More Than Microscopes: the DIFFERENCE CANADIANS MAKE SAVING LIVES THROUGH MEDICAL RESEARCH
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More Than Microscopes: THE DIFFERENCE CANADIANS MAKE SAVING LIVES THROUGH MEDICAL RESEARCH healthpartners.ca 150 YEARS … 150 MEDICAL RESEARCH ADVANCES … $150 MILLION RAISED: Canadian Researchers Make a Mark Here — and Around the World Rick Perciante, Chair, Eileen Dooley Board of Directors CEO, HealthPartners HealthPartners Pablum to improve infant nutrition. The ability of Without a breakthrough using stem cell-based T-cells to destroy bacteria and viruses and marshal therapy to treat aggressive forms of relapsing- the immune system. The Cobalt-60 ‘bomb’ to remitting multiple sclerosis, Jennifer Molson kill cancer cells. Controlled gene mutation. The wouldn’t have been able to participate in a link between stress and disease. Insulin to treat bone marrow transplant trial, which essentially diabetes. Child-resistant medical containers. transformed her life. Without ground-breaking Discovery of stem cells. drug therapies, eight-year-old Kaiden Ames would probably not be alive today, and his Despite an overall population of fewer than parents wouldn’t have the chance to see him 40 million, Canada has nurtured a striking number grow up and even be a parent himself. Without of scientists and researchers whose breakthrough deep brain stimulation surgery, Herb Durand medical discoveries — and their ongoing wouldn’t be able to fulfill a long-time dream: to contributions to medical knowledge — have hold his grandchild. And without the tremendous improved, or have the potential to improve, the strides that have been made in diabetes research, health of millions of people around the world, not Dwayne Vermette certainly wouldn’t be living a just across our vast country. healthy lifestyle after being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in his 30s — including having the ability HealthPartners is proud to play a leadership role to manage his condition with pills rather than a in connecting donor dollars to life-enhancing and daily injection of insulin. life-changing research that makes a real difference in the health of Canadians. Given that nine out Our scientists have not only changed the lives of of 10 of us, living in neighbourhoods across this thousands of Canadians like Jennifer, Kaiden, Herb country, are touched by a major disease or chronic and Dwayne; they’ve made a mark internationally. illness, the value of the research that our member They’ve ushered in the age of modern nuclear charities support — thanks to the generosity of medicine, opened up the field of biotechnology, our donors — cannot be underscored. pioneered cell-based therapy, designed medical equipment, invented new surgical and treatment And our donors have been incredibly generous. techniques, developed drugs and vaccines, The $150 million raised through HealthPartners, and more — collecting seven Nobel prizes in coupled with other direct donations to our the process. charities, have given legions of Canadians support, dignity, hope — and even their lives. In terms of the amount of money we spend on research, we may rank 14th among 31 Western Through the pages of More Than Microscopes, industrialized nations, but we rank 6th in the we’ve chosen to highlight 150 achievements quality of our research. When it comes to world- that have advanced the field of medical research. changing research, Canada truly does punch These achievements are among hundreds that above its weight. have helped to move the research yardstick forward — and in the process, improving lives, Research excellence speaks to a culture that transforming lives and saving lives. supports innovation — to go where no-one has gone before. They also serve to showcase the tremendous research that is being undertaken by researchers In the area of medical innovation, HealthPartners’ and scientists who are supported by our 16 member health charities play a major role 16 member health charities. Their ground- in nurturing our country’s innovative research breaking and ground-blazing work is a cause culture. Through annual funding commitments, for celebration — and a concrete testament to our charities support the ability of researchers what can be achieved when Canadians lend from coast to coast to coast to exercise their their support to medical research. Through the creative research muscle. With scientific curiosity incredible support of donors to HealthPartners and intellectual know-how, these researchers and our charities — $150 million raised and delve into uncharted territory, propelled by a counting — we truly can achieve so much when it desire to save lives. And they do. comes to helping Canadians live healthy lives. Here’s to the next 150 years! 