Media - Canadian Arthritis Network Launches National Research Initiative</p> </a>

Toronto, October 16, 2006 – In Canada, one in 1,000 babies, toddlers and children below age 16 suffer from Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA), a painful form of inflammatory joint disease and one of the most common, chronic, disabling conditions of childhood. The Canadian Arthritis Network (CAN), The Arthritis Society (TAS) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Institutes of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (CIHR-IMHA) and Infection and Immunity (CIHR-III) are pleased to announce that Dr. Alan Rosenberg, together with researchers from across Canada, are the recipients of over $1.1 million to study JIA and improve the lives of young arthritis sufferers and their families.

“This new partnership initiative is an important step to building CAN’s research program in Inflammatory Joint Diseases (IJD) and we’re very excited by the potential outcomes of Dr. Rosenberg’s ground-breaking research,” comments Dr. Jane Aubin, Scientific Director and CEO of the Canadian Arthritis Network.

According to Dr. Rosenberg, “We have assembled an extraordinary group of Canadian scientists who are committed to applying their diverse research experience to improve the health and well-being of children afflicted with arthritis. The dedication and expertise of our team members, generously supported by funding partners, will ensure that our research results will dramatically improve the understanding and care of children with arthritis.”

Dr. Rosenberg, from the University of Saskatchewan, and his team are studying how the interaction of genes, environment and lifestyle early in the disease process can help predict JIA outcomes such as joint damage and diminished quality of life. As the cause(s) of JIA is unknown, any answers provided by this research, which brings us closer to a cure or prevention, are eagerly anticipated.

At one time, JIA was believed to be a form of adult rheumatoid arthritis. With the shift in understanding that JIA is a unique disease, research in this area becomes even more important. Thanks to various academic, government and not-for-profit research institutions contributing an additional $560,000 to the $1.1 million committed by CAN, TAS and CIHR’s IMHA and III, Canada moves into a leadership role in the field of JIA research.

“Our organization is committed to funding the best and brightest arthritis researchers,” says John Fleming President and CEO, The Arthritis Society. “Working with our partners, we can fund larger projects, such as Dr. Rosenberg’s team, which will aim to ensure that all Canadians and their families affected by JIA have the best available medical care and treatment options.”

“We are pleased to fund this outstanding research, which stands to improve quality of life for current and future generations of young people affected by arthritis,” says Dr. Cy Frank, Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis.

“The research conducted by Dr. Rosenberg and his team will help further our understanding of JIA, which may ultimately lead to the development of new treatments and prevention techniques,” says Dr. Bhagirath Singh, Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity.

More information on arthritis, and the work of the partner organizations, is available at www.arthritis.ca/arthritiscanada .

The Canadian Arthritis Network (CAN) is a not-for-profit organization, funded by the Government of Canada’s Networks of Centres of Excellence, to support arthritis research and development and to facilitate the commercialization of its Network Investigators’ discoveries. CAN is the single point of contact that links 167 leading Canadian arthritis researchers and clinicians, 44 Canadian academic institutions, The Arthritis Society, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and government.

The Arthritis Society is Canada’s principal not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing and promoting arthritis education, community support and research-based solutions, to the more than four million Canadians living with arthritis. Since its inception in 1948, The Society has contributed more than $150 million towards arthritis research to develop better treatments and ultimately, to find a cure for this debilitating disease.

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research's Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (IMHA) supports research to enhance active living, mobility and movement, and oral health. IMHA addresses causes, prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, support systems, and palliation for a wide range of conditions related to bones, joints, muscles, connective tissue, skin and teeth.

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Institute of Infection and Immunity seeks to establish national leadership, priorities and programs that promote innovative research to reduce the global burden of infection and immune-based disease and improve quality of life.

For more information, including a full list of institutions involved in this project, please contact: