The Canadian Association for the Study of the Liver (CASL) serves as the medical association for healthcare professionals and scientists with an interest in liver diseases. This multidisciplinary group consists of Canadian liver specialists (hepatologists), gastroenterologists, basic scientists, hepatobiliary and transplant surgeons, pediatricians, radiologists, pathologists, trainees and other healthcare professionals with an interest in liver disease.

CASL members are charged with the responsibility of being stewards of liver health, not only in taking care of their patients, but also applying their expertise to improve prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care for people with liver disease through research, education and training. Some of the pivotal programs delivered by CASL and supported by the CLF include:

• Canadian Liver Meeting – a dynamic and comprehensive medical conference to share breakthrough liver research presented in partnership with the Canadian Network on Hepatitis C and the Canadian Association of Hepatology Nurses.
• CASL Single-Topic Conference – in-depth scientific meetings which focus on several aspects of a particular disease, including perspectives such as clinical, pathogenic factors, therapy and more.
• Clinical Practice Guidelines – Canadian experts in liver disease providing Canadian healthcare professionals with the information they need to deliver optimum clinical care to their liver patients.
• Hepatology Fellowship Program – prevention, management and treatment of liver disease is complex and extra training for young physicians is critical for these individuals to become the eventual local, regional, national and international leaders in hepatology.
• Accreditation – accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada to provide Continuing Professional Development, accredit and co-develop group learning events and self-assessment programs with other physician and non-physician organizations.

Click here to learn more about CASL and to find out how you can become a member. (Please note: this is an external site, the information available is in English)

The Cirrhosis Care Clinic (CCC) at the University of Alberta Hospital provides care to individuals living with liver cirrhosis in Alberta, parts of British Columbia, Saskatchewan and the Territories. The focus of the multidisciplinary team of Hepatologists, Hepatology Nurse Practitioners and a Clinical Dietitian at the CCC is to improve medical care, research and support for individuals and families coping with liver cirrhosis.

The liver is the 2^nd most transplanted organ in Canada. With an increase in liver diseases such as fatty liver disease and liver cancer, and with an aging population of people who may have progressive chronic liver disease, the need for liver transplantation is on the rise in Canada.

The Canadian Liver Foundation applauds Canadians and their families who have chosen to offer the gift of life to others through organ donation, however, there are still too few donor organs available to offer to the hundreds of Canadians on the liver transplant waiting list. Sadly, this lack of available donor organs means that many Canadians will die while waiting for a much-needed liver transplant.

With such a critical shortage of organs, it is vital to ensure that every liver transplant has the best possible outcomes and research holds the key. To demonstrate our commitment to improving liver health through research and education, the CLF is proud to be a partner with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) in support of the Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program (CDTRP).

The objective of this program is to enhance the survival and quality of life of Canadians who undergo transplantation, through multi-disciplinary, collaborative and leading-edge research. Led by Dr. Lori West of the University of Alberta, the CDTRP connects more than 200 scientists, students, collaborators, patient partners and knowledge-users at 30 sites throughout Canada to carry out research and develop resources to increase access to transplantation and improve survival and quality of life of transplant patients..

The goals for this research on stem cell and solid organ transplant (including liver transplant) are to:
1.    Increase the number of transplants
2.    Extend the life of transplant patients
3.    Improve the quality of life of transplant patients
4.    Develop and enhance training for transplant specialists and researchers
5.    Develop and coordinate a collaborative transplant network
6.    Enhance transplantation data management systems

The CDTRP is supported through the CIHR with $11.25 million plus additional funding from six CIHR partners, including the CLF, of $2.6 million, for a total of $13.85 million. The CDTRP has raised an additional $9.5 million in support from academia, industry, and provincial organ procurement organizations, for a total of $23 million for this transplant research program.

This concentrated focus on improving transplantation through research is an incredible investment in the lives of Canadians who have diseases which have progressed to a point where a transplant may be the only hope for survival. On behalf of all Canadians with or at-risk of liver diseases which may one day progress to the need for a liver transplant, the CLF is honoured to be a partner and a supporter of this research program.

For more information on this program, please visit the CDTRP (English) or the PRDTC (French).

If you would like to make a donation to support CLF liver transplant research, please click here (English) or click here (French), or contact Karen Seto by email or phone at 1 (800) 563-5483 (Extension 4939).

Established in March 2017 through a partnership between the University of Alberta, University of Calgary and University Health Network (affiliated with University of Toronto), the Canadian Network for Autoimmune Liver Disease (CaNAL) represents a major landmark in Canadian research for autoimmune liver disease. 

To generate significant research impact for the benefit of the patient and develop maximum understanding of the disease, data from many patients is needed.  Because autoimmune liver diseases are uncommon, nationwide collaboration across centres in Canada is essential.

