Brain Canada-funded CanStroke Recovery Trials Platform hosts major international stroke conference in Calgary

More than 500 delegates gather to share latest research innovations, clinical trials, advances in treatment

Stroke clinical trials and cutting-edge technologies were in the spotlight at the Canadian Stroke Congress, held in Calgary Nov. 28 and 29 and co-hosted by CanStroke Recovery Trials, a national platform funded by Brain Canada.

The 2024 meeting, co-chaired by CanStroke Recovery Trials leader Dr. Sean Dukelow of the University of Calgary, focused on innovative technologies to advance care in Canada and globally.

The meeting brought together speakers and workshops across the clinical spectrum of stroke from stroke prevention to acute treatment to rehabilitation and from preclinical to clinical research.

Dr. Dukelow, Medical Director of Stroke Rehabilitation for the Calgary Stroke Program

Delegates heard about the use of AI applications to train an algorithm to predict someone’s recovery and future stroke risk. They learned about new approaches for brain-computer interface, enabling children ‘locked in’ by stroke to connect with the world. They discovered new ‘combination therapies’ studied in CanStroke trials across the country.

The meeting also probed ways to increase participation of women and under-represented groups in clinical trials and heard from Dr. Amy Yu, leader of Brain Canada-funded StrokeGoRed, about new research efforts.

Brain Canada President and CEO Dr. Viviane Poupon applauded the work of CanStroke Recovery Trials Platform to bring together research leaders at the Canadian Stroke Congress “to share the latest evidence and to accelerate the adoption of effective therapies to improve care and outcomes.”

Funding for CanStroke Recovery Trials and other Brain Canada Platform Support Grants is made possible with the financial support of Health Canada, through the Canada Brain Research Fund, an innovative partnership between the Government of Canada (through Health Canada) and Brain Canada.

Dr. Amy Yu, leader of Brain Canada-funded StrokeGoRed

Dr. Dukelow shared Congress co-hosting duties with Dr. Jodi Edwards, who leads StrokeCog Clinical Trials Training Platform. StrokeCog works to enhance the design of clinical trials to improve equity, diversity, and inclusion by developing a new generation of more diverse clinical trial leaders with training to conduct inclusive complex trials in diverse populations. StrokeCog is funded by CIHR.