Arthritis Network will receive more than $14.5 million over four years

Toronto, October 23, 1998 - The search for new therapies and possible cures for arthritis took a quantum leap forward with the launch today of the new Canadian Arthritis Network, one of three new Networks of Centres of Excellence.

The new network was established following a national competition under the Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) Program. The NCE program now has 14 networks, including two other new NCEs, the Geomatics for Informed Decisions Network (GEOID) and the Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems Network (MITACS).

Speaking on behalf of Ron J. Duhamel, Secretary of State (Science, Research and Development), Dr. Carolyn Bennett, MP for St. Paul's (Ontario) said, "The new Canadian Arthritis Network will make major contributions to our society and economy. I am especially pleased to see that the new network is bringing together all the individual arthritis research efforts like never before and that researchers and clinicians, together with their partners, are listening to patients' needs."

The Canadian Arthritis Network (CAN) pools the talents of more than 100 researchers who have joined forces with 17 universities and many research hospitals, together with 39 industries and other governments and agencies. The new network will benefit from a federal investment of more than $14.5 million over the next four years. Arthritis affects 1 in 5 in the adult population and is the most frequent cause of long-term disability in Canada. The scope of the problem is reflected in the $18 billion arthritis costs Canada's economy every year.

Dr. Henry Friesen, president of the Medical Research Council that funds many of the new network's principal investigators, underlined the socio-economic impact of the Networks of Centres of Excellence. "As with other NCEs in the health sector, the Canadian Arthritis Network is a knowledge enterprise that will quickly capitalize on its discoveries by bringing them to industry and to market. CAN will also train highly skilled people, enhancing their understanding of problems relevant to patients and developing an expertise that will help Canada compete globally."

The decision to support these three NCEs is based on the evaluation by independent expert panels and recommendations of the NCE Selection Committee. Dr. Tom Brzustowski, chair of the NCE Steering Committee, commended the researchers and their partners for their forward-looking research strategies: "I am confident that the Canadian Arthritis Network, the Mathematics NCE, the Geomatics Network, and the other 11 NCEs will have many positive effects. Canadians will see excellent broad-scale research, including discoveries and integration of knowledge, as well as new technologies and businesses essential to Canada's prosperity."

"This NCE is built on the excellence of research at Canadian universities and teaching hospitals," said Dr. Arnie Aberman, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto where the administrative centre of the new network is located. "The university is proud to support the network by providing the research infrastructure and a multidisciplinary team of human resources."

Dr. Tony Cruz, Scientific Leader of the new network, was very enthusiastic about the tremendous support his network is receiving: "At last we have the critical mass of scientists and clinicians to really start making headway in answering fundamental questions about arthritis and, more importantly, deliver our discoveries to people who must live with this terrible disease every day."

The Network's researchers are also affiliated with many Canadian university teaching hospitals and health care facilities. In addition to being an associate professor at the University of Toronto in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, Dr. Tony Cruz is also part of the Connective Tissue Research Group at the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital.

Mr. Ted Freedman, President and CEO of Mount Sinai Hospital, said, "Mount Sinai is proud to be a part of the new Canadian Arthritis Network whose mission of research excellence and sensitivity to the needs of patients with arthritis matches the Hospital's goal of providing quality patient care and innovative medical research programs."

The Arthritis Society will add at least another $3 million to the new network's research initiative. The contribution reinforces a close relationship that began in 1997, at Arthritis 2000, a national forum on the chronic condition hosted by the Arthritis Society.

A former Olympic-calibre athlete with rheumatoid arthritis, Vancouver's Cheryl Koehn, captivated Arthritis 2000 delegates - and inspired Dr. Cruz. She said, "The new network is unbelievably fantastic and an incredible achievement for Canada's arthritis research community. Canadians who live with arthritis have waited a long time for the kind of funding that will make a serious run at finding a cure for this painful and debilitating group of diseases."

The Arthritis Society's jubilant president and CEO Denis Morrice added, "We are pleased to support a dynamic, world-class network that will so quickly improve the quality of living for more than four million Canadians. With all the new network's expertise and enthusiasm, this must surely be the beginning of the end of the arthritis crisis."

For more information visit the Canadian Arthritis Network Web site.