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We are pleased to announce Dr. Sarah Linklater has been appointed as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO). Sarah has over a decade of extensive experience as a professional scientific editor, with a focus on clinical diabetes and endocrinology, basic immunology and other areas of the life sciences. In her role as JDRF Canada’s CSO, Sarah will lead the progress of our research partnerships and support our efforts to effectively engage the type 1 diabetes (T1D) community.

“I’m really excited for the opportunity to shape T1D research in Canada, and work with a global organization whose mission is to improve the lives of people living with T1D and ultimately cure this disease,” said Sarah.

“We are thrilled to have Sarah join our passionate team of professionals. She brings a unique combination of scientific experience and communications expertise that will help us accelerate our research program”, said Dave Prowten, President and CEO of JDRF Canada.

Sarah completed her PhD in Experimental Medicine at the UBC Faculty of Medicine under the supervision of Professor Megan Levings, a JDRF funded researcher. She has published several peer-reviewed research articles, reviews and book chapters on the function of regulatory T cells in health and autoimmune disease. In her latest role, she helped to launch The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, now the leading clinical diabetes journal worldwide, and became Editor-in-Chief in 2017. Sarah will start her new role on April 16, 2019.

Click here to read our press release.

Our ancestry often plays a determining role when it comes to matters of health. In fact, genetics can help scientists establish which populations are at greater risk of contracting different diseases, including type 1 diabetes (T1D).

Recently, a team of researchers in the United States developed a test to identify individuals of African descent who are more likely to get the disease. Partly funded by JDRF, the project involved analyzing the genetic data of 1,021 people with T1D from African backgrounds – the largest number ever studied from this ethnic group. The investigators also examined a control group of 2,928 participants who didn’t have T1D. The team used the information to devise a genetic risk score for T1D specifically for people with African ancestry; the mark was then compared to European-based ones to see which more accurately predicted T1D risk.

Among their findings, there was an overlap of high-risk genes between people of European and African backgrounds. As well, those of African ancestry had certain high-risk sections of DNA that were specific to them. It was concluded that the African-specific genetic risk score was much better at identifying people at risk of T1D in people of African ancestry than the European risk scores.

Until recently, genetic risk score tests have been almost exclusively based on European data, which made them less suitable for people from diverse ethnic backgrounds. The new method of screening will not only allow greater opportunities for targeted preventative interventions for those with African ancestry at greater risk of T1D, but also ensure that they receive appropriate care and treatment at the onset of diagnosis.

For more informative articles on health and type 1 diabetes, visit our JDRF Blog. 

Dr. Esteban N. Gurzov, a talented young scientist from Brussels, Belgium, was recently named the first recipient of JDRF’s Dr. Robert Goldstein Award.

This award is presented to a promising investigator in the field of type 1 diabetes research (T1D). It was established in 2018 in honour of the late Dr. Robert Goldstein who played a pivotal role in developing JDRF’s Research Department and who served as chief scientific officer for JDRF International and JDRF Canada for over two decades.

Dr. Gurzov has dedicated his career to investigating the origins of diabetes and obesity and the discovery of new treatment options. After his productive postdoctoral period in Belgium, he moved to Australia to continue his training in the biology of diabetes. In 2013, he established his own group at St. Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne. Four years later he received an associate researcher position to head the Signal Transduction and Metabolism laboratory at the ULB Center for Diabetes Research in Brussels.

Dr. Gurzov has since expanded his expertise to beta cell identity and function, and continues to demonstrate a high level of productivity and generate important contributions to the field of beta cell biology. His current research explores a class of enzymes called protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) as novel therapeutic targets for beta cell survival.

Dr. Gurzov’s publication track record, growing integration into the T1D research community and success as an independent junior investigator suggest that he will become a key T1D academic scientist. An extraordinary addition to the JDRF family, he will ensure that the legacy of Dr. Goldstein lives on.

 

When Ash Hunkin was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) at the age of nine, little did she know that she was about to embark on a journey that would see her advocating for others with the disease for the next 26 years of her life.

Raised in a family that viewed personal challenges as empowering, Ash soon got involved with JDRF and became a Walk participant. As her mother solicited donations from her networks for research into a cure, the annual event quickly became one of Ash’s favourite days of the year. It was during that time that she was also encouraged to take part in studies on T1D.   “We discussed it at the dinner table,” recalls Ash.

