Single-Largest Investor in Canadian Health Innovation
LONDON, ON, July 20, 2012 /CNW/ - The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq,
Minister of Health, visited with researchers at Lawson Health Research
Institute (Lawson) today where she highlighted how Harper Government
investments are helping strengthen healthcare across the country.
Lawson is the research institute of London Health Sciences Centre
(LHSC) and St. Joseph's Health Care London. The Minister also toured
research labs at LHSC's Victoria Hospital.
"Our Government is proud to support the outstanding work of health
researchers across Canada," said Minister Aglukkaq. "Canadians expect
us to play a leadership role in healthcare, and we are doing exactly
that by investing in people who will help find new treatments for
patients, make the health system more efficient, and help more
Canadians avoid going to hospitals in the first place."
There are more than 10,000 health research projects underway in Canada
right now that receive Harper Government funding. Some recent
initiatives announced include:
-
Pathways to Health Equity for Aboriginal Peoples, in which researchers will partner with aboriginal communities to carry
out initiatives linked to suicide reduction and other key health
priorities;
-
Funding 13 projects to improve the efficiency of front-line healthcare
delivery, whose results will be available for provincial and
territorial governments to use to strengthen their systems; and
-
Funding for a national transplantation research program.
Minister Aglukkaq met with Pamela Zabel and Dr. Muriel Brackstone, two
researchers at Lawson. With their colleagues and federal financial
support Zabel and Brackstone's work resulted in new ways for imaging
breast cancer tumours that makes more efficient use of the medical
isotope Technetium-99m.
While conserving the supply of Technetium 99-m, the product assists
surgeons operating on breast cancer patients, allowing for less
invasive surgery and fewer complications.
According to Dr. Brackstone, "Technetium is a radioactive product that
has become critical in breast cancer and melanoma surgeries to look for
cancer spread to lymph nodes. It is also used in a number of imaging
tests for the detection of cancer spread to other parts of the body. We
have been able to demonstrate that a new technetium product works as
well if not better than the currently available one, without requiring
filtration where 70-90% of the precious technetium is wasted."
"Our specialized product was patented due to its optimal sizing
formulation," says Zabel. "Extensive testing has been done and clinical
trial submissions have been authorized with Health Canada. A commercial
manufacturer is now sought to bring this product to market. CIHR
funding is critical to bringing new clinical agents to Canadian
patients and assessing their clinical utility."
Federal support for health research primarily flows through its health
research investment agency - the Canadian Institutes of Health Research
(CIHR). CIHR supports the best in peer-reviewed health research with
the vision of creating a healthier future for Canadians.
"Canadian health researchers across all research disciplines and themes
continue to have a significant impact on the country's international
scientific excellence and competitiveness," said Dr. Alain Beaudet,
President of CIHR. "At CIHR, we prize the many achievements and
contributions our researchers make to resolving pressing health
challenges and to improving the health outcomes of patients and
supporting a robust and sustainable health care system."
Fact Sheet
Harper Government Puts Spotlight on Innovative Health Research Across
Canada
The Harper Government invests in health research through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
CIHR's mandate is to "excel, according to internationally accepted
standards of scientific excellence, in the creation of new knowledge
and its translation into improved health for Canadians, more effective
health services and products and a strengthened Canadian health-care
system." CIHR consists of 13 "virtual" institutes and currently
supports more than 14,100 health researchers at universities and
research institutions across the country.
Total CIHR Expenditures (in millions of dollars) from 2005-2006 to
2011-12
Province
|
Total
|
British Columbia
|
$720
|
Alberta
|
$500
|
Saskatchewan
|
$64
|
Manitoba
|
$131
|
Ontario
|
$2,244
|
Quebec
|
$1,540
|
Atlantic Provinces
|
$180
|
To highlight the valuable work of Canada's health researchers, Health
Minister Leona Aglukkaq visited with CIHR-supported researchers at the
London Health Sciences Centre in London, Ontario on July 20. Minister
Aglukkaq was joined by the following representatives of the Harper
Government who made similar visits to research institutions across
Canada.
Government Representative
|
Research Institution Visited
|
City
|
Province
|
MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay
|
Arthritis Research Centre of Canada
|
Vancouver
|
BC
|
MP Devinder Shory
|
University of Calgary
|
Calgary
|
AB
|
Minister Tim Uppal
|
University of Alberta
|
Edmonton
|
AB
|
Minister Steven Fletcher
|
University of Manitoba
|
Winnipeg
|
MB
|
Minister Lynne Yelich
|
University of Saskatchewan
|
Saskatoon
|
SK
|
MP Bernard Trottier
|
Cancer Care Ontario
|
Toronto
|
ON
|
MP Eve Adams
|
Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
|
Toronto
|
ON
|
Minister Peter Penashue and MP Kellie Leitch
|
Memorial University of Newfoundland
|
St. John's
|
NL
|
Minister Keith Ashfield
|
University of New Brunswick
|
Fredericton
|
NB
|