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The Impact of Your SupportSince 1974, donor contributions to CCFC have fostered a growing interest in the causes and treatment of IBD – and built the infrastructure to find the cures.Having a steady, multi-year source of funding through donor support of CCFC has meant that scientists have the means to pay for project costs such as support staff, equipment and supplies. It also means that junior scientists have the opportunity to learn and grow under the supervision of senior IBD researchers, thus ensuring an ongoing interest in gastrointestinal research. At a time when government funding for research continues to shrink, CCFC funding has become even more critical to the IBD research community. CCFC also leverages donated funds by creating strategic partnerships with other health research funding organizations. By striking agreements with these national and international agencies, CCFC now attracts an estimated $1 million more in matched funding each year. CCFC has also established provincial partnerships with most provincial health research agencies, which will more than double our investments in the coming years. Please visit our Annual Report online for details of these matching fund agreements. Through our Grants In Aid of Research as well as a multitude of other types of grants, CCFC has built an IBD research infrastructure in this country that punches well above its weight internationally. Please visit our Research Report Card for details about how IBD research in Canada is contributing significantly to global efforts to find the cures for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Recent Major BreakthroughsThanks to this foundation building through the generosity of our donors, CCFC-funded research has been behind some major breakthroughs. For example, in January 2009, the scientific journal “Nature Genetics” published the results of work done by Dr. Mark Silverberg and his team at the Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. Dr. Silverberg’s project, partly funded by CCFC, discovered two new genetic factors that predisposed people to developing ulcerative colitis.These exciting results followed on the heels of another breakthrough published in the spring of 2007 in “Science.” Researchers from the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases; and the IBD Genetics Consortium (University of Toronto and McGill University) reported on the work they have done on the human genome. Dr. Silverberg and his team from Mount Sinai collaborated with researchers from the Hospital for Sick Children on this international effort and discovered that mutations in two specific genes were strongly associated with Crohn’s disease (CD). Assisted by funding from CCFC, this discovery could lead to treatments that will block the activity of the mutated genes and improve the management of CD. PhD candidate Alexandra-Chloe Villani (supervised by Drs. Franchimont and Hudson) also published in the January 2009 “Nature Genetics” issue. She reported on the discovery of DNA variations in a gene that increases susceptibility to CD. Funded in part by CCFC, the research team hypothesized that bacterial sensors are defective in some people and fail to detect the presence of harmful bacteria. Once again, this discovery could lead to improved treatments - or a cure - for IBD. In the summer of 2010, CCFC was also proud to share in the achievements of Dr. John Wallace, McMaster University. With funding from CCFC and the Canadian Institute for Health Research, Dr. Wallace’s team as well as the team from the University of Calgary, identified a specific chemical that could trigger remission in patients with ulcerative colitis. Known as D2, this prostaglandin is elevated in people who have been in long-term remission. This discovery could potentially lead to a treatment that will prevent new episodes of ulcerative colitis. Genetics, Environmental, Microbial (GEM) ProjectNo discussion on CCFC-funded IBD research would be complete without reference to the Michael J. Howorth Genetics, Environmental, Microbial (GEM) Project. GEM is a landmark study that will change the way we view the causes and treatment of IBD.This multi-year, multi-million dollar study is wholly funded by CCFC and is investigating the complex interactions between predisposing genetic factors, the influence of the environment and the effects of bacteria in the development of Crohn’s disease. Please visit www.gemproject.ca for more details. During the study it is expected that a number of subjects will develop CD. When that happens, scientists will compare the genetic and biologic samples as well as environmental differences of these individuals before and after they developed the disease. They will also compare the results to those of “matched” subjects who have not developed CD, and try to ascertain key differences in these areas. |