 

“Our family believed that part of living with diabetes meant pitching in to help the next generation of people with T1D. Though I could have said no, it was a ‘pay it forward’ kind of thing. I saw it as a chance to take part in something new and exciting ahead of the curve.”

From the time she was a tween, Ash was enrolled in many trials at the Hospital for Sick Kids in Toronto.  Following her 10^th birthday, she participated in a study to determine whether the outcomes for insulin administration using short needles were comparable to those using longer needles. 

“Being given the opportunity to try and change T1D, and getting to try treatments before anyone else was very rewarding,” she says.

Ash was also involved in an intense, two-year experiment on inhaled insulin that required a full-day hospital stay every couple of weeks.

“That study seemed never-ending and I skipped school often,” she relates. “Yet the best part was I got to use an insulin puffer, which meant no injections.”

Ash credits her experiences as a T1D trial participant with having had a positive influence on different aspects of her life.

“I developed resiliency,” she remarks candidly. “It also helped steer me in the direction of community engagement, guiding my career. And most importantly, it allowed me to feel like I was contributing because I was putting my heart and soul into something that – whether it worked or not – would still move the research along.”

Today, 35-year-old Ash continues to advocate for people living with T1D in her role as community engagement specialist at JDRF’s British Columbia Office.  Since joining the organization in 2016, she has been instrumental in cultivating strong working relationships and building capacity to draw greater support for JDRF’s mission.   Asked if she would recommend participating in trials to children living with T1D, Ash is quick to reply. “Absolutely,” she says. “It helps frame diabetes as a special thing over which we have power.”

 

For more information on JDRF’s clinical trials, click here.

Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) is a serious concern among many Canadians living with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Yet thanks to an ambitious doctor and his team in Montreal, a new registry was recently launched in Quebec to track the incidence of hypoglycemic episodes and allow patients to better manage their disease.

Known as the BETTER (BEhaviors, Therapies, TEchnologies and hypoglycemic Risk in Type 1 Diabetes) project, the pilot study focuses on characterizing the causes, experiences and consequences of hypoglycemia. Dr. Rémi Rabasa-Lhoret, a JDRF-funded endocrinologist at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal recognized for his work on the artificial pancreas, is overseeing the initiative to collect data for the province-wide registry of people with T1D.

“Our main goal is to identify successful measures that can be implemented daily to improve overall blood control,” says Dr. Rabasa-Lhoret. “It is our hope that this registry, as well as subsequent clinical trials aimed at optimizing technologies and therapies, will help reduce the risk and burden of hypoglycemia.”

Along with Dr. Anne-Sophie Brazeau (co-leader) and his team, Dr. Rabasa-Lhoret is also collaborating on an online educational component to support people with T1D in their self-care. Currently, instructive videos and bilingual resources are being developed for an e-learning platform, and reviewed by a panel of diabetes educators and patients’ families to ensure they are relevant to their needs.

“All scientific questions and materials for this trial have been developed by our patients’ partners – who were very involved in the process – in order to address any unmet needs as closely as possible,” says Dr. Brazeau.

The BETTER project also includes a series of trials. Dr. Rabasa-Lhoret is testing the efficacy of the “rule of 15” strategy (consuming 15 grams of carbohydrates when your blood glucose level is under 4.0 mmol/L [70mg/dl] and waiting 15 minutes before re-testing it) to address a non-severe hypoglycemia episode and evaluating whether this rule should be revisited in the context of modern diabetes treatments.

As medication and technology access varies across Canada, the first years of this bilingual study will focus on patients living in Quebec only. However, Dr. Rabasa-Lhoret and his team hope to expand this initiative across the country, along with extensions for families and health care professionals.

 

Over the years, doctors have been asked this question countless times by concerned parents. That is because Vitamin D, unlike many other nutrients, plays several key roles when it comes to our health. Not only does it help regulate calcium levels and bone metabolism, but it also functions as a hormone – a switch that occurs with the body’s absorption of the vitamin. This can impact the immune system, which is why getting ample Vitamin D is important for warding off certain medical conditions.

