Thursday, November 01, 2007
The University of Western Ontario & Lawson Health Research Institute
London-led team to study cardiovascular complications of diabetes
London, ON. –Cardiovascular complications
(CVCs) account for more than 70% of deaths in
people with diabetes, but what role could exercise
play in reducing that risk? The Canadian
Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) has
announced funding totalling nearly $1.9 million
for an innovative 5-year project that brings
together researchers from Canada and Finland to
study whether exercise could prevent the onset, or
modify the risk of CVCs in susceptible persons.
The 19-member team is led by Dr. Robert
Petrella, a Lawson Health Research Institute
Scientist and Professor of Family Medicine at the
Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at The
University of Western Ontario.
"A major objective in this proposal is to identify
and then to prevent and treat early markers of
CVCs in patients at risk for, or with, diabetes,” says
Petrella. “While there is intense interest in
identifying and modifying risk factors at the onset
of CVCs in diabetes, the exact biological
mechanisms, their measurement, and broader
social determinants governing CVCs of diabetes,
including optimal ways to prevent or manage
them, are still poorly understood.
"About half of all money spent on diabetes care
goes towards the costs of managing diabetic
complications, of which CVCs are significant. The
trend of escalating diabetes prevalence will lead
to an immense financial burden in many countries
unless action is taken to prevent both diabetes and
its complications. This collaboration, as one of its
major objectives, will develop best practices for
delivery of prescriptive exercise and targeted
pharmacological interventions for CVCs
prevention and reversal at the point of care. This
will result in significant cost savings to health care
systems in both countries."
The project also received grants from the Heart &
Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Diabetes
Association to bring the total 5-year funding to
$3.8 million. The team includes 12 London
researchers from Lawson, Schulich Medicine &
Dentistry and Robarts Research Institute, and
seven from Finland.
The CIHR has announced funding totalling over
$11 million dollars for 49 new projects in London,
covering a wide range of health issues including
schizophrenia, atherosclerosis, HIV/AIDS, stroke
and cancer. A full list is available on request.
Media contacts:
Kathy Wallis, Schulich School of Medicine &
Dentistry, The University of Western Ontario, 519-
661-2111 ext. 81136,
kathy.wallis@schulich.uwo.ca
Melissa Beilhartz, Lawson Health Research
Institute, 519-646-6100 ext. 65516 or pager 10699
Melissa.beilhartz@sjhc.london.on.ca
Anthea Rowe, Robarts Research Institute, 519-663-
3524,
arowe@robarts.ca
|