Leadership Message

JDRF Board Chair, Ron Miller and President and CEO, Dave Prowten reflect on JDRF’s activities and achievements for 2021, a year that continued to be challenged by the pandemic and uncertainty. As JDRF commemorated the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin, the organization looked forward, rather than back – towards cures, towards easier and safer lives for everyone impacted by type 1 diabetes (T1D) and towards a future free from the disease.

"I volunteer as Board Chair of JDRF because of my daughter Beth, who was diagnosed with T1D over 12 years ago. I am inspired by her and the entire T1D community, who continually demonstrate an unwavering resilience to living with a chronic disease that brings about challenges every second of every day. I am involved with JDRF so that one day Beth and all Canadians living with T1D will finally have freedom from it.” – Ron Miller

JDRF in 2021

2021 was a year of strength and courage.

Canadians are resilient, and though the COVID-19 pandemic continued to challenge us, the tenacious spirit of the JDRF community never wavered. As a result, JDRF was able to accelerate research that will bring us closer to cures, while improving the lives of people affected by T1D today.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, JDRF had a ground-breaking year in 2021 – directing more dollars to research, building new strategic partnerships, continuing to support newly diagnosed families and sharing the latest updates impacting our T1D Community.

Thanks to the generosity of our communities nationwide, and despite the ongoing challenges of COVID-19, JDRF Canada was able to invest $9M into T1D research – more than double our research funding in 2020 and even higher than our pre-pandemic 2019 investment amount. As well, 2021 marked the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin in Canada. Together, as we commemorated this meaningful milestone and raised awareness of T1D, we recognized the urgent need to accelerate towards a cure.

Some highlights over the past year included:

Launching the $100M Campaign to Accelerate, raising nearly 50% of our goal in 1.5 years
Establishing the first JDRF Centre of Excellence in Canada at UBC, exclusively focused on a cure for T1D
Undertaking work to address critical gaps in mental health care for the T1D community by launching our new Mental Health Strategy for T1D
Securing improved T1D device coverage in Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Manitoba and Ontario
Advocating the federal government to renew their $15 million commitment to the JDRF-CIHR Partnership to Defeat Diabetes, matched by JDRF donors for a total $30 million research investment, and expanding access to the Disability Tax Credit, both of which were commitments in the 2021 Federal Budget
Supporting two industry-wide challenges in the commercial real estate and wealth management sectors that contributed $4.2 million to our JDRF-CIHR Partnership

For our Community

Expanding our JDRF Bag of Hope® program by introducing new, age appropriate No Limits Care Kits for teens and adults newly diagnosed with T1D
Rallying communities across the country in support of JDRF through the Sun Life Walk to Cure Diabetes for JDRF, the Sun Life Ride to Defeat Diabetes for JDRF, virtual Galas and other unique fundraisers
Continuing to grow our social media presence to connect our type 1 diabetes community to each other with a growth percentage of close to 5% from 2020 over all platforms

In Research

In Cell Replacement:

Vertex announced promising results of its stem cell-based therapy, originally developed by JDRF-funded researcher Douglas Melton. The company initiated its first trial of a new stem-cell based therapy, VX-880, and reported in November 2021 that the first trial participant had reduced their insulin needs by more than 90 per cent within three months of receiving a half dose of the cell therapy, with no adverse effects.
JDRF-funded ViaCyte and CRISPR Therapeutics launched a Canadian clinical trial of the first gene-edited cell replacement therapy for T1D.

In Disease-Modifying Therapies:

JDRF-funded researchers in Vancouver and Toronto are performing advanced clinical trials on a drug called ustekinumab, already approved to treat other autoimmune diseases, that could help slow and halt the progression of T1D.

In Disease-Modifying Therapies:

JDRF continued to support several clinical trials that are investigating next-generation closed-loop systems that aim to improve glucose control, eliminate carbohydrate counting, and reduce the risk of long-term complications.

In Disease-Modifying Therapies:

JDRF launched a Universal Childhood T1D Screening Project in Israel that could provide the basis for general population screening in other countries.

You will learn even more about these highlights throughout this report.

Despite the challenges brought by the ongoing pandemic, JDRF is more committed than ever to doing all we can to accelerate life-changing breakthroughs for everyone affected by T1D.

One hundred years ago, Canada discovered insulin. With the power of our JDRF community, we believe that Canada can cure diabetes.

Saying thank you never seems like enough to express our appreciation for your support. We extend our most sincere and heartfelt gratitude to you - our dedicated and passionate donors, volunteers, and partners. We could not have come this far without your commitment and generosity.

With deep appreciation,