ABOUT US
On June 5, 2009, the Minister of Health announced $10.8 million over three years to support the PHAC/CIHR Influenza Research Network (PCIRN). The network was originally designed to carry out a three-year plan to develop and test procedures for evaluating a pandemic vaccine using seasonal influenza vaccine as a model. On June 6, 2009, WHO declared a global H1N1/09 influenza pandemic, and in response, PCIRN investigators began planning for the evaluation of an H1N1/09 vaccine expected to be available in the Fall. To support this work, PHAC approved an additional $2.7 million over three years to accelerate the network’s activities.
PCIRN is a strong collaboration of leading vaccine researchers and institutions. After just over a year of operation, PCIRN represents more than 100 investigators at 30 institutions, including universities, hospitals, and provincial and regional agencies across Canada.
Rather than researchers working in isolation and possibly duplicating efforts, this network organizes researchers to focus expertise and communications. It also provides a mechanism to rapidly change research priorities related to vaccine evaluation when faced with changing conditions.
PCIRN is working to consolidate the foundation of existing expertise in vaccine evaluation; increase the capacity to rapidly test candidate vaccines; create and strengthen links and facilitate two-way knowledge exchange amongst vaccine evaluation researchers and between vaccine evaluation researchers and decision makers, and train the next generation of pandemic preparedness and influenza researchers.
PCIRN’s response to the pandemic included four clinical trials, a new SOS (Serious Outcomes Surveillance) network of seven hospital sites across Canada conducting ongoing monitoring and reporting, the initiation of ten studies on vaccine implementation and coverage, and five vaccine safety related studies. Recently, PCIRN awarded seven PhD and Post-Grad scholarships, and has developed an innovative web-based curriculum to benefit students across the network.
PCIRN has continued to build on its success this year, with two pre-licensure clinical trials, an expansion of the SOS Network to ten sites, support of several studies involving special interest groups in Canadian public health, and continued development of its body of student scientists. It will also welcome private funding partnerships to its network, to further enhance research capabilities.