CaNAL will enable several centres and patients to participate in research studies, and will help researchers effectively share and combine data to achieve the following objectives:

1. Develop a Canadian registry of Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC) and Autoimmune Hepatitis (AIH) patients.
2. Identify clinical endpoints of end stage liver disease. 
3. Investigate the clinical variants of PBC. 
4. Determine differences in gender/race/ethnicity and clustering of PBC and AIH in aboriginal populations.  
5. Analyze biochemical markers and other factors indicative of early recurrence of PBC and AIH following liver transplantation.

Supported by the partners and by supporters including the Canadian Liver Foundation, CaNAL represents the first national registry of patients with autoimmune liver disease, and provides a powerful platform for much-needed research. 

The Canadian Network on Hepatitis C (CanHepC) is a collaborative research network dedicated to research linking over 100 researchers, trainees, knowledge-users (community representatives, policy and decision makers) in the field of hepatitis C from across Canada and internationally.

The goal is to conduct innovative and interdisciplinary research, build research capacity, and translate evidence for uptake into practice and policy, to improve hepatitis C prevention and health outcomes of Canadians and contribute to the global effort to reduce hepatitis C burden worldwide, by focusing on the following themes:

PREVENTION – To improve strategies and interventions to reduce hepatitis C incidence and ultimately prevalence in the Canadian population.

TREATMENT – To enhance strategies to improve treatment access, uptake, adherence, and short and long-term outcomes.

OUTCOMES – To generate evidence-based data on health outcomes of people living with hepatitis C to guide decision making.

Another major goal of the CanHepC is enhanced training of the next generation of highly qualified personnel. CanHepC recruits and provides support and training to graduate, post-doctoral students and MDs who have demonstrated excellence early in their careers. The training program employs the knowledge and experience of mentors across Canada from multiple disciplines that have played a major role in recent advances in hepatitis C research and their ability to train excellent researchers.

For more information on this program, its mentor and participants, please visit the CanHepC website (English) or click here (French).

The Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council (CNIC) is an independent organization consisting of representatives from various levels within the Canadian health sector, nuclear industry and research bodies, convened specifically to advocate for Canada’s role in the production of the world’s isotope supply.

The CNIC serves as a voice in safeguarding the continued availability of isotopes, ensuring their public policies are risk-informed and science-based, and support the highest levels of public health and safety. Isotopes are critical in the health care sector, where they are used not only to diagnose and treat disease (including liver cancer), but also to sterilize medical supplies.

To learn more about isotopes, watch the following video available here.

The International Symposium on Hepatitis C Virus and Related Viruses has been a recurring annual conference since 1994. It has become the main forum for basic science investigators working on hepatitis C virus (HCV) and related viruses. Research into vaccine development, HCV pathogenesis and liver cancer following DAA treatment, novel diagnostics and sequencing approaches to track the evolution and transmission of HCV in at-risk populations are only some of the key remaining research questions.

The HCV2020 meeting will focus on the main objective of HCV elimination by bringing together Basic and Clinical investigators to discuss the remaining challenges in the HCV field and novel approaches to tackle them. The symposium will bring together keynote lectures from outstanding senior investigators and rising stars in virology, immunology and liver disease.

For more information about this meeting, click here.

HepBeware

HepBeware is a free hepatitis B screening initiative that provides hepatitis B blood tests to those in Vancouver’s rapidly growing Asian and South Asian communities.

Hepatitis B’s burden is felt heavily by those of Asian and South Asian descent, where three-quarters of carriers are born. While an estimated 350,000 Canadians are affected by hepatitis B—there is no telling how many Asian-Canadians have been unknowingly living with this disease, and for how long.

Spearheaded by CLF-BC Board President Dr. Francis Ho, and GI specialist/hepatologist at the Vancouver General Hospital, Dr. Peter Kwan, HepBeware is the first of its kind in Canada. The project requires the cooperation of physicians, nurses and volunteers to help provide an immediate diagnosis to those unaware that they’ve been living with chronic hepatitis B.

The SIDCN provides direct clinical services in the treatment of Hepatitis C as well as general internal medicine in Saskatoon’s core neighbourhood, as well as rural and/or reserve communities. The SIDCN also educates and supports health care practitioners to develop greater expertise in the management of Hepatitis C in order to help patients achieve better clinical outcomes and improvements in quality of life. The SIDCN has worked with, or is currently working with over 20 communities, delivering patient care as well as heath care professional training.

For more information about the SIDCN, click here.

 Calgary Liver Unity

The Calgary Liver Unit is comprised of 10 hepatologists serving ~ 2-million people within Southern Alberta. Their work encompasses patient care, education, but also has advanced expertise in basic medical, epidemiological, health outcomes and clinical research. The Calgary Liver Unit oversees the largest number of clinical trials within the Cumming School of Medicine. Novel approaches are being developed and investigated within the Calgary Liver Unit to help them understand liver disease. These trials are focused on finding new cures for many different liver diseases including, autoimmune liver disease (primary biliary cirrhosis, primary sclerosing cholangitis), hepatitis B, liver cancer, alcoholic liver disease, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Recently, members of the Calgary Liver Unit are leading a National collaborative Network in Hepatitis C and Hepatitis B involving thousands of patients and major liver centres across Canada.