Media Release |
Dec. 3, 2003
iCAPTURE Centre opens with goal of making heart, lung and
blood vessel disease a part of history
The James Hogg iCAPTURE Centre for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary
Research, a UBC-affiliated, Providence Health Care-based research
facility, was officially opened today by Drs. Peter Pare and
Bruce McManus.
The purpose of iCAPTURE is to link recent breakthroughs in
genetic sciences to an understanding of how abnormal genes
change the structure and function (phenotype) of cells, tissues
and organs of the body to cause heart, blood vessel and lung
disease.
“Heart, blood vessel and lung diseases cause suffering
or death to millions of Canadians each year,” says Dr.
Bruce McManus, Scientific Director of the Canadian Institute
of Circulatory and Respiratory Health (ICRH) and Co-director
of the iCAPTURE Centre “We need a better understanding
of why some people develop serious health problems like asthma,
heart attacks, emphysema and blocked blood vessels, while
others with the same known risk factors do not.”
“iCAPTURE’S new equipment and people have transformed
our ability to make discoveries that will help people who
have these devastating diseases,” said Dr. Peter Pare,
Director of the James Hogg iCAPTURE Centre for Cardiovascular
and Pulmonary Research. “We can quickly translate our
research results into improved patient care because our research
is done in a busy hospital which specializes in heart and
lung disease.”
The total funding required to make iCAPTURE a reality was
$17.4 million. This funding was provided by the Canada Foundation
for Innovation ($6.5 million), BC Knowledge Development Fund
($6.5 million), UBC Blusson Foundation ($2 million), technology
vendors ($1.2 million), the Heart and Stroke Foundation of
BC & Yukon ($400,000) and the BC Lung Association ($400,000).
Providence Health Care has also committed ongoing personnel
funding of $1.5 million per year to run the centre.
The funding has allowed iCAPTURE to renovate 20,000 square
feet of additional research and educational space in St. Paul’s
Hospital, part of Providence Health Care. It will also allow
researchers to take advantage of cutting-edge technology such
as confocal, transmission electron and atomic-force microscopes.
By providing such tools to phenotype the cells, tissues, and
organs of individuals who are affected by cardiovascular and
pulmonary diseases, iCAPTURE can help find ways to improve
clinical care and the health of all Canadians. As well, iCAPTURE’s
creation of new opportunities for students, technologists
and visiting scientists is expected to have a profound impact
on BC’s knowledge-based industries.
"No hospital can be truly great without a strong research
and teaching program," said Carl Roy, CEO of Providence
Health Care. "At Providence we are extremely fortunate
to have iCAPTURE as our single largest research endeavour.
It helps us to attract the finest staff, students and specialists,
links our clinical work with the university, vastly improves
our capacity as a teaching institution, and helps provide
leading-edge care for our patients."
“iCAPTURE will improve quality of life for Canadians
and provide researchers the opportunity to tackle the mysteries
of heart, blood vessel and lung disease in a world-class facility,”
said Dr. David Strangway, President and CEO of the CFI.
“I'm proud that the BCKDF program has awarded more
than $270 million for research facilities throughout B.C.,
providing institutions with the facilities and technology
they need to attract and retain leading scientists,”
said Advanced Education Minister Shirley Bond. “The
researchers at iCAPTURE are a prime example; with this new
facility I know they will bring technology, treatments and
hope to British Columbians affected by cardiovascular and
pulmonary disease.”
The iCAPTURE Centre builds on a 25-year legacy of health
research begun by Drs. Jim Hogg and Peter Pare when they moved
to Vancouver from McGill University in 1977. The iCAPTURE
Centre now has nearly 250 personnel, including 25 nationally
funded principal investigators, and numerous trainees and
staff members working to solve the unknowns of heart, lung,
and blood vessel diseases. In addition to its St. Paul’s
facility, iCAPTURE co-investigators are based at Vancouver
Hospital and Health Sciences Centre, UBC’s Point Grey
campus and the Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics.
Partners of the iCAPTURE Centre
Canada Foundation for Innovation
The Canada Foundation for Innovation awarded $6.5 million
dollars towards iCAPTURE’s total project cost of $17.4
million. The Government of Canada established the CFI in 1997
with the goal of strengthening the capability of Canadian
universities, colleges, research hospital’s, and other
not-for-profit institutions to carry out world-class research
and technology development.
British Columbia Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF)
BCKDF is a $217-million program providing capital funding
to enhance research infrastructure for BC’s public post-secondary
institutions, teaching hospitals, and affiliated non-profit
agencies. BCKDF is a matching program, providing up to 40
per cent of a project’s cost.
Providence Health Care
Providence Health Care has generously committed $1.5 million
per year in ongoing operating support, and 20,000 square feet
of hospital space for the iCAPTURE Centre. St. Paul’s
Hospital is a major teaching hospital affiliated with the
University of British Columbia.
University of British Columbia
UBC is the official recipient of the CFI’s iCAPTURE
infrastructure grant. UBC has recognized research to be essential
to the world-wide improvement of clinical care practices and
has always been a long term supporter of the UBC McDonald
Research Laboratories at St. Paul’s Hospital. The UBC
Blusson Foundation funded 13 per cent of this award or $2.1
million.
Heart and Stroke Foundation of BC and Yukon
The Heart and Stroke Foundation has provided a match of
$400,000 towards non-CFI eligible expenses for the iCAPTURE
Centre. This match was primarily be used for the renovation
of educational space. The Heart and Stroke Foundation of BC
and Yukon contributes $5 million annually to BC-based research,
all of which is raised through private donations and fundraising.
BC Lung Association
The BC Lung Association has generously provided a match
of $400,000 towards non-CFI eligible expenses for the iCAPTURE
Centre. The BC Lung Association supports research with over
$2 million annually in personnel and operating grants to internationally
recognized doctors, scientists and researchers studying lung
disease in British Columbia.
The St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation
The Foundation, which provides an annual financial contribution
to iCAPTURE research activities, continues to raise funds
to support the operations of the iCAPTURE Centre.
Canada’s advanced Internet development organization
is a not-for-profit corporation whose mission is to accelerate
Canada’s advanced Internet development. CANARIE has
funded the iCAPTURE Centre to work on developing Grid computing
for the Centre as well as novel software tools to bring key
research findings into the clinic.
Vendors
Over $1.2 million was secured through in-kind donations
from iCAPTURE vendors. In-kind donations included special
discounts on equipment, additional bonus products or features,
or training. IBM was the first major iCAPTURE vendor-partner
and will provide most computer hardware and software to upgrade
the computer infrastructure of iCAPTURE.
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