Ongoing Research Projects
The CANADIAN CONSORTIUM OF RHEUMATOLOGY COHORTS (CANCoRC): An integrated group of medical centers and clinical researchers dedicated to the study of the rheumatic diseases.
The CSRG is proud to be part of CANCoRC. Established in early 2010, CANCoRC is an integrated group of medical centers and clinical researchers dedicated to the study of rheumatic diseases; it is the convergence of experienced and accomplished rheumatology researchers with expertise in genetics, immunology and epidemiology who are working together for the first time in a collaborative initiative which links investigators into an effective research network to apply state-of-the-art methodologies of basic and clinical research, to address and investigate the biology and the important gaps in existing knowledge of the various rheumatic and related diseases, and to improve outcomes for Canadians inflicted with these debilitating diseases. These rheumatology experts work in a multi-center, trans-disciplinary health research approach with various related medical experts scientists i.e. gastroenterologists, dermatologists, psychologists, epidemiologists, cardiologists, dentists, physiotherapists as well as economists and biostatisticians, to enhance the breadth and scope of their investigations in their respective researches. Amongst the rheumatic diseases that are tackled in this collaboration are rheumatoid arthritis (RA) including First Nations RA, spondyloarthritis (SpA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), osteoporosis, scleroderma, systemic lupus erythematosis (SLE), vasculitis, ankylosing spondylitis (AS), reactive arthritis (ReA), early inflammatory arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and paediatric/juvenile arthritis. Almost each cohort member of CANCoRC in this collaboration have developed links with well-recognized patient groups in order to involve patients in determining priorities and disseminating knowledge.
The CANCoRC aims to facilitate the different components of research on patients inflicted with the various debilitating rheumatic and related diseases by delineating common issues and needs, devise methods of sharing common resources and advocate for the type of global financial support that is essential for the sustainability of this type of research advocacy.