NARILIS is involving students in pharmaceutical sciences in its research on COVID-19

Due to the current health situation, practical sessions given in the framework of the Bachelor in Pharmaceutical sciences were put on hold at the UNamur. Some students took advantage of these exceptional circumstances to get enrolled in NARILIS COVID-19 research programs.

The Pharmacy department is indeed pleased to see the enthusiastic participation from a number of students in the COVILAB project. This project, initiated by Prof. Jonathan Douxfils and Prof. Jean-Michel Dogné (UNamur), aims at conducting clinical laboratory investigations related to COVID-19. This unique research relies on collaboration with Julien Favresse (Clinique Saint-Luc Bouge), Dr. Marie Tré-Hardy (Iris Hospitals South), Prof. François Mullier (CHU UCL Namur) and QUALIblood.

Student’s contribution to the COVILAB project paid off, as evidenced by a recent paper published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, entitled "Head-to-Head Comparison of Rapid and Automated Antigen Detection Tests for the Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 Infection" (Favresse et al., 2021). Maxime Oliveira, bachelor student in pharmacy, Constant Gillot and Laure Morimont, pharmacists and PhD students, actively contributed to this work and are therefore included as co-authors of the publication.

The Pharmacy department is proud to be able to count on student’s support to advance COVID-19 research. Their motivation, skills, sense of responsibility and service to society is highly appreciated!