CRDN at the RareKids-CAN Conference
On April 10-11, CRDN was proud to participate in the 2025 RareKids-CAN Conference in Ottawa — a dynamic gathering of over 120 in-person and virtual attendees from across Canada committed to advancing pediatric rare disease clinical trials and research. Throughout the conference, various RareKids-CAN sub-platforms and partners shared progress updates and highlights, such as: Establishing a national network of clinical trial navigators, who are already making impact by helping families, clinicians, and researchers identify and access appropriate clinical trials, navigating regulatory pathways, and connecting with key contacts; and driving policy recommendation and conversations on standard of care CTA exemption, special access program (SAP) and single-patient studies. These efforts are crucial to reducing unnecessary barriers, enabling more inclusive clinical trials, and ultimately accelerating safe access to promising therapies.
As part of the main program, CRDN’s Svenja Espenhahn presented updates on our evolving priorities and approach to enabling change through strategic partnerships. Her presentation emphasized the importance of cross-sector coordination, community engagement, and shared infrastructure to build a more equitable and effective rare disease ecosystem in Canada.
Pre-Clinical Therapy Development Workshop
CRDN and RareKids-CAN also co-hosted a satellite mini-workshop to spark an important conversation about pre-clinical therapy development – the early-stage work needed to move discoveries into clinical trials. Titled “Pre-Clinical therapy development in Canada: Who, What, How, and Where Do We Go From Here?”, the session was seen as especially timely given the shifting global geopolitical landscape, which underscores the need for stronger domestic research capacity, supply chain resilience, and leadership in innovation.
Attendees at the event included a subset of individuals invited to the RareKids-CAN annual conference—primarily researchers conducting pediatric advanced therapeutics clinical trials, members of the RareKids-CAN Executive Committee, and select representatives from Canadian pre-clinical manufacturing facilities. The workshop featured a keynote by Dr. Eric Hoffman and initial discussions to explore current barriers, emerging opportunities, and early priorities for building a coordinated national approach.
While the dialogue was productive, organizers acknowledged that due to funding limitations and the political restrictions with the election, some essential key individuals—such as regulators, manufacturers, funders, and early-stage therapy developers—were not in attendance to participate in the conversation and further conversations are needed.