our mission is for life The Heart and Stroke Foundation, a volunteer-based health charity, leads in eliminating heart disease and stroke and reducing their impact through the advancement of research and its application, the promotion of healthy living, and advocacy.
Breakthrough Research Results Changing Lives
www.heartandstroke.ca
www.heartandstroke.ca
Saving and improving lives
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We are working with
Heart and Stroke Foundation research: ■
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Leads to earlier diagnosis and breakthroughs in treatment and recovery Reduces high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and other risk factors that contribute to heart disease Leads to a higher quality of life for people living with the impact of heart disease or stroke
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Identifies those at high risk of developing heart problems or having a stroke
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Educates Canadians on healthy lifestyle choices
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Lowers medical and health care costs
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Retains and attracts the world’s best researchers
schools and community partners to create an environment that supports healthy living. Dr. Patti-Jean Naylor
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” 2 Leading the Way 4 Supporting Research Excellence
Putting research into practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Did you know?
8 Strategic Research Priorities
Stroke research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Since 1956, the Heart and Stroke Foundation has invested over $1 billion in research support
Saving brain cells after a stroke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Obesity research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Combating obesity in our schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Heart and Stroke Foundation-funded research has helped reduce the death rate from heart disease and stroke in Canada by 70% since 1952 The Heart and Stroke Foundation currently funds over 900 researchers and research teams across the country
Resuscitation research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 U.S.-Canada study targets cardiac arrest and trauma . . . . .14
16 Moving Forward
Breakthrough Research Results Changing Lives
Finding answers. For life. There isn’t a better way to describe what we do. For over 50 years, Heart and Stroke Foundation (HSF) research has led the way toward a greater understanding of the root causes of heart disease and stroke. Throughout our history, the Foundation has funded life-saving research to reduce the burden of heart disease and stroke. From blue baby surgery to new ways to open arteries, we’ve had many successes. And today, we are on the threshold of more exciting breakthroughs. The Heart and Stroke Foundation – a leader in heart and stroke research in Canada – works with hundreds of hospital- and universitybased research teams across the country to find the answers we need. We are one of Canada’s most influential organizations dedicated to improving health and quality of life. Along with funding outstanding research, we provide Canadians with information to protect their health. We advocate for changes to public policy to build healthy communities and ultimately a healthier country.
leading way the
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The Heart and Stroke Foundation’s emphasis on research, health promotion, and advocacy delivers results that benefit all Canadians.
Did you know? Cardiovascular diseases cost the Canadian economy over $18 billion a year Heart disease and stroke are the underlying cause of death for one in three Canadians
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Breakthrough Research Results Changing Lives
Our research activities
cover the spectrum of prevention, treatment, and discovery. Annual open competitions support investigator-initiated research into all aspects of cardiovascular disease across four health research themes:
supporting
research excellence
1. Basic biomedical Laboratory-based research exploring biological or biochemical processes at the molecular, cellular, organ system, and whole body levels. 2. Clinical Patient-focused research aimed at improving the diagnosis and treatment of disease and injury by applying biomedical findings to new treatments, technologies, and more. 3. Health services and health systems Multidisciplinary research looking at how to improve the delivery of health care services through changes to practice and policy. 4. Social, cultural, environmental, and population health Research examining the way in which socioeconomic, cultural, and environmental factors impact health status. The Heart and Stroke Foundation supports core research funding through grants-in-aid, personnel awards, and other investments such as research chairs and program grants. Grants-in-aid Grants-in-aid allow researchers to undertake specific research projects and explore innovative treatments. Provided through the provincial Foundations, these grants support critical research costs. Personnel awards
The best researchers from across Canada. An excellent peer review process. A high-caliber research community committed to improving the health of Canadians. Heart and Stroke Foundation research has touched the lives of Canadians in countless ways over the past 50 years.
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Personnel awards build Canada’s research capacity by supporting investigators across the career spectrum – from graduate students to senior scientists.
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Breakthrough Research Results Changing Lives
HSF Research Fund Stroke, obesity, and resuscitation – the Foundation’s current mission priorities – are the focus of the HSF Research Fund. Through the Fund, we partner with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, other health charities, research organizations, government agencies, and the private sector to: ■
support strategic research that is inter-provincial and multidisciplinary,
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strengthen our nation’s research capacity, and
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leverage more funding for heart and stroke research in Canada.
Supporting innovation
The McDonald Scholarship Award
The Henry J.M. Barnett Scholarship Award
Named in honour of Ewing McDonald, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada’s executive director from 1968 to 1987, this award is given annually to the highest-rated Canadian applicant in the New Investigator Award competition.
Established to honour Dr. Henry J.M. Barnett’s exceptional contributions to stroke research, education, and patient care in Canada, this award is presented annually to a highly rated investigator working in cerebrovascular research.
