Tuesday, November 25, 2014

NEW HEART CENTRE WILL BE “TRULY TRANSFORMATIONAL” BOOST TO RESEARCH the University Health Network’s (UHN) Peter Munk Cardiac Centre (PMCC).



A loud and prolonged standing ovation greeted news of the establishment of the new Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research. But the reverberations of the announcement Thursday will extend far beyond the few hundred invited guests and media, to the medical research community around the world.


“The only thing that you can say is that this is truly transformational,” said Dr. Barry Rubin, Chair and Program Medical Director at the University Health Network’s (UHN) Peter Munk Cardiac Centre (PMCC).


The Centre will launch three integrated programs that draw on the combined strengths of UHN, U of T and SickKids in individualized genomic medicine, tissue engineering and advanced cardiac care. Along with that, it will also establish an innovation fund to drive discovery and development of the next-generation therapies for heart failure, and an education fund to attract the best and brightest students and postgraduates to ensure a deep pool of talent in Canada for cardiac care and research.


“The greatest element of this gift is the ability to bring the three centres together to leverage their different expertise and to make it much more than the sum of its individual parts,” Rubin said in an interview. “Even though the money is unprecedented, it’s also unprecedented to have the three centres work together and focus on a single disease – heart failure.”






A primary goal of the Centre is to reduce hospitalization for heart failure by 50 per cent over the next decade.


The Centre, named for Ted Rogers, the Toronto-born broadcasting pioneer and philanthropist who died of heart failure in 2008, is being established with an unprecedented $130-million donation from the Rogers Foundation plus $139 million from​ the three institutions to raise the funding total to $269 million.


“We’ve been dealing with some challenges with shrinking funding from traditional sources and that can really cramp the style of the world-class research that we can do and that we have available,” said Dr. Heather Ross, a cardiologist at PMCC who is also the Director of the Ted Rogers Centre of Excellence in Heart Function. “A gift of this enormity really allows us to get on and get it done.”


While the Centre launches with 33 leading clinicians and researchers from UHN, U of T and SickKids, it’s expected to continue to attract the best in scientific talent from around the world to work on solving the critical challenges to heart health and create breakthrough in cardiac treatment, diagnosis and tools.


The Centre, which will be co-located in the three institutions but have its directorate at Toronto General Hospital, will recruit eight world-class research chairs and an Executive Director with an eye to mobilizing the best ideas and innovations to impact heart health in Canada and globally.


“There’s a huge opportunity to make an impact on a very sizeable number of Canadians,” Rubin said. “And, what we learn in the Centre we can translate to other places.


“In the future, we envision people won’t they need to go to Boston or Rochester for their treatment but people there will say they need to come to the Ted Rogers Heart Centre for treatment.”​

Monday, November 24, 2014

Historic $130 million gift from the Rogers family to establish the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research.. The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids),


Historic $130 million gift from the Rogers family to establish the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research

The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), University Health Network (UHN) and the University of Toronto (U of T) announced today the creation of the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research (the Centre) funded by an unprecedented donation of $130 million from the Rogers family – the largest monetary gift ever made to a Canadian health care initiative. The donation will be matched with $139 million in additional funds combined from SickKids, UHN, and U of T for a total investment of $269 million.


“We’re thrilled to be able to bring the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research to life,” said Loretta Rogers, wife of the late Ted Rogers. “It’s a testament to Ted’s drive for innovation and his commitment to leaving the world a better place. We know Ted would have been proud of this bold initiative that will improve heart health for all.”

Ted Rogers’ personal experience with heart disease and his interest in finding new therapies to advance heart health make the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research a fitting legacy, noted Dr. Michael Apkon, President and CEO of SickKids. “The generosity and magnitude of this gift, and the transformational effect it will have on heart research, truly reflects the pioneering and innovative spirit of Ted Rogers and his family. This powerful, collaborative partnership among SickKids, UHN and U of T will have a global impact. Together we hope to accelerate discovery and cardiac care at an unprecedented pace.”

Heart disease represents a considerable economic strain on the Canadian health care system. The annual cost for managing moderate and severe heart failure patients in Canada is as much as $2.3 billion. “Today, one million Canadians are living with heart failure, and that number is projected to increase 25 per cent over the next 20 years,” noted Dr. Barry Rubin, Chair and Program Medical Director of UHN’s Peter Munk Cardiac Centre. “This unprecedented gift will enable physicians and scientists working together in the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research to develop new therapies that will dramatically improve the lives of patients with heart disease. One of our primary goals is to reduce hospitalization for heart failure by 50 per cent in the next decade. Ted Rogers led the development of the telecommunications industry through a constant focus on innovation. We will use Mr. Rogers’ approach to change the face of heart disease in Canada and throughout the world.”