Dr. Despoina Manousaki, a JDRF-funded researcher at the Jewish General Hospital (Lady Davis Institute) in Montreal, is investigating whether having low levels of Vitamin D in the blood increases the likelihood of T1D.

Currently, researchers are using a recognized technique in genetics known as Mendelian randomization (which investigates causal relations between potentially modifiable risk factors and health outcomes) to provide evidence for or against the relationship between Vitamin D and the disease. Should a link be established, these results will be used to ensure that individuals at risk (such as those with family members affected by the disease) have adequate Vitamin D levels.

“The findings of this study, which are based on genetic information from more than 60,000 individuals, would, if positive, support vitamin D sufficiency as a measure to prevent T1D in individuals at risk, such as siblings of affected individuals,” explains Dr. Manousaki. “If negative, they will provide evidence that the association of vitamin D levels with T1D may be attributable to confounding lifestyle factors, which may provide more fruitful targets for disease prevention than vitamin D supplementation.”

Understanding whether Vitamin D plays a role in the predisposition to T1D could present a tremendous opportunity to prevent or decrease the risk of the disease. Individuals with low Vitamin D levels can be identified in the population through simple testing, and Vitamin D administration is both a safe and cost effective way to improve deficiencies.

For more informative articles on health and type 1 diabetes, visit our JDRF Blog. 

Administering insulin on a daily basis can be a tedious task, particularly among individuals newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D). To mitigate this, researchers are currently experimenting with islet (insulin-producing cells) transplantation as a promising therapy that eliminates the need for insulin injections. However, some limitations remain such as the supply of donor transplants, the need for lifelong immune suppression and graft failure (in which the recipient rejects the donor cells).

A JDRF-funded investigator at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto is currently exploring the benefits of a chemical secreted from nerve cells that is active in pancreatic islets in the treatment of people living with T1D. Dr. Gerald Prud’homme at the Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science has been examining the benefits of gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), which is recognized for stimulating insulin secretion and human beta cell growth. A major agent for inducing beta cell regeneration, GABA also has prominent anti-inflammatory properties that protect beta cells from injury and death under various conditions of stress.

Beta cell death often results from an autoimmune attack that is characteristic of T1D. Through this research,
Dr. Prud’homme is hopeful that novel therapeutic approaches involving GABA will lead to an increase in the survival and proliferation of pancreatic cells.

Given that GABA can be administered orally and combined with other active drugs, this study has the potential to deliver a new therapy for the prevention of diabetes in high-risk populations and for the treatment of existing disease. It may also be effective in improving the success of islet transplantation in the future.

For more informative articles on health and type 1 diabetes, visit our JDRF Blog.

People living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) are dependent on insulin therapy to keep their blood sugar levels from rising too high, which can lead to long-term complications, such as kidney and heart failure. As this can be an imperfect treatment, researchers have been experimenting with islet transplantation – the transfer of insulin-producing cells from a donor’s pancreas to a person with type 1 diabetes (T1D) – as a promising therapy that would eliminate the need for insulin injections.

Since 2016, JDRF and Sernova Corp., a clinical-stage regenerative medicine company, have been collaborating on innovative technology to treat hypoglycaemia (low sugar) unawareness in patients with severe T1D. An alternative to drugs, cell pouch technologies involve implantable medical devices that form a highly vascularized environment in the body for the housing, function and long-term survival of therapeutic cells, which release proteins or hormones to treat chronic diseases like T1D.

Recently, Sernova announced the enrollment of the first three of seven subjects in its US-based Phase I/II trial of Sernova’s Cell Pouch™ for clinical islet transplantation. Study subjects will receive Sernova’s Cell Pouches, including a small sentinel device implanted under the skin. Following a defined period to allow for the development of vascularized tissue chambers, immunosuppression will be administered along with a dose of purified islets.

The primary goal of the study is to demonstrate safety and tolerability of islet transplantation into the Cell Pouch among participants with hypoglycemia unawareness. The secondary goal is to assess the device’s efficacy in reducing severe hypoglycemic events and ensuring the survival of islets following transplant.

Sernova is expecting to report preliminary safety data from this landmark clinical study in the first half of 2019 and preliminary efficacy data in the second half of 2019.

Through advances in encapsulated cell therapies, researchers hope to reduce the burden of T1D by addressing many of the shortcomings and challenges of current insulin therapy, while significantly increasing the quality of life of people with the disease.

