Tackling care gaps in respiratory diseases in Alberta

Tackling care gaps in respiratory diseases in Alberta

A novel philanthropic collaboration between Boehringer Ingelheim Canada, the University Hospital Foundation and the Government of Alberta (Ministry of Technology and Innovation) is addressing treatment gaps in the area of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) care and its associated co- morbidities.

The Alberta Boehringer Ingelheim Collaboration (ABIC) Fund is a public-private partnership developed to support innovation in Alberta’s life sciences sector. It provides Alberta-based investigators with funding to help identify, develop and implement effective solutions from early diagnosis to end-of-life in people with respiratory diseases.

The ABIC Fund has supported a number of initiatives over the past years, including “Breathe Easy”, a project to provide pulmonary rehabilitation program resources to improve shortness of breath, exercise tolerance and quality of life for people living with COPD; and “Identifying Early COPD Using Data”, a
project using health administrative data to identify trends in healthcare used by individuals newly diagnosed with COPD, so that preventative treatment can be initiated earlier, delaying the need for prolonged hospitalizations and emergency room visits.

The ultimate goal of the initiative is to advance health innovation projects in the area of respiratory diseases, in particular COPD and its associated co-morbidities including diabetes, obesity and heart failure.

The collaboration is an example of how delivering innovative solutions can reduce disease impact, increase sustainable healthcare, and enhance innovation capacity and growth of Alberta’s researchers, clinicians and life sciences companies. Learn more about our collaboration below.

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