Month: December 2022

As we got through the height of the pandemic in 2021 and moved into 2022, we believed that it would be a year of hope. And thanks to the support of our incredible community of donors, volunteers, supporters – we surpassed even our wildest expectations.

We opened the year with one of our biggest undertakings as an organization – our Let’s Make History Again fundraising event in support of our $100 Million Campaign to Accelerate. Five flagpoles and Leaders of History, four cities, 100 Ambassador of History families camping in the cold winter in solidarity. This was spearheaded by a passionate and dedicated JDRF volunteer, Peter Oliver, who himself camped atop a flagpole 30 years before, and whose daughter Vanessa was one of our Leaders in History in April. Sadly, Peter passed away in September, but we carry his spirit and devotion to finding cures for type 1 diabetes with us in everything we do. We are so grateful to our many volunteers, corporate sponsors and staff for taking Peter’s vision and making it reality.  Read more about Peter Oliver’s incredible legacy.

Click here to watch a video of this incredible event

Our community rallied in ways that we could not imagine, and it only continued throughout the year. Thanks to our JDRF supporters, we were able to continue advancing the most promising type 1 diabetes (T1D) research getting us closer to cures, while improving the lives of people affected by T1D today.

Thanks to the generosity of donors, JDRF had another ground-breaking year– dedicating more dollars to research, strengthening our strategic partnerships, continuing to support newly diagnosed families, and sharing the latest research updates with our community.

Some highlights over the past year included:

• The largest single donation in support of type 1 diabetes in Canada given by Temerty Foundation in support of $100 Million Campaign to Accelerate and Let’s Make History Again
• Through dedicated advocacy starting in 2017, Canadians with T1D now automatically qualify for the Disability Tax Credit
• The National Framework for Diabetes was formally tabled by the Government of Canada
• JDRF commissions cost effectiveness study to demonstrate real quality of life value of diabetes technologies
• The launch of the Global T1D Index, a first-of-its-kind index will raise awareness of the burden and unmet need of people living with type 1 diabetes around the world
• The renewed commitment to the JDRF-CIHR Partnership to Defeat Diabetes, matched by JDRF donors for a $30 million investment, with a focus on precision medicine, screening, and novel interventions into improved mental healthcare for people with T1D
• Reached thousands of Canadians through our Let’s Talk T1D Education Series, bringing experts into their homes to discuss topics important to them
• Coming back together again in person; along with continued virtual events, at our Walk, Ride and Starry Starry Night Gala in Winnipeg
• The DiaDigits calculator launched, a unique tool that allows someone to calculate in real numbers how much time is spent managing their T1D
• Increased public coverage of T1D devices in 7 provinces

In T1D research:

In Cell Replacement:

• JDRF Canada and Stem Cell Network announced the first recipient of the J. Andrew McKee Fellowship in Type 1 Diabetes with a second fellowship opportunity launched
• McGill University Health Centre designated provincial centre for islet transplantation for patients with type 1 diabetes.
• Vertex Pharmaceuticals announced they acquired ViaCyte to help speed up the development of Vertex’s stem cell-derived therapy for people with type 1 diabetes

In Disease-Modifying Therapies:

• Teplizumab was approved by the FDA in the USA. This drug has shown great promise as the first ever disease-modifying therapy for T1D, as it has been shown to significantly delay the onset of T1D.

In Treatments to Improve Lives:

• JDRF-funded researchers are performing advanced clinical trials on a once-daily therapeutic drug that restores glucagon secretion to prevent hypoglycemia, and if approved would be the first drug of its kind for people with type 1 diabetes.
• Funding programs devoted to improving mental health care and outcomes for people with T1D, including REACHOUT.

In Screening:

• In collaboration with CIHR, JDRF announced a major funding opportunity in screening for T1D risk
• JDRF continues to help facilitate screening for relatives of those with T1D at Sick Kids Hospital via TrialNet

To read more about research updates, please visit www.breakthrought1d.ca/blog to see more stories about the incredible progress that took place over the last year in type 1 diabetes research and development.

It has never been a more exciting time in diabetes research and at JDRF. And together with our JDRF community, we believe that a world free from type 1 diabetes is closer than ever.

In November, to celebrate World Diabetes Day, the BETTER (BEhaviors, Therapies, TEchnologies and hypoglycemic Risk in Type 1 diabetes) project announced that it is now the first registry of people living with type 1 diabetes in Canada.

A key focus of JDRF’s research strategy is to fund research that can improve the lives of people with T1D today, while cure-based research is conducted in parallel. Initially piloted in Quebec, this project is funded through the JDRF-CIHR Partnership to End Diabetes, as part of its clinical trials support by using new therapies and interactive technologies to reduce hypoglycemic risk.

