Our quarterly newsletter keeps you informed on CNTN projects and initiatives. Below are a few highlights—be sure to check out the full issue below!
In this issue
CNTN Research Symposium recap
International Clinical Trials Day
CNTN supports CanReview
CNTN offers letters of support
Clinical trials study recruiting patient partners and trialists
Register for ACB webinar
Landmark WHO kidney resolution adopted
Recent Publications
CNTN hosts annual research symposium
The 7th annual Canadian Nephrology Trials Network (CNTN) Research Symposium was held on May 7, 2025, at the CSN Annual General Meeting in Vancouver, BC. Co-hosted by Dr. David Collister and patient partner Hans Vorster, the hybrid event brought together patients, clinicians, and researchers for a morning of collaboration and knowledge sharing. The symposium highlighted CNTN’s achievements and emphasized its commitment to patient engagement and future growth.
International Clinical Trials Day
Every year on May 20, we acknowledge International Clinical Trials Day! Raising clinical trial awareness and honouring clinical research professionals across the globe. The Canadian Nephrology Trials Network would like to recognize the work of our network members in advancing medical knowledge through research.
Request a letter of support from CNTN
Hear what it means to be part of this work from those leading the way.
Are you applying for a research grant or launching a project aligned with the goals of the Canadian Nephrology Trials Network (CNTN)? We now offer letters of support to help strengthen your application. Requests will be reviewed by CNTN’s Scientific Operations Committee to ensure alignment with the network’s mission.
The 7th annual Canadian Nephrology Trials Network (CNTN) Research Symposium took place on May 7, 2025, at the Canadian Society of Nephrology’s (CSN) Annual General Meeting in Vancouver, BC. This hybrid event brought together patients, clinicians, and researchers—including many early career investigators—for a day of knowledge sharing, reflection, and collaboration. It served as both a recognition of CNTN’s achievements and a platform to explore the network’s future direction and opportunities for broader engagement.
Co-hosted by Dr. David Collister and patient partner Hans Vorster—co-leads of CNTN’s Scientific Operations Committee—the event reflected CNTN’s commitment to meaningful patient engagement and collaborative research.
The day began with a Land Acknowledgement and Welcome to Territory by Knowledge Keeper Dehlia Nahanee and her daughter Marissa (Nisga’a and Squamish Nation). Their presence grounded the gathering in respect and intention. Chronic kidney disease plays a significant role in both of their lives—Dehlia was Marissa’s first living kidney donor. Marissa shared heartfelt words that resonated deeply:
“Thank you for dedicating your lives to something extremely important. Kidney disease not only affects me, but my community…when you are doing the hard work you are doing, you are not only saving a person—you are saving a community.”
Dr. Karthik Tennankore, co-chair of CNTN’s Executive Committee, provided updates on leadership succession planning for CNTN and encouraged members to watch for upcoming call for participation. He also shared insights on the network’s role in the Accelerating Clinical Trials (ACT) Consortium: “CNTN was one of the first 28 networks invited to join the Consortium, which has since grown to include six more. I am excited to see where the Consortium will go in the future and CNTN’s involvement.”
The symposium featured the following presentations from leading kidney researchers who are advancing the understanding and treatment of chronic kidney disease:
Dr. Adeera Levin – EASI-Kidney trial
Vikas Sridhar – SUGARNSALT study
Dr. Thomas Mavrakanas – CARe-MRI clinical trial
Dr. John Gill – PART study: Prevention of Allosensitization
Dr. Istvan Mucsi – PROMs feasibility pilot study
Each talk included a Q&A session, encouraging dynamic discussion and deeper insight into the research.
A full recording of the symposium is available below with timestamps for each presentation. A summary report which includes presenter slides is available CNTN Research Symposium Report 2025.
CNTN looks forward to its next Research Symposium at the 2026 CSN AGM in Quebec City, QC.
CNTN is proud to support CanReview, a pan-Canadian collaboration supported by the Accelerating Clinical Trials (ACT) Consortium to build a broadly accessible, Canada-wide single research ethics review system that will enable all research sites participating in a multi-site clinical trial to undergo one ethics review, while ensuring the highest ethical standards.
Collaborating with Research Ethics Boards, research teams, Indigenous community members, institutions and sponsors, patients and family partners, and many others, CanReview aims to enhance clinical trials efficiencies, increase Canada’s competitiveness, expand clinical trials to underserved, rural and remote locations, and promote equitable access to trial participation.
