At the IATDMCT Stuttgart congress in 2011, Professor Pierre Marquet entered as the new President and presented the results of an inquiry: he’d asked members to describe their innovations and initiatives in Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Clinical Toxicology, applied at their respective centres. With the updated IATDMCT website, the Communication’s Committee proposed a space for a regular blog of member interviews to gauge clinical innovations, representing different parts of the world as varied as our members.

The blog started in 2015, and we have had responses from almost all continents. It has been a pleasure to find out (in a less formal manner compared to published research) what members have been up to. It has also been great to hear about different challenges, and how these were overcome. Finally, it has been great to hear various opinions from these leaders on where they think these fields are headed.

This month’s interview comes from Moscow from Irina Bondareva, a colleague who is a mathematician, but who none the less influences decisions for patients based on Therapeutic Drug Monitoring combined with modelling. I first heard about Irina’s modelling work with early anti-epileptic drugs at the Stuttgart congress, and recently took the opportunity to get in touch with a query. It’s been a pleasure to find out about Irina’s 30-year experience in Pharmacometrics and PK/PD modelling, which is used for personalising treatment in complex cases, primarily patients with epilepsy.

Irina Bondareva
Research Institute of Physical–Chemical Medicine
Moscow, Russia

Another fantastic encounter at the congress dinner in Rotterdam was with Dr. Jan Strojil from the Department of Pharmacology of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University in Olomouc, Czech Republic. It’s been a pleasure to read about Jan’s passion for teaching, and balancing the demands of academic and clinical life with being a dad. Jan is currently on a fellowship visit with IATDMCT colleagues at the Laboratory of Applied Pharmacokinetics at the University of Southern California.

Jan Strojil
Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry
Palacký University, Olomouc
Czech Republic

This month’s interview comes from Milan, Italy, from long-term member, colleague and friend Dr. Dario Cattaneo (who wins my vote for best dancer at the wonderful congress dinner at the St Laurence Cathedral in Rotterdam).  Dario shares his experiences in the worlds of TDM for immunosuppressant and anti-infective drugs, and how recently these worlds have started to intertwine.

Dario Cattaneo
Clinical Pharmacologist 
Laboratory of Pharmacokinetics, Clinical Pharmacology Unit
Luigi Sacco University Hospital, Milan, Italy

Photo: Dario and colleagues, IATDMCT Congress dinner, Rotterdam, 13/10/15