Diabetes research in Canada to receive a major boost

Toronto, ON November 11, 2003 The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), in partnership with Ford Motor Company of Canada, says it has raised more than $800,000 on Saturday night at its Honouree of the Year Dinner. Proceeds from the fund will be directed to the JDRF Clinical Centre for Islet Transplantation at the University of Alberta and will fund the promising research and clinical trials being done in Canada to find a cure for juvenile (type 1) diabetes.

The event honoured Mr and Mrs Edsel B Ford II and Ford Motor Company, for their international leadership and passion in the support of research to find a cure for diabetes and its complications, and the funds raised at the dinner will establish the Mr & Mrs Edsel B Ford II and Ford Motor Company, Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund.

“It was a great pleasure to honor Mr & Mrs Edsel Ford for their legacy of caring and dedication in supporting diabetes research worldwide,” says Ron Forbes, president and CEO, JDRF Canada. “It’s through their generous donations, and monies raised through events such as our dinner, that help us fund crucial Canadian research needed to find a cure for type 1 diabetes.”

One of JDRF’s key research funding focuses on human islet transplantation, the area of scientific research that provides promise towards the goal of finding a cure for type 1 diabetes. “We’ve made the important decision to invest our research money in an area that shows the most promise and offers the most viable opportunity for a cure," says Mr Forbes. "The discoveries over the past 30 years in the area of human islet transplantation have led us to our current situation; close to 300 people in the world have received a new lease on life by undergoing the islet transplant procedure. Not only is their dependence on insulin reversed, in some cases, severe complications have been stopped in their tracks. It’s important to note that this breakthrough research is taking place right here in Canada,” he adds.

JDRF’s mission is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. Since its inception, JDRF says it has provided more than $900 million to diabetes research worldwide.