S.H.P. (Sinno) Simons, MD

The overall aim of my research is to improve the outcome of preterm and critically ill newborns. To reach this aim, our team of researchers has a focus on better medicines and improved therapy for preterm infants. By clinical and translational research of optimized dosing, better ways of drug evaluation and new pharmacological strategies are explored. Special areas of interest are PK/PD, neonatal pain and stress, sepsis, apnea treatment and the development of artificial intelligence systems at the neonatal intensive care unit.
A collaboration with pharmacology and obstetrics has been set up to improve fetal therapy by studies in the placenta lab.

• Pharmacology.
• Pain and stress.
• Placental pharmacology.
• Sepsis treatment.
• Neonatal apnea.

• Consultant Neonatology.
• Clinical specialization: Pediatrics & Neonatology.
• Additional training: Clinical Pharmacology Postdoc on translational pain research PhD on neonatal pain and morphine treatment Medicine.

A complete overview of publications can be found here:

Sinno Simons.

Associate professorship Erasmus MC, focus on Neonatal Pharmacology at a local, national and international level.

• Sophia Research Advisory Board Board member.
• Treasurer Nederlands Neonataal Netwerk (N3).
• Secretary Pharmacology section.
• Council member ESPR.

Grants

• Doxapram to protect preterm infants: An international randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled trial. (ZonMw Big Trials Grant. €2.206.600. PI).
• Pentoxifylline for sepsis in preterm infants: rediscovery of an old drug for a new indication (ZonMw GGG rediscovery grant. €271.631. PI).
• Saving neonates with sepsis: fishing experiments for new therapies!'
  (ZonMw Off road grant co-applicant with dr E. Krekels, €92.035. PI).
• BOLD MRI to study placental function in healthy and complicated pregnancies, a pilot project (Vrienden van Sophia, €35.000. PI).
• Real-time big data monitoring for doxapram therapy in preterm neonates.
  (Sophia research fund grant €117.166. PI).
• Stress related to preterm birth: a national cohort study
  (grant from ‘de Vriendenloterij’ €385.000. PI).
• PDE5 inhibitors for pre-eclampsia: clinical study and ex-vivo placenta perfusion and vascular studies. Internal pilot grant new translational collaboration, Mrace. Erasmus Medical center (€50.000. PI).
• Pain measurement in very preterm neonates, Mrace pilot Nursing research grant. Internal grant Erasmus Medical center (€50.000. co-I).
• Population PK/PD modeling to develop and implement guidelines to optimize safe and rational dosages of critical off-label drug in critically ill premature infants.
  (ZonMw - GGG project. €880.000. Co I).
• Propofol as sedative in newborns: towards individualized medicine. Personal research grant (Klinisch fellowship, ZonMw. €160.000. PI) - Propofol as a sedative for endotracheal intubation in premature neonates, a multicenter trial’. Research grant (€200.000. PI) of fondsNutsOhra.
• ‘Effects of Pain and Morphine on Neonatal Brain Development; An Animal Study and Follow-up of Human Preterm-born Infants’. TALENT stipendium of the Dutch Research Council, NWO (€32.000. PI).
  
  

Awards

• Young investigator award Neonatal Update 2011, ‘the science of newborn care’, for outstanding research achievements. Imperial College London. Director prof. Neena Modi.   (symposia.org.uk/neonatal).
• Stichting Hippocrates Study price 2005, best Dutch medical research during medical school.
• Dr. John T. Goodman Award, Canada 2004, best international pediatric pain publication by a young researcher. Awarded at ‘the IWK Health Center’, Halifax, Canada
  (Committee: Dr. Neil Schechter, Dr. Celeste Johnston, and Dr. Christine Chambers).
• Second scientific price for medical residents, 2003 Erasmus MC, Rotterdam. The Netherlands.