From a young age, Omo Enilama had a strong interest in healthcare but was unsure of the specific path she would take. Her post-secondary education led her to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Science at the University of Calgary. In her fourth year, Omo took a year-long physiology and anatomy course that introduced her to the renal system. “When we got to the renal unit, I was fascinated by kidneys, transplantation, and research,” she recalls. This moment was a turning point, solidifying her interest in kidney research.
Through her education journey, Omo met Dr. Adeera Levin, who became her supervisor when Omo pursued a Master of Science in Experimental Medicine at UBC and introduced her to the Can-SOLVE CKD Network and the BC Kidney Research Unit. Through these organizations, Omo gained experience in patient-oriented research, working as a research assistant while completing her degree.
Since May 2024, Omo has worked on various projects within Can-SOLVE CKD, and last fall she became the research coordinator for the Canadian Nephrology Trials Network (CNTN).
Looking at patient-oriented researchthrough a health equity lens
A defining aspect of Omo’s work has been knowledge translation and patient education. She combines her passion for design with science to create patient-friendly materials. “I’ve worked on disseminating research findings in ways that are accessible and engaging,” she says.
One of her most impactful experiences was at the International Society of Nephrology PARADIGM meeting in 2024. “For the first time, I truly felt like I was part of a team with patient partners,” she reflects. To support patient engagement and ensure that patient partners could participate confidently in the meeting, Omo developed a plain-language reference document explaining complex medical terms and summarizing key research.
As a Black researcher, Omo is deeply invested in health equity. She highlights the historical disparities in kidney health, such as the outdated CKD-EPI equation that used a race-based coefficient until 2021. “This equation delayed referrals for Black patients, impacting their access to transplants and treatments,” she explains.
She is particularly focused on increasing Black participation in research and ensuring studies account for cultural differences. “Some health interventions may show good results, but if they’re not culturally relevant, they won’t be widely adopted,” she notes.
Omo is currently working on an educational webinar series, in collaboration with Black Health Alliance and The Kidney Foundation of Canada, which is creating kidney health resources tailored to the needs of African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) communities. This webinar series is set to be released in early summer 2025.
Currently, Omo serves as a research coordinator at CNTN, focusing on improving patient engagement and network capacity. “I’m excited about increasing awareness, fostering collaboration, and expanding opportunities for patient partners,” she says. With her expertise in quality improvement, knowledge translation, and patient education, Omo continues to drive meaningful change in kidney research and health equity. She looks forward to meeting network members in-person at the CNTN Research Symposium at the Canadian Society of Nephrology AGM in May.
Beyond research, Omo enjoys cooking diverse cuisines, from Nigerian dishes to Italian and Persian meals. “If I see a dish that interests me, I’ll learn how to make it,” she says.
The Canadian Nephrology Trials Network (CNTN) is excited to be part of the upcoming Canadian Society of Nephrology AGM pre-course in Vancouver. Join us for the CNTN Research Symposium on Wednesday, May 7, 2025 (7:30 – 11:30 a.m. PST) to hear research updates, learn what’s ahead for CNTN and how to get involved.
Don’t forget to stop by the Can-SOLVE CKD/CNTN booth and get some CNTN promotional material.
Dr. Adeera Levin – EASI-Kidney: A multicenter international randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial in patients with chronic kidney disease.
Vikas Sridhar on behalf of Dr. David Cherney – Sugar & Salt: The Sodium Glucose Co-Transport-2 Inhibition Diabetes and Kidney Function Loss in Type 1 Diabetes (SUGARNSALT) research project.
Dr. Thomas Mavrakanas – CARe-MRI clinical trial: Canagliflozin in advanced renal disease with MRI endpoints.
Dr. Istvan Mucsi – PROMS: Feasibility pilot study to use Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) for symptom assessment and management in patients on dialysis.
Dr. John Gill – PART: Prevention of Allosensitization in Renal Transplant Candidates
ACT Canada Support for Promoting Innovative Knowledge Mobilization (KM) of Clinical Trial Findings – Presented by the ACT KM Committee
Join this webinar on February 6 to explore knowledge mobilization for clinical trials in Canada, discover innovative strategies, and learn about the ACT Canada KM Committee’s initiatives and funding opportunities.
