INTERNATIONAL CLINICAL TRIALS DAY | The CATALIS Network Rolls Out a New Strategic Plan for 2024-2028 | To mark International Clinical Trials Day, the CATALIS Quebec Network is pleased to announce the rollout of its new 2024-2028 Strategic Plan in collaboration with its partners, the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MHSS) and the Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Energy (MEIE). Since its inception, CATALIS Quebec’s government mandate has been to act as a neutral and agile entity for mobilizing and coordinating efforts aimed at optimizing Quebec’s clinical research environment. CATALIS has facilitated more than 280 advisory committees and working groups with members of the CATALIS Network to optimize the operational and administrative components of clinical trials conducted in the Health and Social Services Network (HSSN) and develop common tools, harmonized processes, and provincial services to achieve a high level of performance. In 2020-2024, thanks to the support of a vast Network of Public-Private Partners committed to patients’ well-being, CATALIS was able to celebrate some major collaborative achievements, such as 1) the launch of a provincial dashboard of research performance indicators for health network (HSSN) institutions, 2) the harmonization of operational and administrative practices in HSSN research centres, 3) the rollout of the FAST TRACK Evaluation Service, and the 4) launch of the Clinical Trials Quebec (CTQ) information and services hub, which includes a Directory of Patient Organizations, a Public Clinical Trials Database (powered by Nagano SemiWeb), and a Personalized Support Service for Quebec patients, caregivers, and health professionals. Having weathered a pandemic that disrupted the clinical research environment, the CATALIS Network must now adapt to yet another transformation in research at the global, national, and provincial levels. | To achieve this, while continuing to carry out its mission, the CATALIS Network will implement the following 6 strategic objectives in 2024-2028: 1) Accelerate the activation and facilitate the conduct of clinical research projects in Quebec; 2) Strengthen provincial expertise in clinical research; 3) Facilitate the recruitment and referral of patients; 4) Facilitate the development of an innovative environment; 5) Increase Quebec's international exposure to attract more clinical research projects; 6) Ensure effective collaborations. | | CATALIS would like to thank the Quebec government, healthcare institutions and their research centres, the industry, patient associations, and the patient partners who are members of its Network for their extensive expertise and dedication. Together, we continue to optimize the clinical research environment to make it easy for patients who want to participate in trials in Quebec to do so. | 3 Pharmaceutical Companies Join the CATALIS Network | CATALIS is pleased to welcome the pharmaceutical companies Alexion, Lilly Canada and Novo Nordisk Canada Inc. to its Partner Network. These companies join the many industry partners committed to the Network, namely Abbvie, AstraZeneca, Bayer, BeiGene, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Gilead Sciences Canada, GSK, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, Takeda, and Vertex. These pharmaceutical partners support CATALIS and the other members of its Network in its mission, which is to optimize Quebec’s clinical research environment and accelerate the development of innovative care for the benefit of the province’s patients. | “We’re thrilled to join the CATALIS Network in its efforts to accelerate Quebec’s clinical research footprint and bring innovative therapies to patients, faster. Patients living with rare diseases face an incredibly long diagnostic journey with limited or no treatment options available to them. Through the FAST TRACK program, we can significantly decrease the time it takes to launch and execute a clinical trial and ultimately bring new innovations and hope to patients and their caregivers.” - Karen Heim, VP General Manager, Alexion Pharma Canada Corp. | | “Lilly is honored to join CATALIS Quebec, epanding clinical trial opportunities to patients and healthcare providers in Quebec. With this new partnership, we’re hopeful that we can simplify the approach to starting clinical trials and advance timelines with academic institutions in Quebec to increase opportunities for patients in the province to experience new molecules currently under research.” - Dr. Sandy Henderson, Vice President, Medical Affairs Eli Lilly Canada | | “Novo Nordisk Canada is very pleased to be joining the CATALIS Network. We have an ambitious clinical program focused on delivering innovative treatment solutions to benefit patients and improve health outcomes for Canadians living with serious chronic diseases. We believe this partnership will enable us to accelerate the start of clinical trials, as well as increase patient recruitment and referrals in Quebec.” - Vince Lamanna, Senior Vice President & President, Novo Nordisk Canada Inc. | | 2 Patient Organizations