ARTERIA Program – A $49.2M investment for patients with or at risk of cardiovascular disease: the Montreal Heart Institute will pilot the #ARTERIA Research Program.

MONTREAL, Feb. 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – The Montreal Heart Institute (MHI) announced last week the launch of ARTERIA, a research program

aimed at developing ground-breaking treatments for cardiovascular

diseases, the number one cause of death worldwide. “Once again, the

Montreal Heart Institute and its team of dedicated physicians,

researchers and professionals have established themselves as world

leaders in the fight against heart disease. This program will have

tangible positive effects on patients living with or at risk of

developing cardiovascular disease,” declared Dr. Jean-Claude

Tardif, Director of the MHI Research Centre who will be leading the

project.

The discoveries and innovations that will stem from this unique

program will substantially benefit patients over the medium and long

term by transforming medical practices in the treatment of heart

disease, all while realizing major savings for the health system as a

whole. Among its many benefits, ARTERIA will make it possible to deliver

increasingly personalized medicine and to treat and medicate patients

more effectively, thus saving lives. It is noteworthy that

cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of hospitalization and

deaths in the world, and that 1.3 million Canadians suffer from various

forms of the illness. Cardiovascular diseases also represent the largest

economic burden of all diagnostic categories with total annual costs of

approximately $22 billion in Canada.

Unprecedented partnership yields major investment of $49.2M

This monumental cutting-edge project has been made possible thanks

to the $49.2 million it has received in funding. Of this amount, $31M

has come from private investments linked to the biopharmaceutical sector

and $18.2M has come from the Government of Quebec. “We are very

proud at the Montreal Heart Institute Research Centre to have succeeded

in attracting to this research program such key stakeholders as the

Quebec Government, Universite de Montreal, and the world’s most

innovative pharmaceutical companies, so that our patients may benefit

from the fruits of this important research,” added Dr. Tardif.

ARTERIA will also lead to the creation of 150 new direct, high-skilled

jobs.

The announcement was made in the presence of Quebec Premier, Pauline

Marois, Ministers Nicolas Marceau, Jean-Francois Lisee and Elaine

Zakaib, Montreal Mayor, Denis Coderre, and representatives of

international pharmaceutical companies. The program’s main private

partners attending the event were eager to praise the MHI Research

Centre’s initiative in establishing this innovative project. In

doing so, they attested to the Institute’s indisputable leadership

on the world stage.

“Through our collaboration, we will be able to combine the

MHI’s worldwide network of scientific and medical research with our

capabilities in translational medicine and clinical development. For

this reason, to Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, the Montreal Heart Institute is

unequivocally a world-class Quebec institution,” noted Ronnie

Miller, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.

Canada.

Frederic Fasano, Canadian CEO of major ARTERIA partner Servier

Canada Inc., for his part underscored the long-standing collaboration

between the two organizations: “Our collaboration with the Montreal

Heart Institute began over 15 years ago. It has been extremely

productive in terms of research and innovation, case in point being a

medication to treat patients with heart failure which was largely

developed within the walls of the Institute. To work with the Montreal

Heart Institute is to work alongside cardiologists and researchers of

one of North America’s top cardiology centres.”

Lastly, major partner MedImmune (a subsidiary of AstraZeneca)

stressed the uniqueness of the MHI and its model. “In taking part

in the ARTERIA program, AstraZeneca, like all other public and private

partners and all patients, will benefit from the internationally

outstanding facility that is the Montreal Heart Institute. The Institute

is the only one to offer an integrated model that runs the gamut from

genetics, to cellular analysis, to major clinical studies. The Montreal

Heart Institute is simply the only centre of its kind in the

world,” added Dr. Fouzia Laghrissi-Thode, Global Vice-President in

charge of AstraZeneca’s Cardiovascular and Metabolic division.

Dr. Guy Breton, Rector of the Universite de Montreal, to which MHI

is affiliated, was thrilled about the announcement. “We are very

proud of the three Universite de Montreal research teams that received

funding as part of this new program. I especially congratulate Dr.

Tardif and his team at the Montreal Heart Institute who are set to lead

a research program that is innovative from every standpoint. On this

Valentine’s Day, which calls to mind the importance of the heart, I

am delighted to know that researchers of such high calibre will have

access to resources and partners that will enable them to develop new

avenues to improve heart health.”

The product of a vast and diversified partnership, ARTERIA has also

been made possible by the significant contribution and tangible support

of the following partners: Valeant Canada, Pharmascience Inc., Thrasos

Therapeutics Inc., Pfizer Canada Inc., Spartan Bioscience Inc., and the

Montreal Heart Institute Foundation.

To view the photo gallery:

http://ift.tt/1eO9GRQ

Founded by Dr. Paul David, The Montreal Health Institute is

celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2014. This commemorative year will

be the occasion to highlight the remarkable achievements in patient

care, research, prevention and teaching that have led the MHI to rise to

the ranks of the top cardiology centres in the world. Montreal-born and

internationally renowned, the Montreal Heart Institute has for the past

60 years brought together impassioned experts who are devoted to pushing

the boundaries of medicine in order to offer exceptional

ultra-specialized care.

About the Montreal Heart Institute: www.icm-mhi.org.

http://ift.tt/1KDUVoc

@ICMtl

SOURCE MONTREAL HEART INSTITUTE

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