For more information on enrollment and recruitment details, please visit www.pwitkowski.org/sernova or contact (773) 702-2504.

For more informative articles on health and type 1 diabetes, visit our JDRF Blog. 

 

By Patrick Tohill, Government Relations Director at JDRF Canada

JDRF is excited to be launching our new Access for All campaign this week to urge provincial and territorial governments, insurers and employers to help make life-changing technologies such as continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and flash glucose monitoring (FGM) affordable and accessible for Canadians with type 1 diabetes.

When it comes to managing T1D, the two most important aspects of diabetes care are the administration of insulin (by pump or multiple daily injections) and maintaining a constant and accurate measurement of blood sugar. Advanced glucose monitoring technologies, such as CGM and FGM, significantly improve the ability of those with type 1 to maintain a constant and accurate measurement of blood sugar, regardless of whether insulin is delivered via an insulin pump or multiple daily injections.

They take much of the guesswork out of blood sugar management, by providing users a more complete picture as to what’s happening with their blood sugar over the course of the day. With traditional “finger-stick” blood testing, many daily highs and lows were missed. The ability to track and understand how one’s blood sugar may “go low” at a certain point each day or “go high” at another helps people with T1D adjust their diet and routine so they can avoid highs and lows that might send them to a clinic, a hospital emergency room…or worse.

More data leads to better decision making and evidence shows that these devices can help lower overall blood glucose (HbA1C) as well as help users spend more time in target range. So, in addition to keeping people out of the hospital, advanced glucose monitoring devices may be expected to significantly reduce the probability of long-term complications such heart attack, stroke and nerve damage, long-term complications that are extremely costly to taxpayers and absolutely devastating for the individual and those who love them.

At present, these devices cost thousands of dollars annually placing them out of reach for the average Canadian. And while most employee benefit plans now cover FGM and many also now cover CGM, this leaves the bulk of the population to either go out-of-pocket to cover the expense themselves or do without.

Our #AccessForAll campaign aims to increase public (provincial government) and private (employer insurance) coverage for these advanced glucose monitoring technologies, helping Canadians with T1D to achieve tighter control over their blood glucose and making them affordable for all Canadians with T1D.

You can support JDRF’s Access For All campaign by sending a meeting request to your provincial representative today. Explain how advanced glucose monitoring devices are life-changing for those with T1D and why it’s important provincial governments make them affordable and help reduce costs for their constituents.

Take action today by meeting, calling or writing to your provincial representative to urge them to support reimbursement for these technologies. If you or someone you love lives with T1D, feel free to add some personal details. Your story will help them understand just how valuable these technologies can be in helping to manage T1D.

This is just the first step in the fight to change the day-to-day lives of Canadians with T1D.

If enough of us speak up, we can make a greater impact and our demand for accessible and affordable diabetes care will be heard. Lend your voice to this campaign and help us get #AccessForAll.

Beta cell replacement therapy is one of several treatment options used to improve the health and quality of life of people with type 1 diabetes (T1D).

Currently, JDRF-funded researcher, Dr. Jan Dutz, and his team at the University of British Columbia are investigating whether the administration of an antibody called ustekinumab among adults and children newly diagnosed with T1D can protect insulin-producing beta cells.

In T1D, the immune system’s T-regulatory cells (T-reg) attack and destroy beta cells leaving individuals with a lifelong dependence on either injected or pumped insulin. Blood glucose control is often imperfect, sometimes leading to an increased risk of complications stemming from chronic hyperglycemia (high blood sugar), which includes a shortened life span.

Studies have shown that ustekinumab, a highly effective drug approved for safe use in psoriasis and in Crohn’s disease, is successful in preventing T-reg cells from harming beta cells, thereby reducing the demand for insulin and preserving insulin secretion.

In Phase 1 of the Ustekinumab Trial funded by JDRF through the Canadian Clinical Trials Network, Dr. Dutz demonstrated that ustekinumab inhibits inflammation and can be safely administered to young adults with new onset T1D. As well, the drug was able to block the activation of T-reg cells in animal models and in humans with T1D, thus preserving beta cell function and insulin secretion.