Every year, the Heart and Stroke Foundation partners with industry to provide research fellowships for our next generation of researchers. Through our provincial Foundations we also support high school and masters scholarships, program grants, career investigator awards, and university research chairs.
Raising the bar for scientific excellence
Putting research into practice
The Heart and Stroke Foundation’s gold standard peer review process ensures successful applicants meet the highest standards of scientific excellence.
Linking research to the lives of Canadians. This goal is central to the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s health education and advocacy work.
Peer review panels include top-rated researchers as well as lay members from diverse backgrounds. Lay reviewers represent the person affected by heart disease and stroke, the donor, the volunteer, and the community at large. They strengthen accountability for the donor dollar and increase the openness of the research funding process.
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Through the HSF Research Fund’s managed research cycle, the Foundation works closely with policy-makers, practitioners, and researchers to address relevant questions and accelerate the translation of scientific evidence and proven solutions into policy and practice.
Did you know? Over 1,000 researchers take part in the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s peer review process every year
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Breakthrough Research Results Changing Lives
strategic research priorities
Did you know? Setting the standard in stroke care The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario’s Centre for Stroke Recovery is the first centre in the world to streamline research, stroke care, and stroke recovery. The Centre is moving new discoveries to the bedside faster than ever before. And from the bedside, clinicians are learning from patient experiences to inspire new research with very practical results.
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Stroke costs the
Canadian economy about $2.7 billion a year.
Surviving and recovering from stroke. Preventing and treating obesity. Saving lives through resuscitation. The Heart and Stroke Foundation supports research in many areas of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular science and health.
Stroke research About 50,000 strokes occur each year in Canada and over 15,000 Canadians die as a result. Three hundred thousand Canadians are living with its effects. Stroke costs the Canadian economy about $2.7 billion a year. The Heart and Stroke Foundation is leading national efforts to reverse this trend. The Foundation is learning far more about stroke and is working with health professionals to ensure research results are put into practice through Focus on Stroke, a unique partnership with the Canadian Stroke Network, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research/ Rx&D Collaborative Research Program, and AstraZeneca Canada.
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Putting what we know into practice Recognizing stroke warning signs. Getting immediate medical attention. These two responses have a major impact on survival and recovery. Yet only 20 to 25 per cent of Canadians who suffer a stroke get the emergency care they need within the critical three-hour window during which treatment is most effective. Through the Canadian Stroke Strategy, the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Stroke Network are pooling their expertise and resources to put into practice what is already known about preventing and treating strokes. We are working with governments, health care professionals, stroke survivors, caregivers, and leading health organizations to bridge the gap between the latest stroke research and current practices throughout the country. The Strategy will help provide all Canadians with the best stroke care possible, regardless of where they live.
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Breakthrough Research Results Changing Lives
improving
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Nearly 60 per cent of
the
Canadian adults are
odds
overweight or obese.
” Dr. Kathryn Todd
Photo courtesy of University of Alberta
Saving brain cells after a stroke What happens in the brain following a stroke? Can we manipulate signaling between brain cells to improve the odds of cell survival following a stroke? Dr. Kathryn Todd believes we can. Finding effective strategies that promote brain cell survival – and decrease cell death – following a stroke is the goal of Dr. Todd and her research team. With funding from the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Dr. Todd is studying how different types of brain cells signal one another after a stroke. “I want to manipulate brain cells using molecular biology and gene technology in order to promote survival signals to neurons that are in trouble,” says Dr. Todd. “I doubt we are ever going to have a single treatment that protects or rescues brain cells from the multiple effects of a stroke. Rather, we’re looking at a cocktail of strategies and interventions that when applied at different times, will improve the outcomes for patients.” Dr. Todd adds that the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s strong linkage to stroke survivors and their families always and importantly keeps the patient foremost in her mind while she works in her lab.
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Obesity research Nearly 60 per cent of Canadian adults are overweight or obese – as are more than a quarter of our children. Obesity contributes to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and liver disorders, along with other health conditions. Heart and Stroke Foundation research contributes to a greater understanding of how our environment, biology, society, and behaviour influence obesity. We are leading the development of innovative ways to stop this epidemic and its devastating impact on the health of Canadians.
Did you know? The Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Action Plan on Obesity focuses on healthy nutrition and increasing physical activity in our schools, workplaces, and communities.
