The new Canadian Arrhythmia Network Cardiac Arrhythmia Network of Canada (CANet), announced Dec. 15 with $26.3 million in federal government funds, will find a home at Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry According to a news release from Western, the network will connect more than 100 investigators from across the country aiming to bring “efficiency, accessibility and sustainability to arrhythmia health through innovation,” making London the national centre for research into the diagnosis and treatment of heart rhythm disturbances. The network will include clinicians, researchers, engineers, patients, industry and government partners. Dr. Anthony Tang, professor in the Department of Medicine at Western’s Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, will serve as the network’s scientific director and CEO. “We want to find innovative solutions to allow arrhythmia patients to have the best possible care,” said Tang, who is also a cardiologist focusing on heart rhythm disorders at London Health Sciences Centre, in a release. “The information and innovations that come out of this network will be applicable to individuals across the country and around the globe.” London has a history of arrhythmia care and research, according to Western University president Amit Chakma. “London is home to Canada’s first arrhythmia...

Thanks to funding from the federal government, Western will be the home of the newly established Canadian Arrhythmia Network Cardiac Arrhythmia Network of Canada (CANet), part of the Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE). The government of Canada announced $26.3 million in funding to establish CANet on Monday, positioning Western – and London – as the national centre for research into the effective diagnosis and treatment of heart rhythm disturbances, also known as arrhythmias. Arrhythmias include syncope, atrial fibrillation and sudden cardiac death. Sudden cardiac events lead to approximately 40,000 deaths in Canada each year. A network of more than 100 researchers across Canada will join together to form CANet at Western. The network will consist of clinicians, researchers, engineers, patients, as well as industry and government partners. This interdisciplinary team of renowned experts sets CANet apart in the field of arrhythmia research and innovation. “We want to find innovative solutions to be able to allow arrhythmia patients to have the best possible care,” said Dr. Anthony Tang, a professor in the Department of Medicine at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. Tang, a Lawson Health Research Institute scientist and a cardiologist focusing on heart rhythm disorders at London...

Researchers at Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry have been awarded $26.3 million in funding from the Government of Canada to host and establish the Canadian Arrhythmia Network Cardiac Arrhythmia Network of Canada (CANet) as a Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE). This funding will be used to help reduce the burden of health conditions related to arrhythmia — otherwise known as heart rhythm disturbances — such as syncope, atrial fibrillation and sudden cardiac death. The goal is to improve the health of millions of patients across Canada suffering from heart rhythm disturbances by developing, implementing and evaluating new technologies and health strategies. Dr. Anthony Tang, a professor in Schulich Medicine & Dentistry’s Department of Medicine’s cardiology division and scientist at Lawson Health Research Institute, will be leading the network as its Scientific Director and CEO. “In Canada, there are a lot of people dying prematurely from sudden cardiac death,” Dr. Tang explained. “Even though we have some ways of dealing with it, it’s still the number one cause of people dying — even more so than cancers.” He added that CANet will generate benefits to Canada through the creation and use of new technological innovation to advance...