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Our Research
Discover our research impact and how we're advancing pediatric rheumatology.
CAPRI was formed in 2007 by pediatric rheumatologists from across Canada who recognized the need for a research network to improve care for children with rheumatic diseases. From our humble beginnings as a small group focused on childhood arthritis, we've grown to become a leading force in pediatric rheumatology research worldwide.
Our network now includes pediatric rheumatologists and researchers from every children’s hospital in the country. Together, we have successfully expanded Canadian research on juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) to explore biologic outcome predictors, physical activity in children with JIA, and personalized predictors of treatment response in JIA through national and international collaborative studies.
To support our research, we have successfully implemented the Canadian CAPRI JIA Registry to provide a longitudinal data set and platform for new studies. We have a number of new studies already underway that are leveraging the information being collected in the registry from children across Canada.
As CAPRI continues to expand in both research scope and membership, we remain committed to our collaborative spirit and our original mission: To pursue knowledge for the benefit of children and adolescents with rheumatic diseases.
Research Areas of Focus
Within CAPRI, we enable and coordinate the gathering and examination of data from the children and youth we care for during their regular visits to pediatric rheumatology clinics. This approach enables us to delve into the natural progression of rheumatic diseases, identify key predictors of outcomes and explore the impact of rheumatic diseases on patients and families, particularly as treatments evolve over time. Within this observational research framework, we have the capacity to incorporate a variety of new studies, including innovative clinical trials.
We prioritize the translation of fundamental scientific findings into practical applications, with a primary goal of enhancing patient care. CAPRI's basic science researchers play a critical role in our translational research endeavors. This translational research entails the examination of biological samples—such as blood—from patients to uncover fresh insights that can pave the way towards improved understanding of disease pathogenesis and personalized treatment strategies. Our team investigates the genetic underpinnings of rheumatic diseases, including the identification of genes associated with increased disease risk and severity.
A strong focus of our research efforts involve designing and implementing strategies to improve the quality of care and outcomes for patients. This includes working with a broad array of stakeholders, including patients and families, to develop innovative strategies to increase the uptake of research knowledge into clinical care. Quality improvement may involve implementing evidence-based guidelines or tracking our adherence to best practices in order to improve patient care.
To ensure a strong patient-focus, our research activities also examine how patients and healthcare providers make decisions about care, and how patients can better manage their own care. We are involved in research that promotes improved decision-making and self-management for children and their families, that help to make decisions about treatment options and how they can manage their rheumatic disease at home using patient specific outcome predictors. We are also engaged in the study of the impact of self management applications to learn how these help children and families better understand and manage disease over time.
Meet our team.
The CAPRI team is made up of pediatric rheumatology care providers, investigators and researchers from across Canada.
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