prof. Lancellotti’s project mentioned earlier, we could also refer to Prof. Maquet’s project on the evolution of cognitive abilities and the functioning of the human brain when people are subjected to long periods of sleep deprivation or insufficient sleep, or indeed Prof. Louis’s project on the development of biomarkers in the context of Crohn’s disease.

What research partnerships have you developed with the pharmaceutical industry? CHU Liège has developed a very successful partnership with Janssen Pharmaceutica. This partnership is the only one of its kind in the French-speaking part of Belgium and is similar to a partnership concluded between UZ Gent and the Belgian subsidiary of the pharmaceutical company, Johnson & Johnson. The aim of this collaboration is to promote the development of clinical trials, to send students to Janssen Pharmaceutica on internships and to foster exchange between CHU Liège practitioners and the