A slightly dated news release I ran accross...
J.
______________________
Canada?s New Government announces more than $5 million in funding for pandemic preparedness initiatives
April 05, 2007
OTTAWA ? Steven Fletcher, MP for Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia and Parliamentary Secretary for Health, on behalf of the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Health, today announced more than $5 million in funding to support initiatives to help Canada?s pandemic preparedness.
The Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) will provide $4 million to fund 26 grants for health research into projects such as vaccine development, epidemic control and the mental health of health care practitioners in a pandemic situation. On the international front, funding of $1 million will be provided to support the Global Action Plan for Pandemic Influenza Vaccines.
?Canada?s New Government is committed to ensuring there can be a coordinated and focused health research effort to prepare Canada for a potential pandemic influenza, and today?s announcement of more than $5 million will enable important research to happen,? said Minister Clement. ?We made a strong commitment to Canadians last May when we announced $1 billion of five years to support ongoing pandemic preparedness efforts, including $21.5 million over five years to CIHR to support pandemic preparedness research.?
"By providing funding for these 26 research grants, Canada?s New Government hopes to be prepared to respond to annual influenza outbreaks, emerging new pathogens like the SARS virus, and strengthen both our healthcare and public health systems," said Parliamentary Secretary Fletcher. ?Research done today will help protect our country from a potential pandemic outbreak later in the future.?
The 26 health research projects funded across Canada underwent rigorous peer-review before being approved and exemplify CIHR's comprehensive, problem-based approach to funding excellence in health research. The funded health research projects will be carried out over periods of two years and include the following:
Dr. Robert G. Maunder (Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto) and his team will study how to ?inoculate? health-care workers against stress to improve the chance they will remain on the job in the event of a pandemic.
Dr. Mavanur R. Suresh (University of Alberta, Edmonton) and his team will study new ways of making effective vaccines with less antigen using dendritic cells.
Dr. David L. Buckeridge (McGill University, Montreal) and his team will study data from previous flu epidemics to learn how to control the spread of epidemics.
Dr. Danuta Skowronski (BC Centre for Disease Control), in Vancouver) and her team will refine a novel technique to rapidly identify new influenza viruses and assess the effectiveness of vaccines against these new strains.
Dr. Kevin Coombs (University of Manitoba, Winnipeg) and his team will study how flu viruses hijack the normal functions of cells and replicate.
Dr. Andr? Dascal (Jewish General Hospital and the Direction de la Sant? Publique de Montr?al, Montreal) and his team will survey Montreal-area health-care workers to learn more about how they would react to a pandemic, including whether they would show up for work.
?Health research will help us understand the influenza virus and most importantly, reduce its impact on the health of Canadians and people around the world,? said Dr. Alan Bernstein, president of the CIHR. ?The work of these research teams will bolster Canadian and international efforts to defeat a potential global pandemic."
The Public Health Agency of Canada is collaborating with CIHR to support the 26 projects.
Internationally, Mr. Fletcher said the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) funding of $1 million to support the Global Action Plan for Pandemic Influenza Vaccines would support the World Health Organization?s leadership in this area. The PHAC has been a strong supporter of the Global Action Plan which aims to address international supply and demand issues related to pandemic vaccines.
?The availability of an effective vaccine in an influenza pandemic is a pillar of Canada?s preparedness plan,? added Dr. David-Butler-Jones, Canada?s Chief Public Health Officer. ?It is critical that Canada be involved in the process of developing solutions to pandemic vaccine supply.?
Canada?s New Government?s has invested $1 billion over five years to support ongoing pandemic preparedness efforts, including $21.5 million over five years to CIHR to support pandemic preparedness research in Budget 2006. In view of the need to develop a coordinated and focused health research effort and to build research capacity in pandemic influenza, the CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity established the Pandemic Preparedness Research Strategic Initiative to identify strategic health research priorities and support pandemic preparedness research.
The CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity recently launched three more Requests for Applications, which will provide a total of $17 million over three years to support health research to further strengthen Canada?s influenza pandemic preparedness. Funded research projects will address influenza biology and transmission, diagnostics, antivirals, vaccines, ethics, legal and social research related to pandemic preparedness. Funding decisions will be announced in October 2007 and April 2008.
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada's agency for health research. CIHR's mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to catalyze its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health care system. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to more than 10,000 health researchers and trainees across Canada. http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca
J.