Adding to the exceptional nexus of clinicians, scientists and engineers already accelerating the pace of change in cardiac care across the partner institutions, The Centre will be a magnet to attract the top research talent from around the world, further solidifying Toronto and Canada’s position as global leaders in cardiac care, noted Professor Meric Gertler, President of the University of Toronto. “The Toronto region is home to one of the world’s largest biomedical science and health education clusters. This exceptionally powerful network of researchers and educators is translating exciting ideas, innovations and therapies in stem cell research and regenerative medicine into clinical settings where they will address the most challenging problems across the spectrum of heart disease. With its pioneering spirit and innovative approach, the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research will be a world-class collaboration and a most fitting tribute to its namesake.”



The Centre will have facilities in the three participating institutions, with its directorate situated at UHN. It will be the first in the world to bring together research, education and innovation in individualized genomic medicine, stem cell research, bioengineering, and cardiovascular treatment and management under one umbrella with a single focus: improving heart health across the entire life span, from children to adults. Each partner will take the lead in a particular area of focus:


SickKids will harness the power of genomic science to decode the genetic foundations of cardiac disease, which will allow for heart disease to be better predicted before it occurs, and will support individualized therapies for children and adults, based on the unique genome of each patient.
UHN, through the application of powerful databases, new biomarkers for cardiac disease, regenerative and individualized medicine approaches and state-of-the-art-real-time home monitoring and telecommunications technologies, will focus on the translation of research discovery into the delivery of care for patients. Foundational to this approach is a customized cardiovascular data module for a new electronic patient record which is linked to a Biobank which will house a vast array of biologic samples that come from both adult and paediatric patients.
U of T will combine stem cell technology with novel approaches in cellular and tissue engineering for the regeneration of heart muscle, coronary vessels, and heart valves; enlarge our understanding of how genetic, molecular signaling, and cellular networks function as the heart develops, opening up the possibility for more effective heart therapies; and, create technologies and tools for improved heart physiology monitoring in clinical settings.

The Centre will also establish an innovation fund to drive discovery and development of next-generation therapies for heart failure, and an education fund to attract the best and brightest students and postgraduates to ensure a deep pool of talent in Canada for cardiac care and research.

To learn more about the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research, go to www.TedRogersResearch.ca

- See more at http://www.sickkidsfoundation.com/about-us/news/2014/11/historic-gift-from-rogers-family#sthash.8Y8sPxlx.dpuf

Monday, November 10, 2014

Monday, October 6, 2014

Statement by the Honourable Rona Ambrose on the import ban of drug products from three plants in IndiaSeptember 30, 2014 - Ottawa - Health Canada Copy


Statement by the Honourable Rona Ambrose on the import ban of drug products from three plants in IndiaSeptember 30, 2014 - Ottawa - Health Canada
Protecting the health and safety of Canadians is our government's highest priority. Our expectation is that Health Canada uses the appropriate powers and tools at its disposal to help ensure that the drugs Canadians need meet the highest safety and quality standards.

To that end, Health Canada has taken decisive action today to stop the import into Canada of all drug products from three plants in India. They are:
Apotex Pharmachem India Pvt Ltd
Apotex Research Private Limited
IPCA Laboratories

The Department has ordered an import ban after it received new information yesterday from the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA). This latest information puts into question Health Canada's trust in the reliability of data that all three plants are required by law to provide to demonstrate the safety and quality of their products.

I would like to reassure Canadians that Health Canada actions are guided by science and evidence every step of the way.

The ban is a precautionary step. Health Canada has received no evidence that the products pose an immediate risk. Like the FDA, Health Canada does not feel that a recall of any products made at these plants is required at this time.

But when trust between a regulator and a company is broken, strong actions are required. The import ban will remain in place until such time as the Department is satisfied that the data integrity problems have been resolved.

Health Canada is in ongoing communication with provinces and territories to determine what impact a ban might have on the supply of medically necessary drugs. Should it be determined that there are no alternatives on the Canadian market to certain products from these plants they will be exempted from the import ban, but only after they have undergone testing by an independent quality assurance laboratory.

Our government will not tolerate a failure by drug companies to meet their obligations to abide by Canada's high safety and quality standards. New powers proposed in Vanessa's Law (Bill C-17) will provide the tools to better respond to drug safety issues including powers to order mandatory recalls of unsafe drugs so that Health Canada does not have to negotiate with companies when safety issues are identified, tough new fines for companies who put Canadians at risk, and the authorities required to publish even more data from drug reviews and clinical trials.

We will continue to take actions as needed to protect Canadians, and provide information in an open and transparent way.

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