Clinical Trials
758
105 active
Approvals
0
Total approvals
Agencies
0
Regulatory bodies
Founded
1887
Active, not recruiting
41
5.4%
Completed
410
54.1%
Enrolling By Invitation
5
0.7%
Not yet recruiting
59
7.8%
Recruiting
81
10.7%
Suspended
1
0.1%
Terminated
41
5.4%
Unknown
79
10.4%
Withdrawn
41
5.4%
No approval data available
- The RADICAL PC-2 trial enrolled 2,501 prostate cancer patients across eight countries and found routine referral to a cardiologist or internist significantly improved cholesterol control and statin use. - Referred patients were more likely to receive statin therapy (63% vs. 40%) and blood pressure medication (56% vs. 49%), with significantly lower cholesterol levels over nearly six years of follow-up. - Despite these improvements, no significant difference emerged in cardiovascular death, heart attack, stroke, or heart failure between the referred and usual-care groups. - A prespecified subgroup analysis identified patients with cholesterol above 4 mmol/L, blood pressure above 130/80, or diabetes as most likely to benefit from specialist referral.
- University of Toronto and McMaster University are anchoring a new $40-million life sciences venture capital fund managed by Genesys Capital, with a first close of over $30 million already secured. - The fund will invest up to $1 million each in 10 to 15 seed-stage startups focused on medical devices and drugs targeting cancer, heart, and brain ailments, primarily from the two universities. - The Ontario government, through Venture Ontario, is contributing up to $10 million, with U of T committing up to $8 million and McMaster $5 million from technology transfer revenues. - The initiative aims to address Canada's chronic early-stage funding gap that has historically driven promising life sciences innovators to relocate to Boston or Silicon Valley.
- University of Calgary researchers developed GCAR1, a first-in-class CAR T-cell therapy targeting a novel marker on solid tumors, published in Nature and Nature Cancer. - Two patients with alveolar soft-cell sarcoma received the therapy; the second patient showed tumor shrinkage and disappearance of lung metastases after combination immunotherapy. - A lung lesion measuring over 2.5 cm shrank to less than 1 cm, and a smaller lesion became barely visible on follow-up CT scans. - The target is also present on kidney cancers and glioblastomas, with preclinical success in mouse models of deadly brain cancer reported by McMaster University collaborators.
- The CDC issued a clinician alert after rabies-related inquiries rose 17% in July and August versus the same period last year, with vaccine use up 33% and immune globulin up 76%. - The alert followed the euthanasia of four rabid baby goats at a North Carolina petting zoo that exposed people to the virus, an event experts say may explain the entire increase. - A separate CMAJ report documented Ontario's first fatal human rabies case since 1967 in an 11-year-old boy exposed to a bat without visible bite or scratch marks. - Authors of the case report stress that any direct human contact with a bat warrants post-exposure prophylaxis, which is highly effective if given before symptoms develop.
- Researchers at McMaster University identified a "megacluster" of genes in *Streptomyces* bacteria that produces four distinct antibiotics and a biotin-binding protein, all targeting the essential vitamin B7 pathway. - The four antibiotic families—stravidins, acidomycin, α-Me-KAPA, and the newly discovered dapamycins—attack different stages of biotin production, uptake, and use, making resistance harder to evolve. - Two of the compounds proved highly effective against multidrug-resistant *E. coli* in animal infection models, demonstrating early therapeutic potential. - The megacluster is more widespread across *Streptomyces* genomes than the genes for streptomycin, suggesting a conserved evolutionary strategy that could inspire novel combination antibiotic therapies.
- A Hamilton Health Sciences-led pilot is evaluating a five-minute finger-prick test for syphilis and HIV that enables immediate, on-the-spot treatment for pregnant patients who test positive. - The rapid test removes barriers to care by reaching people facing substance use, homelessness, and limited access to prenatal services, with over 80% of those offered the test accepting it. - Syphilis rates in Hamilton have risen more than 300% over the past decade, with the fastest increase among women of childbearing age, driving renewed urgency to prevent congenital syphilis. - Researchers plan to advocate for provincial funding, as the test is not covered by OHIP and currently costs clinics about $30 per test.
- A major NIH-sponsored clinical trial involving 225 patients across 29 U.S. sites demonstrated that stent placement significantly reduces post-thrombotic syndrome severity from 93% to 40% of patients meeting severe criteria. - The minimally invasive procedure, which takes two to three hours and requires only tiny incisions, improved quality of life scores by 14 points on a 100-point scale compared to standard care alone. - This represents the first large randomized trial to provide evidence-based treatment for post-thrombotic syndrome, a painful complication affecting an estimated 40% of deep vein thrombosis survivors. - The C-TRACT trial results, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, offer new hope for over 120,000 Americans annually who develop this debilitating condition following blood clots.
- A randomized clinical trial of 399 adults found that fluvoxamine, a widely available antidepressant, significantly reduced fatigue and improved quality of life in long COVID patients. - The study showed a 99% probability that fluvoxamine outperformed placebo, while metformin showed no meaningful benefit for established long COVID fatigue symptoms. - Researchers used an innovative Bayesian adaptive design that allowed the trial to reach conclusions more efficiently than traditional clinical trials. - The findings represent one of the first evidence-based treatment options for long COVID fatigue, a condition affecting an estimated 65 million people worldwide.
- McMaster University researchers have demonstrated that EVT0185, a novel small-molecule drug candidate, can prevent and reverse liver fibrosis in preclinical disease models, addressing a critical therapeutic gap. - The compound simultaneously targets ACLY and ACSS2 enzymes to control blood sugar levels, reduce cholesterol, and eliminate fat buildup that causes liver fibrosis through a "carbon release valve" mechanism. - EVT0185 represents a potential breakthrough for treating metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), with clinical trials expected to begin by 2027 following completion of preclinical and toxicology studies. - Current treatment options for MASH are limited, with no approved drugs in Canada and existing US/EU therapies showing efficacy in only one-third of patients.
- Bayer announced positive topline results from the Phase III OCEANIC-STROKE study, with asundexian significantly reducing ischemic stroke risk compared to placebo in over 12,300 patients. - The once-daily oral Factor XIa inhibitor demonstrated no increased risk of major bleeding when combined with antiplatelet therapy in secondary stroke prevention. - The study addresses a critical unmet need, as one in five stroke survivors experiences another stroke within five years despite current prevention options. - Asundexian has received FDA Fast Track Designation for stroke prevention in patients after non-cardioembolic ischemic stroke, with detailed results to be presented at an upcoming scientific congress.
