Funding for Arthritis Sends Positive Message
Canadian Arthritis Network to operate until 2012

Tuesday, January 6, 2009, Toronto, ON - While good news cannot make pain disappear, it may provide some short-term relief. For the nearly 4.5 million men, women and children who suffer from arthritis, the federal government's decision to continue to financially support vital arthritis research offers hope and perhaps some momentary respite. The Canadian Arthritis Network (CAN), a member of the Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE), will continue to receive nearly $4.1 million per year ($12.2 million total), until March 2012, when its 14-year-term ends.

“The federal government took a big chance when it funded Canada's first disease-centred network in arthritis, but I think we've demonstrated that the gamble paid off,” says Dr. Robin Armstrong, Chair of the Canadian Arthritis Network's Board of Directors. “We have many accomplishments to be proud of over our ten-year history and thanks to this final influx of funding from the NCE, we can continue our mission to improve the lives of Canadians living with arthritis.”

“The Canadian Arthritis Network continues to meet the NCE Program's high standards for excellence,” says Suzanne Fortier, Chair of the NCE Steering Committee and President of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). “CAN has consistently delivered leading-edge research, established strong partnerships and provided benefits to the many Canadians living with arthritis.”

To date, CAN has channelled its funds to support research in the areas of Osteoarthritis, Inflammatory Joint Diseases and Bioengineering for the Restoration of Joint Function to harness the expertise of its members and respond to stakeholders' needs. CAN is currently in discussions with its partners to determine ways of continuing its successful work after 2012.

About the Canadian Arthritis Network
The Canadian Arthritis Network (CAN) ( www.arthritisnetwork.ca) is a not-for-profit organization, funded by the Government of Canada's Networks of Centres of Excellence, to support arthritis research and development and to facilitate the commercialization of its Network Investigators' discoveries. CAN is the single point of contact that links 179 leading Canadian arthritis researchers and clinicians, 45 Canadian academic institutions, The Arthritis Society, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and government.

About the Networks of Centres of Excellence
The Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) ( www.nce.gc.ca) is a federal program administered jointly by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada in partnership with Industry Canada. NCE are unique, multidisciplinary and nationwide partnerships among universities, industry, government and not-for-profit organizations, aimed at transforming Canadian research and entrepreneurial talent into economic, health and social benefits for all Canadians.

-30-

For more information, please contact:
Stacey Johnson
Director of Communications
416-586-4685 Toronto (office)
October 16-18, please call 416-712-4448 (cell)
sjohnson@arthritisnetwork.ca