Fundraising Priorities for the McCaig Institute

The McCaig Institute is home to a multidisciplinary team of scientists, clinicians and engineers. By working together, we have made important progress towards achieving our vision of a world without arthritis and preventable bone and joint injuries.

The members of the McCaig Institute are scientific leaders and have been recognized internationally for their important contributions to bone and joint research. We have set our sights on creating a new clinical research facility in which we will use advanced medical imaging, human motion and biomarker (i.e. blood) analyses to develop effective treatment and diagnostic tools. The creation of this facility will enhance the research capabilities of our institute, and this will ultimately help us find a way to maintain the mobility of every individual, well into their senior years. Success of this endeavor will rely on financial support from our partners and from the philanthropic community. Listed below are two fundraising priorities related to this new initiative. If you are interested in contributing to these projects or if you would like more information, please contact Donna Allan at 403-210-6774.

Project 1: Creation of The Centre for Mobility and Joint Health

Our goal is to establish The Centre for Mobility and Joint Health: a state-of-the-art clinical research facility that will enable our researchers to develop new diagnostic tools and effective treatments for conditions that compromise bone and joint health and mobility, and integrate these technologies into our health care system. This project has high potential for partnered financial investment by the government.

The Centre for Mobility and Joint Health will house state-of-the-art technologies needed to carry out human motion analysis, medical imaging, and biomarker (i.e. blood) assessment on patients suffering from an array of bone and joint conditions. Our mission is to develop sensitive and specific tools to diagnose early osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoporosis (OP), and to initiate patient-specific treatments and therapies. This new facility would propel us to the forefront internationally in the development, testing and implementation of new therapies, early diagnostic tools and effective prevention strategies. We are uniquely suited to achieve this goal due to key components already in place: (1) a core of national and international leaders in bone and joint health and mobility research at the McCaig Institute, (2) the support of the province-wide Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute (ABJHI), which was designed specifically to provide evidence-based evaluation and validation of new bone and joint health approaches, and (3) the recent establishment, by Alberta Health Services (AHS), of the Bone and Joint Strategic Clinical Network (several medical leaders of this clinical network are McCaig Institute members), which is tasked with identifying priority health problems and implementing novel solutions. Through these partners, researchers at the McCaig Institute will be able to create innovative solutions to clinically-relevant problems and the efficacy of these solutions will be evaluated in the real-world of the health care system. Furthermore, through these partnerships, we will be able to effectively implement novel strategies created by McCaig Institute researchers. This opportunity is truly unprecedented. Bone and joint health is multi-faceted, requiring teams of people with different technical skills to address the diversity of issues involved. Our institute has established a solid province-wide, multidisciplinary team. The success of the new Centre for Mobility and Joint Health will rely on our ability to expand this team. The McCaig Institute needs to make strategic investments in people in order to strengthen its research capacity in the clinical arena of bone and joint health. Investment in this project will also allow us to enhance collaborative partnerships with related organizations within the province, nationally and internationally.

Impact of the Success of this Project

Establishment of this new clinical research facility will place Alberta at the forefront of research related to bone and joint health and mobility, and could potentially allow us to be the best worldwide for moving research findings into clinical practice expeditiously. Investment into this project will also give the executive the opportunity to make strategic investments in good people and collaborative partnerships. This new state-of-the-art research facility will engage patients, physicians, researchers and government (through Alberta Health Services), creating a truly cohesive team. It will have a tremendous impact on the ability of our institute to expand the breadth of our clinical research programs and will help us to expedite the creation and implementation of new treatment and diagnostic tools, which will ultimately improve the lives of thousands of Canadians.

Fundraising Goal

The total cost to create and support this new clinical research centre for five years is $17.4 million. Through a major application recently submitted to the federal Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), there is high potential for government support of up to $11.5 million for infrastructure development.

Project 2: The Junior Scholars Fund

The McCaig Institute is committed to investing in new trainees and junior faculty members. This will allow us to train future leaders in the field of bone and joint research.

Bone and joint diseases and injuries are the leading cause of immobility and significantly reduce the quality of life for those affected. The research programs at the McCaig Institute focus on improving early diagnosis, treatment and prevention of these debilitating conditions. Finding effective ways to preserve bone and joint health and mobility requires teams of people with different technical skills and expertise to effectively address these complex issues. We would like to establish a fund to support new leaders in bone and joint research. This fund will support trainees, post-doctoral fellows and junior faculty and will allow us to train much-needed leaders in the area of bone and joint health.

Impact of the Success of this Project

Successful establishment of a Junior Scholars Fund at the McCaig Institute would allow us to create new leaders in bone and joint health research. These individuals are the successors to our senior members and will enhance the breadth and strength of our research programs, ultimately helping us to achieve our vision of a world without arthritis and preventable bone and joint injuries.

Fundraising Goal

We would like to fundraise $5.26 million in order to recruit high-quality junior faculty members.