Building a Stronger National Network for Neurodevelopmental Research: KINDTrials and the CALM Study
Across Canada, families touched by neurodevelopmental conditions face a familiar challenge: limited access to clinical trials and research opportunities, especially when those opportunities exist outside their home province. The KINDTrials initiative is changing that landscape. As the first national clinical trials network in Canada dedicated to neurodevelopmental conditions, KINDTrials connects researchers, clinicians, families, and children and adults seeking care across the country.
Launched in 2024, KINDTrials was developed to address an urgent gap. Although research expertise existed in many regions, families often had no way of knowing about clinical trials happening in other provinces. By building a coordinated national network, KINDTrials is helping ensure that promising studies reach the children, youth, and adults who could benefit from them, no matter where they live. Today, KINDTrials includes 16 sites across Canada, with eight sites currently running trials, and connects teams studying neurodevelopmental conditions, adverse neurodevelopmental experiences, and early-onset disabilities.
The network’s first study, the CALM study sponsored by Dr. Evdokia Anagnostou from the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, represents an important milestone. This Health Canada–regulated, investigator-initiated clinical trial is evaluating whether sertraline (an existing medication commonly used for anxiety) can help reduce anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental conditions. The trial began in summer 2024 and is active at eight sites in Alberta, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec. It aims to enrol 130 participants in a 16-week randomized study; to date, 29 participants have joined, with strong interest from families eager for new treatment options. The network supports both investigator-initiated and industry-sponsored studies and is currently bringing international, industry-sponsored programs to Canada.
In partnership with RareKids-CAN, which subsidizes trial monitoring, MICYRN provides trial monitoring at eight Canadian sites and participates in the CALM study’s Data Safety Monitoring
Board. Barb Storey, MICYRN Director of Operations, is a member of the KINDTrials Operations Committee overseeing sustainability, financial management and industry partnerships. This work reflects MICYRN’s mission to strengthen national collaboration and support high-quality, multi-site pediatric and maternal health research. “MICYRN’s support was critical in bringing together sites from across Canada. They provided regulatory expertise and helped offset the limited financial resources available, enabling both new and existing sites to meet the standards required for Health Canada–regulated studies,” said Dr. Anagnostou.
Looking ahead, KINDTrials plans to expand its portfolio with additional studies that will further strengthen Canada’s capacity for neurodevelopmental clinical research. The network’s rapid growth underscores both the need and the potential for a unified national approach.
The success of the CALM study, and the momentum of KINDTrials, demonstrate what is possible when organizations work together to close gaps, connect communities, and make research more accessible to families across the country. MICYRN looks forward to continuing this collaboration as the network grows and new studies are launched.