{"id":127073,"date":"2021-05-20T12:01:04","date_gmt":"2021-05-20T10:01:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=127073"},"modified":"2026-01-20T09:57:24","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T08:57:24","slug":"self-test-research-erasmus-university-cancelled-for-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2021\/05\/20\/self-test-research-erasmus-university-cancelled-for-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Self-test research Erasmus University cancelled for now"},"content":{"rendered":"

The \u2018Tests for your future\u2019 pilot, in which two thousand Rotterdam students were to be monitored while they administered regular self-tests, has been cancelled for now. The Medical Ethical Review Committee (METC) issued negative advice regarding the research. Why the proposal was rejected has not been announced. The educational institutions are appealing against the ruling.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>

Erasmus University and Erasmus MC together with Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences and Albeda wanted to monitor a total of two thousand students; five hundred per institution. The students would then administer a self-test twice per week before attending lectures. The researchers would then use a blood test to check whether the students have already had Covid-19, and sample PCR tests would be administered (standard health authority tests, ed.) to test the reliability. As these are medical interventions, the research first needed to be reviewed by the committee.<\/p>\n

The review committee took a long time to reach its ruling. Project Manager Paul Goossens is unable to say why it took so long. According to EUR spokesperson Imad El Kaka, the wait was for the committee\u2019s ruling, but when asked why the ruling took two months, he did not answer. \u201cI am unable to answer that due to the appeal process.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Learning by doing\u2019<\/h2>

Initially, Goossens thought the project would be able to start in March, but this was postponed several times. In an interview in EM TV on 25 February, he said: \u201cRight now, we\u2019re mainly focusing on finding participants. We need to do that in the coming weeks.\u201d Goossens now says recruiting participants can only start once the project has been approved by the medical ethics committee. \u201cYou call that learning by doing,\u201d he said. He did emphasise, however, that it has always been clear that an ethical assessment would be needed before the experiment could start.<\/p>\n

A statement on the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences intranet stated that Rotterdam educational institutions are not giving up and are still convinced of the need and purpose of the research. The institutions have appealed to the Central Committee on Research Involving Human Subjects (CCMO). Due to the appeal, the university is not making any further pronouncements on the content of the METC ruling.<\/p>\n

'Not changed'<\/h2>

Goossens did state that the research has not changed significantly. \u201cWe still stand behind the principles of this research,\u201d explained Goossens. Goossens does not know when the CCMO will make a pronouncement about the appeal. \u201cThey do have fast tracks for Covid-19, and we hope that they will have space for us soon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

\n\t\t\n\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Read more<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t