This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 956146.

Angela Elma Edwina

The exciting thing about being AGePOP Early-Stage Researchers is that somewhere on this topic, remarkable findings are waiting to be revealed. Importantly, collaborative works bring comprehensive knowledge from many perspectives.

ESR 7: The effect of malnutrition and polypharmacy in ageing on gastrointestinal (GI) transit time, gastric fluid emptying and pH

Host institution: KU Leuven, Belgium
Supervisors: J. Tournoy (KULeuven), I. Spriet (KULeuven), M. Koziolek (Abbvie; secondment)

Research project in AGePOP

The project aims to gain new knowledge on the effect of frequently used drugs and malnutrition, which is common in older age, on transit times and GI pH levels. Furthermore, it will result in reference data to improve in vitro tools and PBPK modelling. 

Scientific background

Angela Elma Edwina obtained her Bachelor degree in pharmacy and her pharmacist degree from Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia, from 2013 to 2018. After graduating, she worked as a pharmacist and took academic jobs, including research assistant and tutor in pharmacy. Working as a research assistant in pharmacology and toxicology encouraged her to pursue a Master in Medical Pharmaceutical Sciences, specialisation in Toxicology and Drug Disposition, at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, in 2019 – 2021. During her Master degree, she had opportunities for research internships at the University Medical Center Groningen and the Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, investigating multiple projects focusing on model-informed precision dosing, population pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, and therapeutic drug monitoring.

About Angela Elma Edwina

Angela Elma Edwina is originally from Java, Indonesia. Having concerns about the possibility of inadequate empirical treatment during her practice as a pharmacist in her home country motivated her to explore more about tailor-made drug treatment. She has the greatest interest in the treatment of the special patient population. Thus, this PhD project is an excellent opportunity to learn indepth about the geriatric population for several reasons. There are many knowledge gaps regarding medications that might work differently in older adults. Besides, elderlies often receive polypharmacy which likely complicates the therapy. Therefore, Angela Elma Edwina decided to dedicate herself to research which contributes to enhancing drug treatment in older patients. Through the ITN programme, she believes sustained research collaboration across countries and disciplines can be fostered. 

Publications

  • Abdulla, A., Edwina, A. E., Flint, R. B., Allegaert, K., Wildschut, E. D., Koch, B., & de Hoog, M. (2021) Model-Informed Precision Dosing of Antibiotics in Pediatric Patients: A Narrative Review. Frontiers in pediatrics, 9, 624-639. https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2021.624639 
  • Märtson, A. G., Edwina, A. E., Burgerhof, J., Berger, S. P., de Joode, A., Damman, K., Verschuuren, E., Blokzijl, H., Bakker, M., Span, L. F., van der Werf, T. S., Touw, D. J., Sturkenboom, M., Knoester, M., & Alffenaar, J. (2021) Ganciclovir therapeutic drug monitoring in transplant recipients. The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy, 76(9), 2356–2363. https://doi.org/10.1093/jac/dkab195