TORONTO, June 17, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) is pleased to announce the launch of its new Canadian Clinical Trial Network (CCTN) and the opening of the first of its many planned clinical trials. Created in partnership with the Government of Canada's Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), the JDRF CCTN is launching the groundbreaking initiative in order to speed the development of better treatments and a cure for type 1 diabetes.
The JDRF CCTN is a significant boost to the long-held Canadian tradition of innovation in diabetes research, which began with the discovery of insulin by Banting and Best in 1922. While countries around the world struggle to bridge the divide between laboratory discoveries and improvements in clinical care, the JDRF CCTN will aim to accelerate the development and commercialization of treatments for type 1 diabetes, bringing Canada to the forefront of diabetes innovation, and thereby improving the lives of the growing number of Canadians of all ages that are affected by diabetes.
About JDRF
The mission of JDRF is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that strikes children and adults, and can be fatal. Until a cure is found, people with type 1 diabetes have to test their blood sugar and give themselves insulin injections multiple times or use a pump - each day, every day of their lives. And even with that intensive care, insulin is not a cure for diabetes, nor does it prevent its potential complications, which may include kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, stroke, and amputation.
JDRF is the leading charitable funder and advocate of type 1 diabetes research worldwide. JDRF's mission is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. JDRF funding and leadership is associated with most major scientific breakthroughs in type 1 diabetes research to date in Canada and around the world. It has raised more than $1.5 billion for type 1 diabetes research since its inception in 1970, including $107 million in 2010. JDRF raises funds in seven countries, and is funding research in 19, including over 50 human clinical trials. Over 80 percent of the funds JDRF expends support research and research-related education. For more information, please visit www.jdrf.ca.
About JDRF CCTN
The JDRF CCTN is a groundbreaking effort to accelerate made-in-Canada solutions for the management, care and cure of type 1 diabetes. The JDRF CCTN is currently developing several high-profile clinical trials, in association with leading diabetes researchers at partner universities and medical centers in Southern Ontario. The goal is to position Southern Ontario as an international hub for diabetes translational research, innovation, and commercialization of new therapeutics and enabling technologies. For more information, please visit www.jdrf.ca/cctn.