2,500 to 3,000 Canadians over ALS Research the age of 18 have ALS First described in the 19th century, ALS, or amyotrophic lateral 2 out of every 100,000 people sclerosis, is a disease that gradually paralyzes the body, leaving people diagnosed with ALS every year without the ability to move, talk, swallow and eventually, breathe. Most people die within two to five years of being diagnosed with ALS 80% of people who have ALS because the disease has no effective treatment or cure. die within 2 to 5 years of their diagnosis However, ALS research has made more progress in the last 5 to 7 years than in the last century, advancing to a point which many ALS research experts believe effective treatments are now a matter of ‘when’ not ‘if.’ NIGEL VAN LOAN Nigel Van Loan’s wife, Patricia, passed away in 2007 from ALS, a terminal neurodegenerative disease that also took the lives of her mother and three sisters. Although she was relieved to have a diagnosis, she was overcome with fear, dread and panic — “I really didn’t know how I could live with ALS without going mad,” she wrote on the ALS Canada website. Patricia was able to live at home until her death thanks to the progress that had been made in ALS research into equipment loaned by the Society that kept her mobile, was used to transport her up and down the stairs, and enabled her to shower, bathe and get out of bed. After Patricia’s passing, Nigel became active in ALS Canada and remains a member of the ALS client services committee, lobbying the government for research dollars and fundraising for the Society as a way to keep his wife’s memory alive — and because ALS is in his family (his two sons and his grandchildren could carry the gene). Research Advances Through the Years: Highlights 2008: Stefano Stifani uncovers a key mechanism involved in the development of motor neurons, Canada is considered a leader in ALS improving our understanding of what goes wrong in neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS. research — consistently in the top five countries for ALS discoveries. Nicolas Dupré is part of the team that discovers the gene TDP-43 is involved in ALS. 2012: Michael Strong and his team discover a Current research studies include: new gene responsible for hereditary ALS. • replacing bone marrow cells with new cells containing potentially protective genes 2014: Michael Strong demonstrates that a large • as part of the first large imaging study in the number of miRNA are altered in ALS. world, exploring advanced MRI methods that can be used as a biomarker, making it possible Researcher Spotlight for physicians to detect the disease earlier, Robarts scientist and neurologist monitor disease progression and evaluate Michael Strong is a world leader new therapies in the search for a cure for ALS. • studying whether the most common genetic He balances his research work abnormality in ALS, which occurs in the with frontline clinical care of C90RF72 gene, causes or contributes to patients affected by the disease, the disease working with one of the largest research-based • studying the role of interneurons, which ALS clinics in Canada. Dr. Strong’s relentless work connect to motor neurons in the brain, in the moving from inquiry to insight and repeating that early stages of ALS process throughout his career has produced a series of new scientific discoveries in the ALS field. Founded in 1977, ALS Canada and its provincial partners are dedicated to supporting Canadians living with ALS and investing in research to make ALS a treatable, not terminal, disease. Through the ALS Canada Research Program, ALS Canada funds peer-reviewed research grants, fosters collaboration and builds capacity within Canada’s ALS research community, and participates in new areas of research. Since 2014, ALS Canada has invested approximately $20 million into ALS research. The Society also supports Project MinE, a multinational initiative involving more than 15 participating countries, where the goal is to establish a global resource of human data that will enable scientists to understand the genetic signature that leads someone to develop ALS. The Canadian component of Project MinE brings together four of Canada’s leading ALS geneticists — Ian Mackenzie, Vancouver; Ekaterina Rogaeva, Toronto; Guy Rouleau, Montreal; and Nicolas Dupré, Quebec City — for their first ever cross-country collaboration. 564,000 Canadians live Alzheimer’s Disease Research with dementia By 2038, over 1 million Canadians will be living with dementia, largely 25,000 more Canadians are because the baby boom generation will have reached old age. diagnosed every year We still don’t understand exactly how Alzheimer’s disease damages 937,000 Canadians will have the brain — somehow cells are damaged and eventually die in dementia in less than 15 years different areas of the brain. The death of brain cells leads to dementia, For every person with dementia, characterized by memory loss, impaired judgment and behavioural 1 or more family members changes. But what we do know is that Alzheimer’s usually affects provide care at least two lives: the person with the condition, and the person’s spouse or child, who gradually becomes a full-time caregiver as the disease progresses. On June 22, 2017, Canada became Because there is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s, treatment focuses the 30th country to launch a national on relieving symptoms and maintaining the quality of the person’s life.