History of Alberta Diabetes Foundation
For over two decades, the Alberta Diabetes Foundation has provided support for important research and initiatives.
Beginnings
One of the first projects funded by the Alberta Diabetes Foundation when it was founded in 1988 was the clinical research of Dr. Ray Rajotte, which it funded for 12 years. Dr. Rajotte pioneered the first-ever islet cell transplant, which was the biggest breakthrough in diabetes research since the discovery of insulin. That work, plus an expanded islet cell transplant team and the addition of anti-rejection protocol, ended up becoming the international standard of care for islet cell transplantation.
Since 2000, when the protocol was developed, Alberta Diabetes Foundation has invested in a capital campaign to build the world-class building that now houses the Alberta Diabetes Institute. Since then, the Foundation has endeavoured to continue to invest in world-class research for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes right here in Alberta.
Alberta Diabetes Foundation works in tandem with the best-in-class Alberta Diabetes Institute to allocate funding where and when it is needed most, ensuring that important diabetes research and projects do not become stalled. The Alberta Diabetes Foundation is able to fund projects, even at early stages, often filling in gaps left by traditional granting organizations. The researchers in Alberta are confident that a world without diabetes is possible and, today they are doing more than providing sustainable solutions to treating diabetes -- our researchers are on their way to a cure.
What's Happening Now?
The Alberta Diabetes Foundation has several current initiatives to educate the public about prevention methods, assist those with diabetes and fund experts and researchers. Alberta Diabetes Foundation continues to seek disruptive, innovative, and risky research in Alberta that will continue to redefine diabetes research.
Alberta Food Fight
With one million people in Alberta with diabetes or prediabetes, and a lingering risk of Type 2 diabetes for all others, it is crucial to educate everyone in the province about easy ways to prevent and manage the disease. One of the easiest ways is adopting a healthy diet balanced with foods grown right here in Alberta that are easily obtainable and inexpensive such as Alberta pork, chicken, beef, oats, legumes, potatoes and milk. A campaign is underway through November 2017 to provide Albertans with the tools they need for health eating including accessible research, recipes and product suggestions.
Islet Research
With resources at the Alberta Diabetes Institute, Dr. Patrick MacDonald and his team at IsletCore recently solved a mystery 20 years in the making. They discovered that its is possible to fix a pathway in islet cells so that diabetic cells work the same as healthy cells and can control insulin production. The Alberta Diabetes Foundation invested $100,000 for seven years of research and is evaluating ongoing support for this one-of-a-kind piece of infrastructure -- one that is unique to the world.
