Luxembourg Institute of Health and national partners launch Luxembourg Research Clinic to strengthen patient access to clinical research

The new Luxembourg Research Clinic unites the Luxembourg Institute of Health, the University of Luxembourg, and the country’s four major hospitals to connect patients with new clinical research programmes across a variety of disease areas.

• Luxembourg Research Clinic – Fuerschungsklinik Lëtzebuerg

On September 29, the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) and its national partners officially inaugurated the Luxembourg Research Clinic (Fuerschungsklinik Lëtzebuerg, LRC), a new platform designed to strengthen clinical and translational research in Luxembourg.

The LRC brings together the LIH, the University of Luxembourg and the country’s four major hospitals: Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg, Centre Hospitalier Emile Mayrisch, Hôpitaux Robert Schuman and Centre Hospitalier du Nord. By connecting the research expertise, clinical infrastructure and patient care of these institutions, the initiative aims to facilitate clinical studies and trials in Luxembourg and create new opportunities for patients and healthy volunteers to participate in research.

In order to find these opportunities, the new LRC website and clinical study portfolio provides patients, clinicians, potential research participants and researchers with a central point of access to information on clinical research taking place across the country. The studies and programmes at the LRC are divided into six priority areas: neurological diseases, oncological diseases, immunity and infection, paediatrics and rare diseases, primary care and prevention, and mental health.

Many of the best available treatments for complex and serious diseases today are only accessible through clinical trials. With the Luxembourg Research Clinic, we are connecting every hospital, the University and the Luxembourg Institute for Health into a single national effort, so that patients across the country can benefit from the opportunities offered by clinical research. This is not just a research project; it is a new way of organising healthcare around the patient,

summarised Prof. Dr Christof von Kalle, Director of the Luxembourg Research Clinic.

Building on the translational research expertise of the LIH

The LIH brings more than 15 years of investment in translational medicine, biobanking, clinical research, biomedical data and precision health to the Luxembourg Research Clinic, which builds on established LIH programmes such as the Translational Medicine Operations Hub (TMOH) and the Integrated Biobank of Luxembourg (IBBL). These infrastructures provide a solid foundation for moving discoveries from the laboratory towards real world clinical applications.

The Department of Medical Informatics at the LIH also contributes its proficiencies in clinical data, medical informatics and digital health. Its capabilities support the secure management and use of health data for research and help enable secure collaboration across clinical and research environments.

Connecting research with patients and clinicians

For patients, the LRC provides a new national entry point to clinical research. The LRC website allows people to discover which clinical studies are taking place in Luxembourg and find information about potential participation. For clinicians and researchers, the platform is a tool to find information on clinical research opportunities and support for setting up and conducting studies.

“All of the building blocks are already there — very good hospitals, a strong research institute, and the University with expertise in education and research. The main challenge is simply getting it organised: putting the right staff and structure inside the hospitals and connecting that to everything that already exists. Together, we can leverage all of our strengths for the benefit of patients,” said Prof. Dr Christof von Kalle, Director of the Luxembourg Research Clinic.

The launch event

The inauguration event was opened by Stéphanie Obertin, Minister for Research and Higher Education and Minister for Digitalisation, at the Clinical Research Luxembourg Conference, held under the theme “The Future of Patient-Centred Research” on 29–30 September at LuxExpo The Box as part of Healthcare Week Luxembourg.

The conference hosted researchers, clinicians and international experts to discuss the future of clinical research, including research funding, federated health data, ethics and data protection, and the role of data and artificial intelligence in healthcare.

“The Luxembourg Research Clinic reflects exactly the kind of collaboration Luxembourg needs to remain competitive in research and to bring tangible benefits to our health system and our economy. By supporting this initiative, we are investing in the ability of our clinicians and researchers to work as one team, and in patients’ ability to access the best possible care without having to leave the country,” said Stéphanie Obertin, Minister for Research, Higher Education and Digitalisation.