Inflammation is a natural part of our body's immune system – a powerful protection system with an extraordinary capacity to adapt to diverse situations. However, when inflammation continues to build up in the body in an uncontrolled way, it can lead to diseases and chronic conditions such as arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, and transplant rejection.
To date, considerable progress has been made in understanding inflammatory response to infection and tissue injury. However, other inflammatory conditions such as chronic infections and autoimmune diseases are only partly understood. This is especially true in the context of aging societies where the increasing burden of chronic disease and further illnesses has caused increased health care costs and human suffering.
The Government of Canada through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and its partners – The Arthritis Society and Crohn's and Colitis Canada – is providing $21.9 million over five years to support nine research projects in this field. The projects are being funded through the CIHR Health Challenges in Chronic Inflammation Initiative.
The nine projects are:
