Canadian Atherosclerosis Imaging Network (CAIN) - “Hearts and Minds”  Background
A CIHR Institute for Circulatory and Respiratory Health (ICRH) sponsored Canadian consensus conference on clinical imaging research was convened in March 2007. One clear consensus came from this meeting: to move forward immediately to establish national imaging networks that would coordinate disease-focused efforts in multicenter clinical evaluation/comparison and randomized clinical trials of novel diagnostic imaging technologies and their applications in clinical trials of therapeutics.
Overview CAIN is a pan-canadian imaging network funded through grants from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). This unique research network is focused on the pathobiology of atherosclerotic disease as it pertains to the coronary and carotid circulations. The CAIN research program involves the creation of a unique national network focused on in vivo imaging of vessel wall disease, combined with imaging of occult end-organ disease as well as the acquisition of clinical and pathological end points. CAIN enables unprecedented cross-sectional and longitudinal clinical studies of patients with atherosclerotic disease in coronary or carotid vascular beds, and has established an international resource for studying the natural history, progression, regression and novel therapeutic interventions aimed at atherosclerosis. Vascular imaging expertise and infrastructure in all major Canadian cities are linked in this novel multidisciplinary team to form a core clinical research network; patients are recruited from qualified sites across the country to enable unique research into the vascular biology of atherosclerosis, imaging technology assessment and clinical vascular imaging. The project leader, co-PIs, core and recruitment sites represent Canada's leading atherosclerosis imaging experts, spanning coronary and carotid territories and embodying both basic imaging science and clinical imaging research. Collaborations with private organizations are currently being established.
Leadership Dr. Jean-Claude Tardif is the designated project leader of this initiative and a world- leader in cardiovascular research. He has a leading role in several large-scale international randomized clinical trials focusing on cardiovascular diseases. He holds the Pfizer / CIHR Chair in Atherosclerosis that involves both clinical and pre-clinical research aspects. He has been a member of several steering committees for NIH-funded studies. He is also the scientific director of the Montreal Heart Institute Coordinating Center (MHICC) and Director of the Cardiovascular Health Network (RSCV) of FRSQ. Co- principal investigators and Steering Committee Members have been designated as follows, representing Canada’s leading vascular imaging researchers; this leadership team is in itself highly multidisciplinary and academically strong. * Training and Knowledge Transfer * * Please visit the special knowledge transfer website at www.ImagingKT.ca * ImagingKT.ca is a website that has been developed to engage medical imaging professionals with simple, yet comprehensive access to cutting-edge research knowledge and skills, as well as providing a portal to research training and mentorship. The development of ImagingKT.ca has relied in part on CAIN and runs on infrastructure provided by the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI). This comprehensive website provides access to imaging news, training information, lectures, and career opportunities. CAIN Steering Committee members Philippe L’Allier Alan Moody Sandra Black David Spence Aaron Fenster Rob Beanlands Ben Chow Matthias Friedrich Richard Frayne Brian Rutt Therese Heinonen
CAIN International Advisory Committee members Michele Lussier Leslee Shaw Marcelo Dicarli Renu Virmani Peter Rothwell Chun Yuan Andrew Ara Chun Yuan CAIN Operations Committee members CAIN Database Subcommittee members Joan Fleming Marilyn Horton Louise Fortier Yan Ssuto Soundouss El Moubaraki Claude Nadon Angel Khazmadjian
CAIN IT Subcommittee members Aaron Fenster Jim Heaton Rob deKemp Ran Klein Pierre Lefebvre Hervé Momo Jeufack Brian O'Brien Alain Caillé Louise Fortier Matthias Friedrich Therese Heinonen Luc Lalancette Gilles Lefebvre Claude Nadon (Chair) Pierre Le Guyader Michèle Plante Marina Salluzzi David Tessier CAIN Training and Transfer Committee members Richard Frayne Ben Chow Sandra Black Aaron Fenster Therese Heinonen Philippe L’Allier Interested in joining the CAIN network? If you are an investigator interested in joining the CAIN network, please contact Therese Heinonen by email at
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