WNICER: Worldwide Network for Innovation in Clinical Education and Research

WHO WE ARE:
The Worldwide Network for Innovation in Clinical Education and Research (WNICER) was formed in November 2015. It is a people-based consortium comprised of experts from the academic, not-for-profit and private sphere. The consortium’s goal is to provide education and facilitate the conduct of high quality clinical trials and translational research under the guidance and leadership of an international collaborative of world class clinical investigators from member institutions spanning the globe. The network and its partners design scientific education, frameworks, and programs that tap into global talent, ideas, partnerships and funding pools.

The network focuses its research on areas of non-communicable diseases; in particular cardiometabolic disease, which is currently underemphasized by traditional organizations. These areas include emerging environmental threats, low cost but high impact preventive therapies, and emerging treatment approaches. Through these activities, WNICER’s goal is to perform impactful global trials that promote social change and improve treatment approaches to reduce morbidity and mortality worldwide.

One of WNICER’s closest partners is the CURA Foundation; a global health movement with the passionate purpose to improve human health. CURA unites public and private sectors, partnering with doctors, patients, business leaders, philanthropists and thought leaders to collaborate and create breakthroughs around the world. They drive change through genomics, artificial intelligence, and big data, to support and deliver the regenerative medicine revolution. The champion healthy bodies that resist disease, and work to help people live longer, better lives free from suffering. For more information on CURA, please visit https://thecurafoundation.org/

WNICER LEADERSHIP & MEMBERSHIP:
WNICER’s leadership consists of a Board of Directors (led by Mr. John Brooks, President & CEO); and an Executive Committee (led by Dr. Michael Farkouh, Founder & Chief Academic Officer).

WNICR’s members come from a variety of organizations that include academic, not for profit, and private institutions that share a common vision and philosophy about conducting impactful  research. Membership encompasses: 10 countries; 27 cities; 50 lead investigators; 400+ team members; and 1 billlion+ population base. Please click here for a listing of some of our members and their specialties.

WNICER’S CORE ACTIVITIES:

  • Grants and Research Support
  • Continuing  Medical Education
  • Scientific Colloquia
  • Innovative Investigator Roundtables
  • Clinical Trials
  • Consulting

WNICER RESEARCH PROGRAMS
Clinical research is key in producing evidence-based medicine that increases our knowledge of health and disease, improves the quality of our healthcare, and leads to the development of devices and therapies that can directly benefit the patient. WNICER’s program aims to shorten the time from discovery to patient application. To achieve this, our research program  emphasizes innovation and translation – with core research, clinical trials and clinical impact programs that are all supported by a strong continuing medical education program.


SPOTLIGHT: HOW WNICER TACKLES CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE
Despite advances in research and medicine, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain the number 1 killer in the world (accounting for nearly 50% of all non-communicable disease deaths), making it a major global health and economic challenge. This remains a complex problem because the cardiovascular system interacts with all of the body’s major systems, hence CVDs arise from multiple factors and do not have a singular cause. WNICER has a comprehensive and integrated program to address the intersecting risks and processes that characterize CVDs.

  • Obesity: It is estimated that over 1.4 billion adults over the age of 20 are overweight. Obesity is a major risk factor for developing diabetes & cardiovascular disease. Almost 90% of people living with Type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese.
  • Diabetes: There are over 400 million people with diabetes worldwide, with numbers estimated to rise to 600 million by 2030. The World Health Organization projects that diabetes will be the 7th leading cause of death in the next 15 years. 70% of diabetics 65 years or older die from some form of heart disease.
  • Cardiovascular Disease: Each year, cardiovascular disease claims 17.5 million lives. Global costs of cardiovascular disease are projected to reach over $1.04 trillion by 2030.

WNICER has an ambitious initiative to find a global solution to defeat cardiovascular disease worldwide. The initiative connects and coordinates leading cardiologists and cardiovascular scientists on an international scale and produces results by using the combined resources of its members. It recruits biomedical researchers, clinician scientists, cardiologists, experts in diabetes and cardiometabolic disorders, nutritional scientists and epidemiologists, and provides them with essential infrastructure and resources for conducting successful research. Toronto is currently the home-base for the WNICER administration through the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre (PMCC) Clinical Trials Unit. The Centre connects 10 leading clinical trial hubs of similar size and scope on five continents. The Network coordinates multiple centers around the world and is able to streamline data through a centralized portal to generate high-quality data, efficiently. Together, WNICER members work to rapidly advance cardiovascular research, and to share discoveries with other nations and developing countries.

Cardiovascular Clinical Trial Sample:
WNICER members run multiple cardiovascular trials. Below is just one sample of a WNICER clinical trial.

SUPPORTING WNICER:

  • Administration: WNICER’s central administrative hub is currently located in Toronto. The Consortium also funds an administrative person in each region that is responsible for communications and management.
  • Research Projects & Clinical Trials: WNICER maintains a diverse portfolio of basic, translational and clinical trials projects. Since the needs of each project vary, fundraising for each is done on an individual basis. Each funded project covers overhead to fund WNICER’s administrative work (e.g. intellectual support and fundraising). Please contact us for more information about our research portfolio.
  • Fellowships & Scholarships: WNICER actively fundraises to support the development of the next generation of scientists. This includes offering fellowships for innovative research and development, and providing scholarships to support young talent in their pursuit of higher education, training and working internationally.

CONTACT US:
Dr. Michael Farkouh, Founder: michael.farkouh@uhn.ca
Liz Thuo, Administrator: hsrl.centre@utoronto.ca or (416) 978-2351