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The Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program (CDTRP) is a national research network designed to increase organ and tissue donation in Canada and enhance the survival and quality of life of Canadians living with a transplant. The Kidney Foundation of Canada shares that objective and has shown its commitment by renewing support of the CDTRP through a joint investment with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Astellas Pharma Canada Inc., the Canadian Liver Foundation, Cystic Fibrosis Canada, and the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé.

The $3.3 million in funding, announced at the Canadian Transplant Summit recently held in Ottawa, will enable the CDTRP to continue advancing research that address the many facets of organ and tissue donation and transplantation in Canada and in the process effectively increase the availability of transplants for Canadians and transform clinical outcomes for transplant patients from coast to coast.

Currently, some 3,400 Canadians are on a waiting list for a kidney transplant. ¹ There is no cure for kidney disease, however, transplantation remains the favoured treatment modality for patient with end-stage kidney disease, with a five-year survival rate that is twice that of dialysis. 2

Nevertheless, due to the complex barriers and side-effects that can accompany transplantation, there is a 50% organ transplant failure rate and high risks of complications from transplant medications. Moreover, the low rates of donation in Canada result in only 33% of patients on an organ waiting list receiving a transplant.

This year’s renewed support of the CDTRP from The Kidney Foundation of Canada represents a 20% increase compared with its previous contribution. “The Kidney Foundation of Canada is proud to support the important work being done by the CDTRP,” said The Kidney Foundation’s National Executive Director Elizabeth Myles. “Our continued investment in the program is further evidence of the Foundation’s commitment to eliminating the burden of kidney disease through funding and stimulating innovative research for better treatments and a cure.”

1 Canadian Institutes for Health Research. 2018. e-Statistics on Organ Transplants, Waiting Lists and Donors 2017 [Online] Available at: https://www.cihi.ca/sites/default/files/document/corr-estatistics-2017-en.xlsx 

2 Canadian Institutes for Health Research. 2017. CORR Annual Statistics, 2007 to 2016, Renal Replacement Therapy Data Tables [Online] Available at: https://www.cihi.ca/sites/default/files/document/corr_ar-kidney-data-tables-en.xlsx [Accessed November 2, 2018]