New program to enhance the survival and quality of life of Canadians needing organ and tissue transplants
Ottawa, ON — Canadian transplant patients have new hope as the Government today announced the launch of a new national transplantation research program that will develop new knowledge and health care practices that address barriers to tissue and organ donation and will improve health outcomes for transplant recipients in Canada. The Honorable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health made the announcement at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. The Minister was joined by Dr. Lori West, Director of the new Canadian National Transplant Research Program (CNTRP), and Hélène Campbell, a double lung transplant recipient and co-founder of the Give 2 Live Campaign.
"Our Government recognized the need for a national program to help Canadians who have received or who are waiting for tissue and organ transplants," said Minister Aglukkaq. "That is why we committed to fund this research program and we are delivering on this commitment to Canadians. This program will provide important information to guide the development of policies and programs that increase tissue and organ donation in Canada and enhance the survival and quality of life of Canadians who receive transplants."
The CNTRP brings together over 105 investigators across 9 provinces. The program will transform the field of transplantation by addressing the barriers to donation therefore increasing the number of available organs, improving the quality and viability of donated organs and grafts, and enhancing long-term survival and quality of life of transplant patients. The CNTRP is the first program in the world to unite and integrate the solid organ transplant, bone marrow transplant and the donation and critical care research communities together in a groundbreaking national research endeavour.
"The transplant and donation communities across Canada have come together to create a truly unique collective research program that will foster innovation, creativity and collaboration in new ways that will increase our ultimate effectiveness" said Dr. Lori West, Director of the CNTRP and Professor of Pediatrics, Surgery and Immunology at the University of Alberta. "This integration will improve donation and transplant programs across the country and will impact the lives of transplant patients and those awaiting transplant".
"Canadian transplant centers and organizations are working together, for patients like me", said Hélène Campbell, double-lung transplant recipient and organ donation advocate. "The results of this program will be groundbreaking for all patients".
Funding for this program is being provided through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) in partnership with Canadian Blood Services, Canadian Liver Foundation, Cystic Fibrosis Canada, Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé, Genome British Columbia, and the Kidney Foundation of Canada.
The Canadian Government remains focused on four priorities, as outlined by Prime Minister Harper, that Canadians care most about: their families, the safety of our streets and communities, their pride in being a citizen of this country, and of course, their personal financial security.
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