CanReview: Advancing Clinical Trials Through a Pan-Canadian Single Research Ethics Review System with Susan Marlin, Donna Lillie & Matthew D’Ascanio
Join this webinar to learn about CanReview, a pan-Canadian initiative streamlining ethics reviews for multi-site clinical trials, enhancing collaboration, expanding access to underserved areas, and increasing Canada’s competitiveness.
The same webinar is offered on two separate dates.
The CanReview Collaboration is inviting experienced, passionate people from across Canada’s clinical trials community to help shape the future of trials by volunteering on one of CanReview’s tactical teams and groups. This includes individuals who identify as patient partners/people with lived experience.
Contact info@canreview.cabefore February 5 to submit an expression of interest!
Training Award
Applications for the 2025-26 CANSTAT Clinical Trial Biostatistics Fellowship Program are now open!
Applications for this one-year, paid fellowship are welcomed from individuals with MSc. or PhD in statistics, biostatistics, or a relevant health sciences discipline (e.g., public health or epidemiology) with a strong statistical or quantitative background.
On February 24-26, for the 2025 Clinical Trials Training Summit, four Clinical Trials Training Programs – CTTPs (CANTRAIN, CAN-TAP-TALENT, STROKECOG, CBITN) unite to address key challenges in the clinical trials ecosystem in Canada and beyond.
Join us virtually or in-person for three motivating days in the company of a unique assembly of participants, ensuring a diverse, cutting-edge dialogue on advancing quality and innovation in clinical trials in Canada and worldwide.
To attend in-person, register by January 26 at 11:59pm.
As part of ACT’s goal to expand Canada’s participation in international trials, they recently hosted a fifth request for applications to bring high impact randomized controlled trials to Canada that are initiated and are led by a non-Canadian country.
We are pleased to announce that CNTN Scientific Operations Committee co-lead Dr. David Collister had a successfully RFA 5 application endorsed by CNTN. His teams application on the Better Evidence And Translation for Calciphylaxis (BEAT-Calci) global platform trial, with Dr. Meg Jardine from the University of Sydney, was ranked as one of the top ten applications awarded to receive ACT funding for this call for proposals .
RFA 6 – Canadian Biotech Call for Proposals
Another key objective of the ACT Consortium is to facilitate collaboration between Canadian biotechnology groups and clinical trialists. Since most biotechnologies require RCTs demonstrating efficacy and safety to obtain regulatory approvals in Canada, the objective of this RFA is to fund trials evaluating products from Canadian-controlled biotechnology companies in partnership with ACT Network clinical trialists.
Applicants can request up to $400,000 (CAN) in funding to facilitate phase 2, pilot, or Vanguard trials. Trials that assess safety, recruitment potential, and feasibility are also welcome provided they are an RCT.
Eligibility:
For an application to be eligible, it must fulfill the following criteria.
If you have any questions about the applications process, please reach out to us at: ACT.Canada@PHRI.ca
Should you have any questions or require assistance, please reach out by December 20, 2024 to ensure a prompt response. Queries received after this date may not garner a response.
This episode of our podcast, CNTN Spotlight, features a conversation with Dani Renouf, a dietitian in Vancouver, British Columbia. During this interview, Dani how she got involved in research, the role that patient partners play in her research, how the support she received from research Dr. Michelle Wong was instrumental in progressing her research and her recent Kidney Foundation of Canada award to fund her study, Describing Gut Microbiota in People with Chronic Kidney Disease.
Click here to listen to the podcast or find the CNTN Spotlight podcast on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcast.
If you would like to share your latest research results, upcoming trial or research program with the nephrology community, email Alicia (amurdoch@cansolveckd.ca).
The Patient Engagement Committee of the Accelerating Clinical Trials Consortium is hiring a post-doctoral fellow for 2 years.
The successful candidate will work daily as part of the ACT Consortium Patient Engagement Working Group to lead several key projects that will contribute to and support patient engagement in clinical trials across Canada. The ACT Consortium’s Patient Engagement Working Group brings together patients, caregivers, clinicians, and researchers with expertise in patient engagement in clinical trials. Patient engagement in clinical trials refers to partnering with patients and caregivers (often called “patient partners”) at various clinical trial steps.
The Post-doctoral Fellow will work to understand the current landscape of patient engagement in Canadian clinical trials (including existing resources and frameworks) and undertake a needs assessment to determine gaps/areas of need to support patient engagement in the design and conduct of clinical trials in Canada.
