It is estimated that as many as 200 million people world-wide, including approximately 275,000 in Canada, harbour the hepatitis C virus. Vaccine development and production in Canada have been highly successful areas of research and business for the past 25 years. The discovery of the T-cell receptor by Canadian investigators has allowed better understanding of the fundamental immune processes involved in controlling chronic diseases. It is now possible to envision the development of immunotherapeutic strategies for the prevention or treatment of chronic diseases such as some forms of cancer, AIDS and hepatitis C, through the triggering of a protective immune response. A person is afflicted by a stroke every 10 minutes in Canada.
Strokes commonly results in death or in enormous disability to victims.
For every 10 Canadians suffering a stroke, two will die, six will have varying degrees of disability while two will achieve some neurological recovery but will have a diminished quality of life. But there is hope. Studies indicate that many strokes are preventable and that controlling risk factors, such as high blood pressure, cholesterol and heart disease, decreases the incidence of strokes. The CSN aims to break the barriers of stroke treatment by developing innovative prevention and recovery strategies through multidisciplinary and multisectoral research. The network proposes a broad approach which would link education, prevention strategies for recovery and rehabilitation, and research to further our understanding of brain injury, repair and functional recovery after a stroke.