Breakthrough Research Results Changing Lives
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Over the long term,
we see this program
reducing the incidence
The study’s first priority is to change how schools plan and implement healthy living activities. “Over the long term, we see this program reducing the incidence of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes,” says Dr. Naylor.
of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
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The project provides an unprecedented opportunity to evaluate how changing the school environment can promote healthy weights — and improved health — in children. The lessons learned will contribute to the science of obesity prevention and our understanding of public health practice.
leaders
follow the
Combating obesity in our schools
When it comes to nutrition and physical fitness, Canadian schools don’t get a passing grade. It seems straight forward: eat a healthy diet and exercise more. But that lesson is not getting to many young students. One in four of our children is either overweight or obese. They are at risk of health complications normally found solely in adult populations, such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension. Childhood obesity has tripled over the past two decades. The British Columbia government is working with the Heart and Stroke Foundation to change this. “B.C. has piloted a new healthy eating and physical activity model. We’re evaluating the best way to disseminate the model in elementary and middle schools across the province,” says Dr. Patti-Jean Naylor, who is leading a team of more than 40 researchers and research staff. “We are working with schools and community partners to create an environment that supports healthy living.” Grades 4 and 5 students from 30 schools in British Columbia are participating in the study. The Action Schools! BC model provides training and support for teachers and resources for schools.
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Dr. Heather McKay
Dr. Patti-Jean Naylor
Did you know? Over 14 million Canadians are overweight or obese
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Breakthrough Research Results Changing Lives
Resuscitation research Nearly 80 per cent of the estimated 40,000 cardiac arrests that occur in Canada each year take place at home – and most of them are fatal. Your odds of surviving an out-of-hospital arrest are only about five per cent. Research shows that these odds can be greatly improved if CPR is performed immediately and in conjunction with defibrillation – a shock to restart the heart’s normal rhythm. The Heart and Stroke Foundation is committed to improving the science of resuscitation. We convene expert workshops to identify research priorities where Canada can lead internationally – and ultimately save more lives.
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The Heart and Stroke
Foundation is keeping Canada at the leading edge of resuscitation research and practice.
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Guidelines make CPR easier to learn The Heart and Stroke Foundation is keeping Canada at the leading edge of resuscitation research and practice through its participation in the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation. The committee releases new scientific guidelines every five years to reflect the latest research. All CPR training in Canada is based on these guidelines. Heart and Stroke Foundation research will inform future guidelines to ensure that Canadian resuscitation training and practice reflect the most current science.
teamwork U.S.- Canada study targets cardiac arrest and trauma
Top scientists from Ottawa, Vancouver, and Toronto are among the leaders of a US $50-million clinical study to improve survival rates from sudden cardiac arrest and severe traumatic injury. Launched in March 2006, the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium could result in new medical protocols for hospital staff, paramedics, and other frontline workers treating cardiac and trauma patients. Collaborative trials will be held in 11 North American cities over five years to assess the effectiveness of new devices, treatments, and strategies to treat serious trauma or out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Funded in part by the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the consortium is also developing a patient database to help standardize treatment for cardiac arrest and trauma events. "Not only is this the largest pre-hospital trial on cardiac arrest and trauma ever undertaken, it will also be the largest database on cardiac arrest ever known," says Dr. Christian Vaillancourt, who is working with lead investigator Dr. Ian Stiell’s team in Ottawa.
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Dr. Christian Vaillancourt Dr. Ian Stiell
Did you know? There are over 70,000 heart attacks in Canada every year
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moving
forward Thanks to the tremendous support of our researchers, donors, and volunteers, Heart and Stroke Foundation research has a significant impact on the health of Canadians.
Research making a difference Newborn heart repair More babies born with heart defects are surviving today after Heart and Stroke Foundation-funded researchers discovered that prostaglandin E2, a naturally occurring substance, could maintain a unique feature of fetal circulation, giving surgeons the much-needed time to repair the defect.
Study gives HOPE The HOPE trial – a landmark international study led by a Heart and Stroke Foundationfunded researcher – showed that an ACE-inhibitor drug, originally developed to treat high blood pressure, could also dramatically cut the risk of heart attacks and strokes in people at high risk.
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Today’s research is producing advances in knowledge at a rate not even dreamed of 50 years ago. Promising developments in several fields – from gene therapy to how communities are designed – could lead to new and more effective ways of preventing and treating cardiovascular disease. The Heart and Stroke Foundation will continue to be a leader in funding innovative research and maintaining the highest standards of scientific peer review. The Foundation will also build on its work with partners to identify research priorities and translate research outcomes into knowledge to improve clinical practice, health policy, and health care delivery across the country.
working together to find answers for life Researchers collaborating across disciplines. Building on current knowledge. Supporting innovation. And fast tracking discoveries. The Heart and Stroke Foundation is committed to strategic partnerships to support innovative multidisciplinary research, from basic science to population health. For over 50 years, we have been a world research leader in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart disease and stroke. Invest in the health of Canadians. To partner with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada in funding outstanding research in Canada, please contact: HSFC Director of Research Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada 1402-222 Queen Street Ottawa, ON K1P 5V9 research@hsf.ca
The future is in our hands – and yours.
Did you know? Heart and Stroke Foundation researchers are charting new frontiers in cardiovascular disease in emerging fields such as: ■ Sex hormones, gender, and hypertension ■
New generations of anticoagulants
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Recombinant clotting factors
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Novel biomaterials for use in catheter and stent design