In Phase 2 of the Trial, Dr. Dutz will be testing ustekinumab’s ability to inhibit the development of the disease in adults with recent onset T1D. The trial will see 60 young, newly diagnosed (within 100 days) adults randomly assigned to receive ustekinumab or a placebo for one year with their pancreas’ function monitored during that period. Knowing this drug will reduce the inflammatory proteins that cause beta cell destruction, Dr. Dutz believes it can also stop the advancement of diabetes by protecting the remaining insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, and allowing them to secrete insulin and regenerate.

Ustekinumab offers a potential new therapy that can prevent or slow the progression of T1D. As a result, newly diagnosed individuals will be able to decrease their dependence on insulin, better control their blood sugar and lower their risk of complications.

For more informative articles on health and type 1 diabetes, visit our JDRF Blog. 

In a fast-paced world where many people eat on the go, little time is spent wondering whether we are getting the recommended daily intake of nutrients from our food and how it can affect our bodies’ performance. People living with type 1 diabetes (T1D), on the other hand, require structured meal planning and a solid understanding of how carbohydrates can impact their blood sugar levels in order to avoid complications such as hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) or hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).

Recently, investigators have been examining evidence that suggests fat and protein can also affect glucose levels, and need to be considered when calculating insulin dosing. According to a new study partly funded by JDRF, researchers in the United Kingdom and Australia have discovered that people with T1D need nearly 50% more insulin to keep blood sugar levels stable mostly in the two hours following a high-protein meal. This is the first study to observe insulin requirements for a high-protein meal compared with a low-protein meal, when carbohydrate and fat content are kept the same.

Eleven teenage participants ate pasta meals that contained 30g of carbs, 8g of fat, and then either 60g or 5g of protein for the high-protein and low-protein meals respectively, a week apart. The researchers then measured how much insulin was needed and when for the teenagers to maintain stable blood glucose levels during and after the meals.

According to their findings, while needs did vary greatly among participants, they required on average 54% extra insulin following the high-protein meal compared with the low-protein one. These results demonstrate that carbohydrates are not the only food group that affects glucose levels and insulin dosing.

Further research will be necessary before the development of new recommendations around the optimal timing of insulin delivery to manage high-protein meals.

For more informative articles on health and type 1 diabetes, visit our JDRF Blog. 

New technologies for people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) can significantly improve quality of life, but only a limited number of individuals have access to them. Such is the case with continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems in Canada, which have the power to revolutionize diabetes management, yet are not covered under provincial health plans. Those Canadians with T1D whose private or group insurance plan does not include CGM or who have no such insurance must go out-of-pocket.

Continuous glucose monitoring involves a thumb-sized, wearable sensor that tracks your blood sugar levels throughout the day and night, notifying you of highs and lows so you can regulate your glucose and insulin intake. Worn with or without an insulin pump, it leads to better glycemic control and lessens the risk of T1D complications.

Continuous glucose monitoring devices help improve self-management of T1D by regulating overall blood sugar, enabling people to spend more time in target range and relieving them of the anxiety that surrounds the disease, as well as aiding them to achieve excellence in exercise and in life. Furthermore, a recent JDRF-funded research study has shown that CGM leads to a reduction in neonatal health complications, and is a viable option for pregnant women with diabetes and their children.

In an interview with the Montreal Gazette, Dr. Preetha Krishnamoorthy, an endocrinologist at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, says CGM is a promising technology from which many children have benefitted.

“In children who have difficulty feeling whether their blood sugar levels are low or high, this can be really a wonderful technology for them,” she explains. “It is certainly something that can help in gaining control of their diabetes and is also fantastic for families to be able to know what the blood sugars are doing.”

At present, no province extends medical coverage for CGM systems. Continuous glucose monitoring has also not been a standard offering for most Canadian insurers. However, the Yukon recently announced a two-year pilot project to provide free CGM to residents under the age of 18, and a provincial advisory panel in Ontario recommended the public funding of CGM for people living with T1D who are “symptom unaware.” The Government of Quebec has also publicly stated that the reimbursement of CGM devices is under consideration.

Through advocacy initiatives and collaboration with The Government of Canada, JDRF is hopeful that CGM coverage will be accessible to all in the near future.

For more informative articles on health and type 1 diabetes, visit our JDRF Blog.