More than 350 researchers and support organizations from across the country, along with representatives of the Canadian biotechnology industry, gathered this week to collaborate on ways to streamline and accelerate clinical trials at a two-day event held by the ACT/AEC consortium.
The following Tweets are just some of the highlights of the first annual meeting of the pan-Canadian on April 17 and 18 in Hamilton, Ontario, kicked off by co-chairs PHRI Senior Scientist, PJ Devereaux and Guy Rouleau, of Montreal Neurological Institute at McGill University.
Opening the first day was keynote speaker, Oxford University clinical trialist, Martin Landray, who was involved in the game-changing RECOVERY trial so early and effectively out of the gate to address the COVID-19 global health crisis.
See the full agenda here (PDF).
Keynote speaker @MartinLandray on #ClinicalTrials in Crisis: Learning from #RECOVERYtrial (Randomised Evaluation of #COVID19 Therapy) at #ACT_AEC 1st annual meeting
Landray cites as foundational the earlier work of Salim Yusuf, Rory Collins & Richard Peto in large simple #RCTs pic.twitter.com/MwqjRa3ZFp— PHRI.ca Population Health Research Institute ???????? (@PHRIresearch) April 17, 2023
Wayne Clark @UAlberta_FoMD, member of ACT operating committee & ACT’s #IndigenousPeoples champion, with #nurse #researcher @umanitoba’s Wanda Phillips-Beck, @CIHR_IRSC #Indigenous #research chair in #nursing #ACT_AEC 1st annual meeting of pan-Canadian #clinicaltrials consortium pic.twitter.com/XNi0GseE6h
— PHRI.ca Population Health Research Institute ???????? (@PHRIresearch) April 17, 2023
#PHRI Senior Scientist PJ Devereaux discusses reality of #REBs in Canada and the need to streamline #REB processes for #clinicaltrials. #ACT_AEC 1st annual meeting, closing out day 1 of incredible collaboration between #researchers, #biotech industry, #patientpartners & more pic.twitter.com/JcVWeFTvSO
— PHRI.ca Population Health Research Institute ???????? (@PHRIresearch) April 17, 2023
Many of the highly specialized committees already formed within the consortium made presentations, including ACT operating committee (AOC) members Amit Garg and Louise Pilote, co-chairs of the ACT Scientific Committee.
It was great to see @docschull, @kimchspr, and @AmitXGarg discussing trials + routinely collected health data at the Accelerating Clinical Trials (ACT) Canada #ACT_AEC meeting. This will be the focus of the new @HDRN_RRDS Pragmatic Trials Training Program: https://t.co/da4b4sMhnj pic.twitter.com/vWS73jFMVj
— Taylor McLinden (@TaylorMcLinden) April 19, 2023
#ACT_AEC consortium 1st annual meeting – closing comments for Day 1 by ACT co-chairs PJ Devereaux @PHRIresearch and Guy Rouleau @TheNeuro_MNI with ACT Program Director Nicole Yada pic.twitter.com/CZC13CbW3o
— PHRI.ca Population Health Research Institute ???????? (@PHRIresearch) April 17, 2023
Two other members of the ACT operating committee – Dean Fergusson and Stuart Nicholls – attended the event, and answered question about their organization at their booth, shown here.
How can we help you? Come find us at our booth to talk #clinicaltrials & how we can help advance your research #ACT_AEC #methods #research pic.twitter.com/aTepUKWuIz
— Ottawa Methods Centre (@OttMethodsCentr) April 18, 2023
A unique feature of the event was the inclusion of a partnership in development between the ACT consortium and Shoppers Drug Mart, the national chain of pharmacies.
Tanya Moore, Sr VP, Healthcare Businesses @ShopprsDrugMart discusses exploration stage of partnership with #ACT_AEC to help #clinicaltrialists with recruitment of participants in Canadian #clinicaltrials.
Panelists #PHRI’s @lastwalsh and PJ Devereaux and Janarthanan Sathananthan pic.twitter.com/YrCXQXNmQ7— PHRI.ca Population Health Research Institute ???????? (@PHRIresearch) April 18, 2023
Some of the #medtech #biotech companies exhibiting at 1st annual meeting of #ACT_AEC pan-Canadian consortium include @MyantInc, @TBIFinder and Lumenix AIMS#AI #healthtech #WearableTech pic.twitter.com/EYFTHymkzS
— PHRI.ca Population Health Research Institute ???????? (@PHRIresearch) April 17, 2023
At #ACT_AEC 1st annual meeting, day 2, #CANSTAT lead @ParpiaSameer discusses the national training platform bringing together #clinicaltrialists and #biostatisticans with mentorship and collaboration. E.g.https://t.co/O3cW7dulrK#clinicaltrials pic.twitter.com/qM6Csde3oj
— PHRI.ca Population Health Research Institute ???????? (@PHRIresearch) April 18, 2023
Representatives from some of the 28 research networks formally part of the ACT consortium attended the event and had exhibitor booths, including the Canadian Medication Appropriateness and Deprescribing Network (CADeN) and the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group (CCCTG). See all the networks.
Proud CADeN delegation at #ACT_AEC pan-canadian consortium’s 1st annual meeting! #ACT_AEC goals: accelerate and streamline #clinicaltrials in Canada, including for medication appropriateness and #deprescribing research! @PHRIresearch pic.twitter.com/eN53b7dwGN
— CADeN (@DeprescribeNet) April 18, 2023
The CCCTG is one of 28 networks at the first annual ACT Consortium meeting: Accelerating, optimizing, and facilitating the conduct, implementation, and results translation from RCTs to improve health in ???????? and around the world https://t.co/FI22U8UIx2 #ACT_AEC pic.twitter.com/upAUfbGyug
— CCCTG (@CCCTG_) April 17, 2023
Dozens of short presentations were made by Canadian biotechnology industry – both startups and more established companies – pitching their technologies and applications to the ballroom full of clinical trialists.
#ACT_AEC 1st annual meeting – #biotech panel
Azadeh Dastmalchi, CEO of #VitalTracer, on her company’s personal healthcare products combining #wearabletech & #ArtificialIntelligence using biomed #sensors through wrist (watch) & chest to measure #vitalsigns#wearables #ACT2023 pic.twitter.com/RoyD1u0vrC— PHRI.ca Population Health Research Institute ???????? (@PHRIresearch) April 17, 2023