McMaster, HHS are part of a new national heart research network
Six research hubs working on 24 projects
One in five Canadians experiences heart failure, and approximately 35 to 40 per cent of people with it die within five years
Hamilton Health Sciences and the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI) at McMaster University are part of a new, coast-to-coast research network aimed at helping those living with heart failure.
The Canadian Heart Function Alliance was launched Tuesday and is made up of six research hubs working on two dozen projects across the country. It will bring together over 100 researchers as well as multiple patients to evaluate complex issues related to the diagnosis of heart failure.
Dr. Eva Lonn, senior scientist and medical director at PHRI, said it’s a new concept to have a network tackle “not just one question, but multiple questions related to heart failure.”
A chronic condition, heart failure is considered the “cancer of cardiology,” Lonn said.
One in five Canadians experiences heart failure, and approximately 35 to 40 per cent of people with it die within five years, according to a press release.
The alliance has received $32 million in funding for its work, including $5 million from the Canadian Institute of Health Research in partnership with Heart and Stroke Canada and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
An additional $27 million in cash and in-kind support will come from other academic, foundation and industry partners, the release said.
Dr. Salim Yusuf, the PHRI executive director, said in the news release the network is “expected to make transformative discoveries” in the coming years.
According to the release, PHRI will conduct clinical trials in Hamilton to explore whether novel approaches, such as anti-inflammatory drugs, supplementation with the vitamin thiamine, and reducing weight in obese people with heart failure are beneficial, in addition to other proven treatments.
Lonn told The Spectator a range of studies will focus on the biology of heart failure, heart failure prevention, clinical trials of novel interventions, testing new technologies and modernizing the delivery of health care.
“We’re looking to develop a network by which primary care physicians, family physicians, nurses and other practitioners can work in collaboration with advanced programs (like specialized heart function clinics),” she added.
Canadian researchers will also work with seven international research groups, including those from the United States, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.