______________________
Canada?s New Government announces more than $5 million in funding for pandemic preparedness initiatives
April 05, 2007
OTTAWA ? Steven Fletcher, MP for Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia and Parliamentary Secretary for Health, on behalf of the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Health, today announced more than $5 million in funding to support initiatives to help Canada?s pandemic preparedness.
The Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) will provide $4 million to fund 26 grants for health research into projects such as vaccine development, epidemic control and the mental health of health care practitioners in a pandemic situation. On the international front, funding of $1 million will be provided to support the Global Action Plan for Pandemic Influenza Vaccines.
?Canada?s New Government is committed to ensuring there can be a coordinated and focused health research effort to prepare Canada for a potential pandemic influenza, and today?s announcement of more than $5 million will enable important research to happen,? said Minister Clement. ?We made a strong commitment to Canadians last May when we announced $1 billion of five years to support ongoing pandemic preparedness efforts, including $21.5 million over five years to CIHR to support pandemic preparedness research.?
"By providing funding for these 26 research grants, Canada?s New Government hopes to be prepared to respond to annual influenza outbreaks, emerging new pathogens like the SARS virus, and strengthen both our healthcare and public health systems," said Parliamentary Secretary Fletcher. ?Research done today will help protect our country from a potential pandemic outbreak later in the future.?
The 26 health research projects funded across Canada underwent rigorous peer-review before being approved and exemplify CIHR's comprehensive, problem-based approach to funding excellence in health research. The funded health research projects will be carried out over periods of two years and include the following:
Dr. Robert G. Maunder (Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto) and his team will study how to ?inoculate? health-care workers against stress to improve the chance they will remain on the job in the event of a pandemic.
Dr. Mavanur R. Suresh (University of Alberta, Edmonton) and his team will study new ways of making effective vaccines with less antigen using dendritic cells.
Dr. David L. Buckeridge (McGill University, Montreal) and his team will study data from previous flu epidemics to learn how to control the spread of epidemics.
Dr. Danuta Skowronski (BC Centre for Disease Control), in Vancouver) and her team will refine a novel technique to rapidly identify new influenza viruses and assess the effectiveness of vaccines against these new strains.
Dr. Kevin Coombs (University of Manitoba, Winnipeg) and his team will study how flu viruses hijack the normal functions of cells and replicate.
Dr. Andr? Dascal (Jewish General Hospital and the Direction de la Sant? Publique de Montr?al, Montreal) and his team will survey Montreal-area health-care workers to learn more about how they would react to a pandemic, including whether they would show up for work.
?Health research will help us understand the influenza virus and most importantly, reduce its impact on the health of Canadians and people around the world,? said Dr. Alan Bernstein, president of the CIHR. ?The work of these research teams will bolster Canadian and international efforts to defeat a potential global pandemic."
The Public Health Agency of Canada is collaborating with CIHR to support the 26 projects.
Internationally, Mr. Fletcher said the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) funding of $1 million to support the Global Action Plan for Pandemic Influenza Vaccines would support the World Health Organization?s leadership in this area. The PHAC has been a strong supporter of the Global Action Plan which aims to address international supply and demand issues related to pandemic vaccines.
?The availability of an effective vaccine in an influenza pandemic is a pillar of Canada?s preparedness plan,? added Dr. David-Butler-Jones, Canada?s Chief Public Health Officer. ?It is critical that Canada be involved in the process of developing solutions to pandemic vaccine supply.?
Canada?s New Government?s has invested $1 billion over five years to support ongoing pandemic preparedness efforts, including $21.5 million over five years to CIHR to support pandemic preparedness research in Budget 2006. In view of the need to develop a coordinated and focused health research effort and to build research capacity in pandemic influenza, the CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity established the Pandemic Preparedness Research Strategic Initiative to identify strategic health research priorities and support pandemic preparedness research.
The CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity recently launched three more Requests for Applications, which will provide a total of $17 million over three years to support health research to further strengthen Canada?s influenza pandemic preparedness. Funded research projects will address influenza biology and transmission, diagnostics, antivirals, vaccines, ethics, legal and social research related to pandemic preparedness. Funding decisions will be announced in October 2007 and April 2008.
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada's agency for health research. CIHR's mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to catalyze its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health care system. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to more than 10,000 health researchers and trainees across Canada. http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca