Research Bursary Program
Supervisor Project Proposal for Summer 2015
Supervisor Last Name: Filion
Supervisor First Name: Kristian
McGill Dept/School: Medicine
Faculty Professor (Full, Associate or Assistant): Assistant
Email: Kristian.filion@mcgill.ca
Phone No. (optional): (514) 340-8222 x8394
Research Field: Clinical Epidemiology/Endocrinology
Proposal No. (1 or 2): 1
Research Location (McGill or affiliated institution): Jewish General Hospital/Lady Davis Institute
Ethics approval will be required for proposed project (Yes/No): No
Proposed project will involve chart reviews (Yes/No): No
Project Title (maximum 1 line):
SGLT-2 inhibitors and the risk of infections: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Hypothesis/Question to be Addressed (maximum 4 lines):
To determine if sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors are associated with an increased risk of
infections among patients with type 2 diabetes through a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized
controlled trials (RCTs).
Specific Aims (maximum 10 lines):
SGLT-2 inhibitors are a novel class of medications used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. While RCTs have
demonstrated that this class is efficacious for glycemic control, they also raised some concerns regarding a
potential increased risk of infection. However, given their limited sample size and duration of follow-up, these
RCTs were individually inconclusive, particularly when examining site-specific infections. Consequently, a
systematic review and meta-analysis is needed to conclusively address this issue. In this systematic review, the
student will systematically search PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Register of Randomized Controlled Trials for
all RCTs examining SGLT-2 inhibitors among patients with type 2 diabetes. Inclusion will be restricted to doubleblind trials, and outcomes of interest will include overall infections as well as site-specific infections (e.g., urinary
tract infections, respiratory infections, etc.). Study quality will be assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool.
Data will be statistically pooled across trials using random-effects models.
Role of Student (maximum 15 lines):
The student will be responsible for all aspects of the research project, including designing and conducting the
literature search, assessing inclusion/exclusion of potentially relevant articles, performing data extraction,
assessing the quality of included studies, conducting descriptive statistical analyses, and writing the manuscript.
Statistical support will be available for the conduct of the meta-analyses. The student will also have the
opportunity to participate in summer seminars, shadow clinical colleagues, and engage in other research team
activities.