The BETTER project brings together people who live with type 1 diabetes and parents of children with type 1 diabetes (patient-partners), researchers, health professionals and decision-makers who are already involved and who want to advance quality of life, research to improve the clinical practices, and treatments for people who live with type 1 diabetes.

To better address hypoglycemic anxiety and control, Dr. Rémi Rabasa-Lhoret and his team at Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal (IRCM) developed a registry of people with T1D to identify the needs and realities related to the disease.

The BETTER project is focused on measuring and reducing hypoglycemia in people with T1D. Hypoglycemia is common and one of the greatest fears of people living with the disease. It is defined by low blood glucose with symptoms such as trembling, sweating, confusion, and dizziness. Hypoglycemia and fear of hypoglycemia are two main barriers to optimal T1D management and can have a profoundly negative impact on quality of life. In most children and adults living with type 1 diabetes, hypoglycemia is common and is the main barrier to adequate diabetes management.

The registry is now available to all Canadians. Joining the registry provides access to a support platform, currently available for adults 18 years and older living with T1D, and a separate platform for healthcare professionals. A new platform for teens is in development. The platform includes information on topics important to people with T1D including medication, blood glucose monitoring, nutrition, physical activity, hypo- and hyperglycemia (low and high blood glucose) and overall health.

The registry also includes updates and information on T1D research that can be accessed by participants.

As of November 2022, the registry included more than 2800 people with T1D. The BETTER project also researches innovative approaches for hypoglycemia treatment, for example, comparing the effect of intranasal versus injectable glucagon. Anyone living with type 1 diabetes, or whose child is living with type 1 diabetes, in Canada is invited to register and share their reality by visiting type1better.com

A diagnosis of type 1 diabetes (T1D) changes the trajectory of an entire family. This was no different for the Turner Family when Alex was diagnosed at 14-years-old.

The Turners are a close-knit family, parents Richard and Alison, and children Alex, Sara and Emma approached Alex’s diagnosis together as a family.

“At 14 years old, it was so traumatic and hard. For my parents, and of course for Alex. It really rocked our entire family. We were all affected,” says Sara. “And JDRF has been a part of our lives since then”.

Today, Alex works at RBC, and his wife Camryn works in Management Consulting. Richard, Alison, Sara, and Emma all have careers in the real estate sector. They have all been active volunteers with JDRF, particularly helping with events like the Sun Life Ride to Defeat Diabetes, and chairing the 2019 Gala in Toronto, Ontario.

It has been 15 years since Alex’s diagnosis. He played competitive golf as a teen and throughout university. While managing his diabetes, he struggled in ways other kids didn’t.  

“The CGM (continuous glucose monitoring) and other diabetes devices helps him monitor his insulin and blood glucose levels and puts him more on a level playing field. A lot of people still don’t have access to them.  Today these devices are more widely available, but they are still incredibly costly, and not everyone has the luxury to pay for them.” says Sara. “I can’t even imagine as a parent, experiencing the stress and anxiety that comes with having a child with type 1 diabetes. With a CGM, they can at least monitor their numbers while they’re at school or sleeping and take away some of the worry. But the truth is, you are always worried, and you will be forever until there’s a cure” says Sara.

It is for that reason The Turner Family have reaffirmed their commitment to JDRF through a total donation of $200,000 to support the most promising research both into a cure for type 1 diabetes, and into devices and therapies that can improve the lives of others living with the disease today.

“As a family we chatted about how we wanted to be remembered and decided it would be through a joint family donation to JDRF,” says Sara.

The Turner Family will be matching donations throughout December up to $100,000 until the end of the year.

Alex wants people to better understand what it really means to live with T1D:

“I need to think about every single piece of food I put in my mouth, or what activity I am going to do that day otherwise there could be severe repercussions. It all must be planned out. When I travel, even if it is just two hours out of the city, I must make sure that I’ve packed enough insulin and diabetes supplies.” says Alex. “What people need to know is that I do this every day – because it is what is keeping me alive.”

Something the family often thinks about is that Richard’s great-uncle passed away at 13 years old in 1900, from diabetes.

“Had he been born 30 years later; he would have lived. It was just 21 years later that insulin was discovered. Instead, he did not even make it to the age that Alex was diagnosed. It’s sobering. This is why we want to push funding for more research, like CGMs, other devices and ultimately a cure. Because you don’t know what the next discovery will be” says Sara.

JDRF is so grateful to the Turner Family for their incredible generosity. Their support will allow JDRF to continue funding the research that will get us closer to a world free from type 1 diabetes.