On October 19, 2010, the Government of Saskatchewan made $5M available to SHRF to fund clinical trials for the MS liberation treatment. At that time SHRF outlined a three-step process for moving forward on the call for MS Clinical Trials.

The FIRST STEP was for SHRF to form an expert advisory panel to assist in developing criteria for a call for research proposals and in overseeing the selection process. This advisory panel has now been formed and their first meeting was held on November 24th, 2010. The terms of reference for the panel is available here.

Panel members provided initial input into the request for proposals that will be released in early to mid-December.

The SHRF advisory panel is made up of the following members:

Gordon McKay, PhD (Panel Chair): University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada, and Pharmalytics Inc.
Gordon McKay is Professor Emeritus at the University of Saskatchewan having served as a Professor of Pharmacy and Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Research. His research expertise is in the area of antipsychotic and neuroleptic drugs. He is currently the CEO and President of Pharmalytics Ltd. a research institute engaged in drug development and discovery including the performance of clinical trials as part of their pharmaceutical research work. He is currently a board member on the SHRF Board, Co-Chair of the University of Saskatchewan Biomedical Ethics Committee on which he has served for more than 11 years and on the expert steering committee and participant in the Saskatoon Center for Clinical Research. Dr. McKay will be chairing the MS Advisory panel.

Sheryl Clarke, RN, M.Ed: St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
Sheryl Clarke coordinates the MS Clinic at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. The clinic, established in 1981, is one of 26 centres across Canada dedicated to treatment and research in MS, and has become one of the largest of its kind in North America. Staffed by six specialists, the clinic sees over 7000 patients who are seen annually, and as their condition warrants. The clinic offers medical and nursing care services in one location and provides referrals for services provided within the hospital and in other health centres.

Vanina Dal Bello-Haas. PhD, M.Ed: University of Saskatchewan (Physical Therapy), Saskatoon, SK, Canada
Adjunct – Cleveland State University (Health Sciences), Cleveland, OH, USA
Vanina Dal Bello-Haas’s scholarly, research, service, and clinical activities are focused on the evaluation and management of individuals with neurodegenerative diseases, including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Multiple Sclerosis, Dementia, and Parkinson Disease. She is recognized as an expert in the field of neurodegenerative diseases, and is often consulted by clinicians and family members with respect to client/patient management issues. She currently sits on the Biomedical Research Ethics Board at the University of Saskatchewan.

Randy Moore MD, MSc: University of Calgary (Surgery), Calgary, AB, Canada
Randy Moore is a vascular and endovascular surgeon. He has held appointments as Regional Clinical Division Chief for Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, and President of the Vascular Surgery Section for the Alberta Medical Association. He is the previous Research Chair for the Canadian Society for Vascular Surgery, and is the current Research Coordinator for the University of Calgary, Division of Vascular Surgery.