Toronto, ON, May 3, 2018 – Sonia Sidhu, Member of Parliament for Brampton South, and Chair of the All-Party Caucus on Diabetes, on behalf of the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Health, highlighted an investment of $7.7M in type 1 diabetes research.
This funding will support the clinical trials of ground-breaking therapies in order to accelerate the development of new treatments for people living with type 1 diabetes.
There are more than 300,000 Canadians living with type 1 diabetes. People with type 1 diabetes must inject themselves with insulin several times per day to keep their blood glucose levels normal, and despite their best efforts, they can sometimes experience serious complications. There is no cure.
“JDRF is focused on launching and sustaining innovative research and clinical trials that will result in new treatments to improve the health and quality of life of the over 300,000 Canadians affected by this disease,” says Dave Prowten, President and CEO of JDRF Canada. “By supporting talented scientists in the field, we are working together and laying the foundation for a future without type 1 diabetes.”
The three projects are:
- Dr. Rémi Rabasa-Lhoret, from the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal, will study how Quebec teens and adults can improve control of their blood glucose levels by participating in an online educational program. He will also create a patient registry to evaluate the effectiveness of wearable devices for preventing complications from dangerously low blood sugar.
- Dr. Farid Mahmud, from The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, will test whether a new drug helps teens with type 1 diabetes by improving control of blood glucose levels in the interest of preventing long-term kidney and heart issues.
- Dr. Gillian Booth, from St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, will pilot a new way of treating people with type 1 diabetes through frequent, brief virtual visits with doctors via videoconferencing on computers, tablets, and smartphones.
These projects are a joint investment under JDRF and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s (CIHR) Partnership to Defeat Diabetes announced in April 2017. CIHR funding was provided through the Innovation Clinical Trials initiative of Canada’s Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research.
***
At the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) we know that research has the power to change lives. As Canada’s health research investment agency, we collaborate with partners and researchers to support the discoveries and innovations that improve our health and strengthen our health care system.
JDRF is the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes research. JDRF’s goal is to progressively remove the impact of type 1 diabetes from people’s lives until we achieve a world without this disease. JDRF collaborates with a wide spectrum of partners and is the only organization with the scientific resources, regulatory influence, and a working plan to better treat, prevent, and eventually cure type 1 diabetes. JDRF is the largest charitable supporter of type 1 diabetes research. For more information, please visit www.breakthrought1d.ca.
Contacts
Erin Whittaker
National Bilingual Communications Specialist, JDRF Canada
647-459-7833
ewhittaker@jdrf.ca
Media Relations
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
613-941-4563
mediarelations@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
