Clinical Trials & Data Center

Here, new treatments are tested, (inter)national studies are coordinated, registration studies are conducted in close collaboration with pharmaceutical companies, and large amounts of clinical data are collected, generated, and analyzed to monitor and improve the quality of care for children with cancer wherever possible. It is an environment where care and science continuously reinforce each other, and where you contribute every day to our mission: curing every child while ensuring the best possible quality of life.

Where research, data, and care come together

At the Máxima Center, more than one hundred clinical studies are running at the same time. This number continues to grow, as we, as a national and international pediatric oncology center, increasingly attract and coordinate new research initiatives. This creates an environment where new ideas can quickly be turned into concrete studies, international collaborations are standard, and your contribution influences both today’s and tomorrow’s care.

In addition to the studies, the TDC is responsible for developing the Dutch Childhood Cancer Registry (NKKR), a quality registry. This registry is intended to continuously improve care, help children and parents make well-informed choices, and support clinical research and benchmarking.

What makes working within the TDC unique?

The TDC brings together all the expertise needed to conduct clinical research safely, carefully, and innovatively. You always work alongside multiple disciplines: pediatric oncologists, researchers, research nurses, data managers, statisticians, quality officers, legal experts, and partners in the Netherlands and abroad. Together, you ensure that studies are designed according to international standards, that children can participate safely, and that data are collected and interpreted reliably.

Within the department, each team has its own role in the research chain. In the site team, you work closely with the patient and support the conduct of studies on the ward, from providing information to collecting data. In the trial management team, you focus on the preparation, organization, and coordination of both national and international studies, from the first protocol outline through completion. Within Clinical Data Provisioning, you design and maintain the databases required for reliable research, and translate data into reports, analyses, and insights. In addition, data scientists translate clinical data for different stakeholders. Statisticians design studies and provide methodological support throughout all phases of research, while quality officers ensure compliance with laws and regulations. In business operations, you work on the contracts, budgets, and agreements that make research possible.

As the Máxima Center increasingly acts as sponsor of international studies, you work in a unique setting. Depending on your role, you have direct contact with centers around the world, and your work contributes to the development of new diagnostics and treatments for children with cancer worldwide.

The impact of your work

The impact of your work is visible every day. Thanks to your efforts, children can participate in studies that give them access to new medicines, innovative treatment methods, and diagnostics. You support physicians, researchers, and nurses by ensuring that research is conducted according to high quality standards and that data are reliable, complete, and usable.

Whether you are involved in conducting studies on the ward, coordinating international research projects, collecting clinical research data, designing databases, or performing complex statistical analyses, everything you do contributes to better decisions, better treatments, and better prospects for children with cancer. You work in an environment where research and care are closely connected, and where your work has a direct impact on children, families, and future patients worldwide.

Growing, learning and developing

Within the TDC, you work in an environment where you continuously gain new knowledge. Innovation is part of daily practice, and training is a structural component of your work. You can further specialize in clinical research, data management, data science, statistics, quality management, or international study coordination. You work with modern systems, state of the art data solutions, and international standards, and you have access to training programs such as GCP and BROK®.

You also collaborate closely with pediatric oncologists, researchers, and international partners, which continually challenges you to think along, improve, and innovate. Whether you are just starting your career or are an experienced professional, you grow alongside developments in both clinical research and pediatric oncology.