Research showcase
Investments in health research are investments in a stronger and healthier Canada. With CIHR funding, researchers across the country can study a problem, test an idea, and find a solution that will, in time, lead to new and improved health treatments, practices, products, and policies that keep Canadians safe and healthy.
CIHR invests in a Pan-Canadian clinical trials research network for HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections
At a glance
A Pan-Canadian HIV/AIDS & STBBI Clinical Trials Research Network.
One network grant of $25 million over five years.
For more than three decades, the Government of Canada has provided funding for a HIV/AIDS Clinical Trials Network to establish infrastructure that advances clinical trials for HIV and AIDS. While significant progress has been made towards developing successful therapeutics to combat HIV, both a cure and a vaccine remain elusive. Globally and in Canada, recent trends have shown alarming increases in new cases of HIV and other sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBI).
In 2022, globally:
- 39 million people were living with HIV
- 630,000 died from HIV/AIDS
- 1.3 million people were newly infected
- an estimated 58 million people were living with chronic hepatitis C and 296 million with hepatitis B
In Canada, the challenges in treatment and prevention of STBBI vary by region and clinical trial infrastructure is concentrated in the biggest cities, creating barriers to participation for rural, remote and isolated communities and resulting in poorer health outcomes for populations disproportionately affected by STBBI.
CIHR’s recently launched HIV/AIDS & STBBI Clinical Trials Research Network funding opportunity aims to build on the important contributions and efforts of the previously funded clinical trial network team and establish research infrastructure that advances innovative, community-centred clinical trials. These trials will have an expanded scope for research on STBBI beyond HIV with a focus on other existing health conditions, co-infections, and disparities in the health and well-being of key populations disproportionately affected by STBBI in Canada.
The successful team, led by Dr. Marina Klein from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, is being awarded $25 million over five years. Dr. Klein will lead a diverse network with five regional teams, four specialized think tanks and a community-centred knowledge mobilization hub. This nationally coordinated, interdisciplinary and connected clinical trials network will strengthen Canada’s capacity to address HIV and STBBI from prevention to cure.
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