Join the CATALIS Network | New organizations join the CATALIS Network: Asthma Canada and Kidney Cancer Canada. They join more than 30 patient organizations and patient partners who represent the patient’s voice within the Network and contribute to CATALIS’ mission of optimizing clinical research in Quebec, in order to accelerate the development of innovative patient care for everyone’s benefit. | “Asthma Canada is proud to partner with Clinical Trials Quebec and CATALIS Quebec. It’s imperative to us that people living with asthma in Quebec and across Canada are aware of clinical trial opportunities, and this partnership will help connect more patients to these opportunities. Equally vital is enhancing knowledge and sharing evidence-based information that helps patients and caregivers make informed choices about clinical trial participation and treatment options. We are also excited about the advancements in asthma treatment that will be impacted by clinical trials for the benefit of today’s patients and those of future generations as we continue to work towards our vision of a future without asthma.” - Jeffrey Beach, President & CEO, Asthma Canada | | “Over the past eight years, treatment options for kidney cancer have increased and survival rates for kidney cancer patients have improved - thanks to clinical trials. At Kidney Cancer Canada, we encourage patients to ask about clinical trials and want to provide them with the tools to facilitate that conversation with their oncologist. We are excited to partner with CATALIS, whose mission is to optimise the clinical research environment by accelerating, facilitating, and increasing the number of clinical trials in Quebec. They have developed a patient-centric tool that allows patients to search for trials and helps them along the way. We are strong advocates of shared decision-making, and our partnership with CATALIS is another step in helping our Quebec community start conversations with their doctors about their treatment options.” - Christine Collins, Executive Director, Kidney Cancer Canada | | The Chaudière-Appalaches Integrated Health and Social Services Centre Authorized a First Clinical Trial in 8.4 Weeks With the FAST TRACK Evaluation Service and Recruited the First Canadian Participant | The very first collaboration between the Chaudière-Appalaches Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux (integrated health and social services centre or CISSS) and CATALIS’ FAST TRACK Evaluation Service has been a resounding success. The healthcare institution authorized a phase II study on celiac disease in 8.4 weeks, making it the first site activated in Canada and the fourth site activated worldwide out of a total of 30 sites in 8 countries. The Chaudière-Appalaches CISSS also recruited the first Canadian participant (second participant worldwide) for this study. | “The Research and Teaching Unit of the Chaudière-Appalaches CISSS is delighted to be partnering with the CATALIS Network. We are proud to have contributed, through the FAST TRACK Evaluation Service, to ensuring that celiac patients in our region have rapid access to this promising treatment and can participate in its development. This success is due in no small part to the effective collaboration between Dr. Samson's research team, the members of the CATALIS team, the Research Access Point team, the Research Ethics Committee and the relevant departments and services of the institution.” - Chantal Pilote, Director of Research and University Teaching and Spokesperson, Chaudière-Appalaches CISSS | | The CATALIS Team Is Growing | Stéphanie Lamarche - Associate Program Director | With a Master’s degree in Microbiology and Immunology and a PMP certification, Stéphanie has 16 years of experience in clinical research. Driven by a passion for project management, her expertise ranges from process improvement and effective problem solving to transparent and engaging communication. Stéphanie has held coordination, quality assurance and project management positions at several Contract Research Organizations (CRO) and at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC). | | Most recently, she has held project management positions with responsibility for leading multiple cross-functional teams and strategically developing partnerships with pharmaceutical industry clients. Stéphanie joins CATALIS Quebec as Associate Program Director. Her solid expertise in the field of clinical research will enable her to contribute to the success of CATALIS’ mission, particularly with regard to patient access to clinical trials and strengthening Quebec’s competitiveness in this field. | CATALIS Quebec is a non-profit partnership dedicated to the advancement and operational excellence of clinical research in Quebec. Since 2017, CATALIS Quebec has been carrying out a large-scale government mandate to optimize Quebec’s clinical research environment. The CATALIS Network's efforts are focused on providing more Quebec patients with access to tomorrow’s therapies. | Follow us on X and LinkedIn to learn why Quebec is a world leader in clinical trials. | | | | |