Winter 2025 (Volume 35, Number 4)

News from British Columbia
A Collaborative Provincial Initiative: Working Together to Enhance Access to Novel Therapies Through Clinical Research in BC

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From left to right: Drs. Ann Marie Colwill, Antonio Avina-Zubieta, Shahin Jamal (recipient of the BCSR/UBC Teaching Award), John Wade, Neda Amiri (recipient of the Innovation Award), and Jason Kur; Dr. Simon Huang, recipient of the BSCR/UBC Advocacy Award, not pictured.

From left to right: Drs. Michael Nimmo and Brent Ohata (recipient of the VMDAS Award for Community Excellence).

From left to right: Anirudh Kotlo, Jeremiah Tan, Sofia Rieger-Torres, and Dr. Raheem B. Kherani.

Excitingly, clinical trials are being revived to help improve access to medications for patients in Western Canada. Mary Pack Arthritis Centre (MPAC) includes quaternary clinics for various rheumatic conditions and facilitates training opportunities for health professional trainees. Dedicated to improving quality of life for patients, MPAC provides education programs for patients, infusions, nursing, and access to allied health. In Vancouver, Drs. Azin Ahrari, Neda Amiri, Antonio Avina-Zubieta, Corisande Baldwin, Natasha Dehghan, Daniel Ennis, Angela Hu, Raheem Kherani, Alice Mai, Jennifer Reynolds, and the team at the MPAC (Jeremiah Tan, Sofia Rieger-Torres; previously Anirudh Kotlo) have been working on re-building infrastructure for industry- and investigator-led clinical trials.

Following a 12-year hiatus, MPAC is the primary collaborative provincial initiative running trials for rheumatic disease, with support from Arthritis Research Canada and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI). Beginning with phase III studies in Sjogren’s Disease, we are now running 10 studies covering six indications (myositis, osteoporosis, psoriasis, Sjogren’s, systemic lupus erythematosus [SLE], and vasculitis). With various studies on the horizon, we are excited to be activating soon as one of Canada’s first SLE CAR-T cell therapy studies. Our clinical trials centre is open for referrals for patients across BC!

Raheem B. Kherani, BSc (Pharm),
MD, FRCPC, MHPE
Clinical Associate Professor,
University of British Columbia
Director, Intensive Collaborative Arthritis Program, Mary Pack Arthritis Program
Clinician Investigator, Arthritis Research Canada
Division Head, Rheumatology, Richmond Hospital
Rheumatologist,
West Coast Rheumatology Associates
Richmond, British Columbia

Sofia Rieger-Torres, BSc (Biology)
Research Assistant, Arthritis Research Canada

Jeremiah Tan, BSc (Biology)
Research Coordinator, Arthritis Research Canada

Anirudh Kotlo, MSc Global Health
Data Coordinator, BC Cancer Breast and Sarcoma Tumor Group