Ten grants totalling $1 million awarded to support the future of clinical stroke research

The new program provides vital seed funding through Brain Canada, Heart & Stroke, and Canadian Stroke Consortium partnership

Brain Canada, Heart & Stroke, and the Canadian Stroke Consortium are thrilled to announce the recipients of the 2022 Stroke Clinical Research Catalyst Grants. The purpose of this program is to increase capacity for clinical stroke research within Canada, with an aim to reduce the burden of stroke, prevent recurrence, and improve patient outcomes through clinical research that will improve our understanding of stroke and advance stroke care.

We are thrilled to be collaborating with two leading organizations in stroke research to ultimately drive discovery. These ten investigators are contributing to improved care along the continuum of stroke which could transform the lives of many people impacted by stroke in Canada.”

Dr. Viviane Poupon, President and CEO of Brain Canada

“The Canadian Stroke Consortium is committed to reducing the burden of stroke through fostering quality clinical research and translating our learnings into patient care,” notes Dr. Andrew Demchuk, Chair of the Canadian Stroke Consortium.  “On behalf of our members, we are delighted to support the important work of these ten researchers. Their efforts will contribute to enhancing the lives of Canadians experiencing stroke.”

“This is an exciting opportunity to provide ten leading stroke researchers with the initial seed funding they need to develop new lines of research and to generate preliminary data,” says Doug Roth, CEO of Heart & Stroke. “The goal is that this initial investment will support successful applications to larger grants to further advance stroke health.”

The ten projects receiving $100,000 grants from Brain Canada, Heart & Stroke, and the Canadian Stroke Consortium include:

• Dr. Sean Dukelow, University of Calgary – The TeleTaCAS Randomized Controlled Feasibility Trial.
• Dr. Aravind Ganesh, University of Calgary – Development and testing of a system for remote ischemic conditioning in preparation for clinical trials in cerebral small vessel disease and pre-hospital stroke care.
• Dr. Raed Joundi, McMaster University – Incidence, Trends, Determinants, and Prognosis of Post-Stroke Dementia (INTREPID): A 20-year registry and population-based cohort study.
• Dr. Aristeidis Katsanos, McMaster University – blooD prEssure management in sTroke following EndovasCular Treatment (DETECT).
• Dr. Ethan MacDonald, University of Calgary – Developing a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) based pH Mapping Tool for Clinical Stroke Assessment.
• Dr. Michelle Ploughman, Memorial University – Verifying aerobic training protocols to benefit both heart and brain in subacute stroke.
• Dr. Alexandre Poppe, Université de Montréal – A multi-centre, prospective, randomized, open-label, blinded endpoint (PROBE) controlled trial comparing acute cervical internal carotid artery stenting to no stenting during endovascular thrombectomy for anterior circulation stroke due to acute tandem occlusion: Endovascular Acute Stroke Intervention – Tandem OCclusion trial (EASI-TOC).
• Dr. Deborah Siegal, University of Ottawa – Intensive Cancer Screening for Cryptogenic Stroke (INCOGNITO) Pilot Randomized Trial.
• Dr. Nishita Singh, University of Manitoba – Adaptive Platform Trial to Investigate VArious ThErapies in Carotid-Associated Stroke (ACTIVATE-CAS)- Pilot Phase.
• Dr. Luciano Sposato, Western University – STARGATE (Sweet spoT for cArdiac Rhythm monitorinG After sTrokE) Pilot Trial: A pilot-feasibility randomized controlled trial.

This program has been made possible by the Canada Brain Research Fund (CBRF), an innovative arrangement between the Government of Canada (through Health Canada) and Brain Canada Foundation, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, and Canadian Stroke Consortium. To date, Health Canada has invested over $155 million through the CBRF which has been matched by Brain Canada Foundation and its donors and partners.

About Heart & Stroke

Life. We don’t want you to miss it. That’s why Heart & Stroke has been leading the fight to beat heart disease and stroke for 70 years. We must generate the next medical breakthroughs, so Canadians don’t miss out on precious moments. Together, we are working to prevent disease, save lives and promote recovery through research, health promotion and public policy.  Heartandstroke.ca @HeartandStroke

About Canadian Stroke Consortium

The Canadian Stroke Consortium is the national professional association for physicians interested in stroke. Our associate members are colleagues who represent other disciplines involved in stroke prevention and treatment. Together, we are committed to reducing the burden of stroke through the translation of clinical research into clinical practice. To learn more, visit strokeconsortium.ca.