Drs. Emmanuelle Duceppe and Laura Drudi, Dr. François-Martin Carrier, Manon Choinière (Innovation Hub Research Theme), Dr. Marie-Josée Hébert (Immunopathology Research Theme) and Dr. Rémi Rabasa-Lhoret (Cardiometabolic Research Theme) are part of the pan-Canadian consortium, Accelerating Clinical Trials Research, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s (CIHR) Clinical Trials Fund to the tune of $39 million.

Headed by Dr. Philip J. Devereaux of the Population Health Research Institute (McMaster University), this new consortium will rely on the expertise of several national research networks. The Perioperative Care Research Network, co-directed by Dr. Duceppe (members: Dr. Drudi and Dr. Carrier), and the Chronic Pain Network, of which Manon Choinière is a member, will assist.

CHUM

From the left : Dr. Laura Drudi, Dr. Emmanuelle Duceppe and Dr. François-Martin Carrier.

Made up of hundreds of Canadian researchers, the Consortium will expand existing clinical trial networks and improve the efficiency, quality and number of clinical trials conducted in the country.

The aim is to facilitate the implementation of Canada-led randomized controlled trials, whose impacts will ensure world-class health care for the public.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the many existing barriers to quickly setting up and conducting clinical trials in Canada. In this sense, this investment, the largest ever in the history of clinical trials in Canada, will help overcome them.

The CIHR also announced investments in seven training platforms ($32M) and 22 research projects ($60M) that align with the priorities of the Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy.