Clinical trials

This study will look at the safety, tolerability and feasibility of a non-invasive treatment called Acute Intermittent Hypoxia (AIH) in people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) at different stages of the disease course.

GLP-1 receptor agonists are effective for weight loss, but significant muscle mass is lost as a proportion of this weight loss. This study combines resistance-training and creatine supplementation to try to prevent this loss of muscle mass.

Older adults undergoing cancer treatment experience substantial treatment-related burden and reduced quality of life (QoL). Exercise is an effective supportive care intervention, but access is limited in rural and geographically dispersed settings. Evidence on flexible delivery models that accommodate patient preferences and real-world constraints remains scarce. This study seeks to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a hybrid exercise program for older adults with cancer in rural settings and to obtain preliminary efficacy estimates to inform a larger trial. This randomized controlled trial tests a 12-week, multimodal exercise intervention co-designed with patient partners. The program uses a hybrid delivery model with options (in-person, remote, or combined formats) based on preference, geography, season, and alignment with routine travel (e.g. clinic visits). Older adults (≥65) with breast, lung, prostate, colorectal, or hematologic cancers are recruited using a multipronged strategy. Assessments at baseline and 12 weeks include cardiovascular endurance, upper and lower limb strength, balance, and QoL. Feasibility and acceptability will be examined via recruitment, retention, adherence, exit surveys and interviews. Exercise prescription will follow FITT principles. Adherence, dose modifications, and fidelity will be monitored using standardized procedures. Analyses will follow an intention-to-treat approach, with between-group and over-time effects estimated using generalized linear and mixed-effects models. This study will inform the development of a scalable exercise rehabilitation model to improve equitable access to supportive care in rural settings.

Lung health is negatively affected during wildfire season by increased smoke pollution. Wearing N95 masks protects lung health in the short-term. The purpose of our study is to assess whether wearing of N95 facemasks on days with moderate to high air pollution in people who go outside to golf on a regular basis (two or more times per week) for two months during the wildfire season projects lung health.

This study will evaluated the effect of Saskatoon berry juice on recovery from muscle-damaging exercise.

This study will evaluate the effects of consuming dairy milk versus two plant-based beverages (pea-based, and almond-based) after resistance training sessions (3 times per week for 12 months) on bone properties (bone mineral density, bone geometry), body composition, strength, and functional performance in post-menopausal women and men 50y and older.

The study involves comparison of an 8-week plantar flexor stretching program to a shoulder stretching program for improving vertical jump performance in adolescent athletes.

Pasteurized Donor Human Milk (PDHM) is recognized as providing vital immunological and nutritional benefits to vulnerable infants. Although PDHM is widely used in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) to prevent infections (necrotizing enterocolitis) and improve infant health outcomes, its use for other populations, such as HIV-exposed infants, has been minimal. Pasteurized donor human milk is included in the 2023 Canadian Paediatric Society clinical consensus as a potential way to provide HIV-exposed infants some of the immunological benefits of human milk in a safe manner, as opposed to exclusive formula feeding (which is currently considered the gold standard for HIV-exposed infants). These new consensus guidelines also include recommendations to support those who wish to breastfeed using a harm reduction approach (e.g., increased viral load monitoring by peds infectious diseases), given the low risk of transmission in those adhering to antiretroviral medications. However, mixed feeding (e.g., breastfeeding and provision of infant formula) is not recommended, due to the potential for micro abrasions in the gastrointestinal epithelium as a result of the protein size in infant formula (which is larger and more abrasive than in human milk), which may increase the risk of HIV transmission if the HIV virus is present in breastmilk. As such, donor milk also presents a possible solution to support those who choose to breastfeed, but who may require a temporary supplement for whatever reason (e.g., nipple cracks, mastitis, etc.), as donor milk is human milk, thus has the same size of proteins and does not pose the same risk as infant formula in damaging the epithelial layer in the gut. Overall, major obstacles remain that prevent newborns outside of the NICU from regularly having access to donor human milk. These obstacles are illustrated by the high cost of donor milk, which is not covered by government programs, and the lack of information about the clinical benefits (for both those who choose to breastfeed or formula feed), acceptability of caregivers for this feeding option, and feasibility of providing donor human milk outside of a hospital setting. The investigators aim to determine whether giving PDHM to infants exposed to HIV is a practical possibility and learn from caregivers about any challenges associated with this feeding option. The results of this study will guide future research and a potential provincial initiative to expand access to PDHM for this population.

The goal of this clinical trial is to test if NeuroEPO improves or maintains cognition in adults with mild to moderate Alzheimer's Disease using a cannula attached to a syringe for delivery. It will also learn the safety of NeuroEPO. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does NeuroEPO lower or maintain a person's cognition who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease? What medical problems do participants have when taking NeuroEPO? Researchers will compare NeuroEPO to a placebo (a look-alike substance that contains no drug) to see if NeuroEPO works to treat Alzheimer's Disease. Participants will: Take NeuroEPO or a placebo three times a week for one year Visit the clinic to determine eligibility, for cognitive testing and blood tests at the start and end of the trial and at 1, 2, 6 and 12 months for check ups and blood collection

The goal of this clinical trial is to assess the impacts of ambient AI scribes on the workload and burnout in physicians who see patients in a clinic setting at least twice in a week, as well as the impacts on patient-physician interaction. The main questions it aims to answer are: * What is the impact of ambient AI scribe use on physician workload and burnout? * What is the impact of ambient AI scribe use on quality of patient-physician interaction? Researchers will compare the group of physicians using the ambient AI scribes to the group not using ambient AI scribes to see if there are any significant differences. Participants randomly assigned to Group A will make use of the AI scribe and participants randomly assigned to Group B will not use any AI scribe for the 10 working day duration of the study. They will be asked to complete a survey assessing workload and burnout immediately prior to the commencement of the study and at the end of each week of the study or 5 full working days for part time physicians. They will also invite their patients to complete a survey assessing their experience after each clinical interaction.

Background Pancreatic cancer is one the leading causes of cancer-related death in Canada. Approximately 40 percent of patients with pancreatic cancer present with locally advanced pancreatic cancer and are not candidate for curative surgery. The optimal management of patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer remains unknown. Most patients are treated with chemotherapy alone and role of local treatment such as radiation is not well defined. Other conventional ablative therapies such as thermal ablation and cryoablation have limited role in locally advanced pancreatic cancer due to the risk of collateral damage to the adjacent structures. Irreversible electroporation (IRE) is a novel non-thermal ablation technology that does not cause injury to nearby blood vessels, ducts, and bowel and has potential to provide longer disease control and thereby a better overall survival. The current study aims to prospectively validate effectiveness and safety of IRE in real-world patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer. Objectives 1\) To determine 12-month progression-free survival (PFS) and 24-month overall survival rates of patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer who are treated with combination chemotherapy and IRE and 2) to compare progression-free and overall survival of patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer who are treated with combination chemotherapy and IRE versus combination chemotherapy alone. Design Prospective multicenter single arm study. Methods Based on the assumption of doubling of PFS of patients who are being treated with IRE and chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone we estimated a sample of n=27 of adult patients with histologically proven non-metastatic locally advanced adenocarcinomas. Eligible patients will be recruited at the two major cancer centers in Saskatchewan. All IRE eligible patients will receive 12 weeks of induction chemotherapy and will undergo repeat imaging studies. If there is no disease progression IRE will be performed. An additional 12 weeks of chemotherapy will be recommended. Patients who are not eligible for IRE due to size criteria will receive chemotherapy at the discretion of treating oncologist till disease progression or till they become eligible for IRE. Quality of life will be assessed every three months or until disease progression. Significance Despite progress in the management of most solid organ cancers and better outcomes, little advancement has been made in the treatment of patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer. Unfortunately, most patients have very limited life expectancy. There is an unmet need for novel approaches in the management of patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer. IRE in combination with chemotherapy has potential to improve local disease control and thereby improves survival and may prove a valuable tool to add in the multidisciplinary treatment of cancer. The result of this study will be used for the development of a future multicenter national phase III trials.

Most patients with mCRC are treated with palliative chemotherapy and only a small number of patients with limited metastatic disease achieve long-term remission following metastasectomy. There is a growing need for more effective treatment in patients with liver-only mCRC to improve the rate of curative resection without compromising QOL.The current study is informed by our patient's needs. It aims to evaluate the rate of conversion therapy in patients with unresectable liver-only mCRC using the combination of FOLFOXIRI and bevacizumab and to assess the association between an early FDG-PT/CT response and other clinical and pathological biomarkers and hepatic metastasectomy.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate an alternative way of continuously measuring blood pressure in patients coming for complex surgery. The investigators will directly compare the speed of set up and accuracy of the new ClearSight monitor to those taken by the arterial line monitor, which is the current gold standard for recording blood pressure measurements.

High blood pressure is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Traditionally, one of the ways to treat or prevent high blood pressure is to prescribe aerobic exercise training (i.e. brisk walking). Stretching may also be effective because it may cause changes in blood vessel stiffness and therefore reduce resistance to blood flow. The study will assess a group of individuals (i.e. 96) participating in a supervised stretching or walking program five days per week for six months to determine whether stretching is superior for reducing blood pressure. This research will contribute to recommendations about the most effective exercise programs for reducing blood pressure and risk of cardiovascular disease.

This project is aimed at understanding whether a new fast-dissolving cheek-administered cannabidiol strip will be absorbed better into the body than cannabidiol powder. The results of this study will help guide dosage formulation choices as well as dosing regimens in NFL athletes for concussion management.

To determine if an high intensity ketamine with ECT rescue (HIKER) approach for treatment resistant depression will: 1) reduce patient suffering by hastening disease remission, 2) have fewer side effects, 3) reduce the need for ECT, and 4) be preferred by most patients. Half of participants will be randomized to the HIKER arm and receive high intensity ketamine treatment for eight consecutive days, and the other half will be assigned to the ECT with ketamine anesthesia (EAST) arm and receive 8 ECT treatments (2-3 treatment/week)

Patients with ovarian cancer with defective DNA repair mechanisms derive substantial benefit from PARP inhibitor (PARPi) maintenance therapy. Both niraparib and olaparib are effective inhibitors of PARP, which exploit already defective DNA repair mechanisms (e.g., via BRCA mutations), particularly those with homologous recombination deficiency (HRD). These two PARPis have notably different toxicity profiles, with niraparib showing many more severe side effects. In this Ovarian Cancer Canada funded study, we will implement perform HRD testing for ovarian cancer patients in Saskatchewan with response to platinum-based chemotherapy. This information will provide personalized and precision estimates about the amount of benefit that can be expected from taking a PARPi. We will evaluate both treatment outcomes and quality of life in a real-world study setting, to inform future decision-making regarding efficacy, quality of life and cost-effectiveness of PARPi therapy, specifically for niraparib. We hypothesize that for patients who are homologous recombinant proficient (HRP), the median 32.7-month incremental benefit (in delaying cancer progression) from taking a PARPi (niraparib is the only PARPi approved in this setting) will not be seen as being value-add when balanced by the decreased quality of life that accompanies the first 6-12 weeks of therapy. We also hypothesize that for women who are HRP, that PARPi therapy will not be cost-efficient.

Evaluate single dose (2 x 2.5mcg/puff; total dose 5mcg) effect of tiotropium administered 30 minutes prior to allergen challenge on allergen-induced EAR assessed as the maximal % fall in FEV1 after allergen inhalation compared to that of single dose (two puffs) matched placebo administered 30 minutes prior to allergen challenge.

Milk and dairy products contain significant amounts of nutrients that contribute to optimal health - nutrients like calcium, vitamin D, and high-quality protein. Fermented milk products or fermented dairy products are dairy foods that have been fermented with certain bacteria. Yogurt is a fermented dairy product containing millions of beneficial bacteria. In this study, the invesgitagtors will look at the effect of milk (a non-fermented dairy product) and yogurt (a fermented dairy product) supplementation on bone health and the amount of fat and muscle mass in Canadian young adults over a 24-month period. While dairy products contain significant amounts of nutrients, the scientific community does not know the impact of long-term supplementation of fermented (i.e., yogurt) or non-fermented (i.e., milk) dairy food on bone health and the amount of fat and muscle mass in young adults. To fill this knowledge gap, the investigators will recruit participants with low calcium intake and assign them to three different groups: 1) milk (intervention) group; 2) yogurt (intervention) group; and 3) control group. The investigators will ask the participants in the milk group to drink 1.5 servings (375 mL) of milk per day for 24 months. Participants in the yogurt group will consume 2 servings (350 g) of yogurt per day for 24 months. Those in the control group will continue their usual diets. Using a randomized controlled trial design, the investigators will measure bone health parameters, hormonal indices related to bone metabolism, body composition (e.g., muscle mass, fat mass), and the number and composition of bacteria living in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The hypothesis is that supplementation with yogurt will have more positive effects on bone health indices, particularly femoral neck BMD as the primary outcome, than milk in Canadian adults aged 19-30 years. The secondary hypothesis is that supplementation with yogurt, as a fermented milk product, will have a more beneficial effect than milk on body composition measures. The data will provide valuable information for developing targeted health initiatives and marketing strategies regarding the benefits of fermented and non-fermented dairy product consumption.

The goal of this pilot clinical trial is to learn about the combination of immune boosting drugs and irreversible electroporation (IRE) in patients with colon cancer that has spread to the liver (metastasis). The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. to document the rate of complications associated with combining IRE with immune boosting drugs. 2. After one liver metastasis is treated with IRE and immune boosting drugs, what is the change in the size of the non-IRE-treated liver metastases? 3. What is the immune response (measured in a blood sample) when IRE is combined with one or two types of immune boosting drugs?

As the second phase of our study on migraine headaches and neurofeedback mindfulness, we will explore how chronic migraineurs will benefit from a long term practice (8 weeks) of neurofeedback mindfulness compared to a similar attention group and a waitlisted group. This randomized controlled trial will also explore if migrianuers could decrease their dependence on medicine intake after completion of the study.

The goal of this project is to learn about differences in bone development between children with and without type-1 diabetes (T1D). The main questions this study aims to answer are: 1. Assess how and when sex-specific bone developmental trajectories in the leg and arm will differ between children with T1D and control cohorts relative to the critical period of rapid skeletal growth in puberty. It is hypothesized that children with T1D will have inferior bone development, particularly lower gains in bone strength. 2. Assess why bone trajectories differ between T1D and control cohorts by identifying the role of body composition, site-specific muscle force and physical activity on differences in bone properties in female and male children with and without T1D. It is hypothesized that children with T1D will have lower gains in lean mass, muscle force, number of daily bone impacts and minutes of moderate-vigorous physical activity and will be associated with inferior gains in bone development. 3. Assess why T1D may impair sex-specific bone development by exploring the role of disease-related factors (e.g., duration, glucose control, hormones and markers of bone turnover) and fracture history on bone trajectories of children with T1D. It is hypothesized that longer exposure to T1D, poorer glucose control, alterations in hormones, lower bone formation markers and higher history of fracture will be negatively associated with bone trajectories of children with T1D. Participant's physical growth, bone growth, muscle strength, physical activity and nutrition habits will be assessed and followed up annually for up to 4 years.

Cancer related anemia (CRA) is a common sign occurring in more than 30% of patients at diagnosis, prior to initiation of antineoplastic therapy. Anemia is known to impact survival, disease progression, treatment efficacy, and the patient's quality of life. Proinflammatory cytokines, mainly IL-6, which are released by both tumor and immune cells, play a pivotal action in CRA etiopathogenesis: they promote alterations in erythroid progenitor proliferation, erythropoietin (EPO) production, survival of circulating erythrocytes, iron balance, redox status, and energy metabolism, all of which can lead to anemia. Chronic inflammatory conditions such as cancer influences a compromised nutritional status, which in-turn may contribute to anemia. This study aims to study the role of intravenous (IV) iron infusion in the management of anemia presented in patients previously treated or currently being treated for ovarian cancer. The study aims to identify the safety and efficacy of IV iron infusion on anemia in ovarian cancer patients, and the effect on quality of life and overall survival

The purpose of this study is to determine the safety, optimal dose and imaging time of the investigational product, IRDye800CW-nimotuzumab for use as a near infrared imaging probe for image-guided surgery during lung cancer resection. IRDye800CW-nimotuzumab targets cancer cells over-expressing EGFR, allowing tumors to be visualized and may help surgeons better identify cancer during surgery.

Over-expression of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) on cells occurs in all aggressive cancers of epithelial origin. Existing tests for monitoring EGFR expression are invasive and not reliable. There needs to be a better way to measure EGFR expression in cancerous tumors to better tailor cancer treatments. This clinical trial aims to demonstrate the feasibility of imaging cancers that express EGFR using 89Zr-DFO-nimotuzumab and Positron Emission Tomography (PET)/Computerized Tomography (CT). By non-invasively imaging the status of EGFR, 89Zr-DFO-nimotuzumab could be used to assist in the identification of patients who are likely to respond to anti-EGFR treatments, including nimotuzumab. The hypothesis is that 89Zr-DFO-nimotuzumab will accumulate to tumors over-expressing EGFR making them visible when imaged with PET/CT. This hypothesis will be tested in this study, along with the optimal imaging time and diagnostic ability.