Hamilton's role as one of the world's leading centres in cardiac, vascular and stroke research was amplified today with the grand opening of the David Braley Cardiac, Vascular and Stroke Research Institute at the Hamilton General Hospital site of Hamilton Health Sciences.
The Research Institute is a six-storey building comprised of 200,000 square feet of research space, laboratories, meeting rooms, offices and breakout spaces. It also houses Canada's largest biobank which stores more than 1.8 million tissue and genetic research samples from approximately 250,000 participants globally. The total project, including state-of-the-art equipment, totalled close to $100 million.
The grand opening event was attended by many notable dignitaries including the Honourable Tony Clement, Federal Minister of Industry.
"The Government of Canada is proud to partner with the David Braley Cardiac, Vascular and Stroke Research Institute," said Minister Clement. "The superior research, treatment and healthcare service that will take place here will benefit not only the Hamilton-Niagara region, but indeed all of Canada."
The Research Institute brings together two world-renowned research teams - the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI) led by Executive Director Dr. Salim Yusuf, and the Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research Institute (TaARI) led by Director Dr. Jeffrey Weitz. Working side-by-side for the first time, these two teams will be able to share ideas and knowledge that will improve the health of millions of people around the world.
The building is named after business leader David Braley who donated $10 million to the project.
"I am very pleased to support research at this fine institution as it impacts the health of people in this city and around the world," said Mr. Braley, President of Orlick Industries Limited. "The teams led by Dr. Yusuf and Dr. Weitz are doing outstanding work and we, as donors, need to support them. Their research is changing the standards in medicine and we should be delighted that they have their home base here in Hamilton."
In addition to Mr. Braley's gift, infrastructure and operating funds were raised through competitive grants to the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
PHRI and TaARI have international reputations for innovation and excellence. PHRI conducts clinical trials in 83 countries focusing on cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and the societal influences on health such as ethnicity and geography. TaARI (formerly the Henderson Research Centre) made history almost 30 years ago with the world's first clinical trial demonstrating the effectiveness of using aspirin to prevent stroke. Since then, TaARI has become an international leader in research on vascular disease, specifically blood clots.