McMaster to receive $32M investment in joining national heart failure research network
McMaster University is set to receive a $ 32-million investment for its part in a new, coast-to-coast patient-driven initiative to discover new treatments to battle heart failure.
The school and Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) will join the Canadian Heart Function (CHF) Alliance through the formation of the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI) – one of six hubs across Canada looking to minimize one of the country’s common killers.
“We will be expected to make transformative discoveries in the next five years,” said Salim Yusuf, PHRI’s executive director and professor of medicine at McMaster.
The Hamilton agency is set begin clinical trials for patient-driven studies expected to utilize anti-inflammatory drugs, supplementation through vitamins, and weight reduction among 2,500 participants in seven countries.
The CHF alliance spans eight provinces and one territory, with 132 investigators.
The Heart and Stroke foundation estimates nine in 10 Canadians have at least one risk factor for heart conditions, stroke or vascular cognitive impairment.
One in five Canadians experience heart failure, which is when the heart muscle doesn’t pump blood as well as it should.
About 35 to 40 per cent of people with heart failure die within five years — a figure comparable to several cancers.
The McMaster investment is coming in two parts: $25 million from academic and industry partners with another $5 million from the federal government.
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