Diabetes

Diabetes

Diabetes

Diabetes

Decorative shape

Diabetes occurs when the body cannot produce insulin (type 1 diabetes) or properly use the insulin it makes (type 2 diabetes). An estimated 11.9 million Canadians live with diabetes or prediabetes, costing the healthcare system an estimated $30 billion annually.

While insulin therapy and modern glucose-management technologies are lifesaving, they are not a cure. Chronically high blood sugar can lead to serious complications, including blindness, kidney failure, nerve damage, stroke, and heart disease. Canada has long been a global leader in diabetes research. The Edmonton Protocol, developed over 20 years ago, demonstrated that transplanted pancreatic islets could restore insulin production and paved the way for cell-based approaches to type 1 diabetes.

Since then, Canadian researchers have advanced stem cell–derived islet cells and implantable devices, now being tested in clinical trials, that aim to restore natural insulin production, improve cell survival, and reduce the need for daily insulin injections.

SCN has invested over $11.7 million (2016–2028) in diabetes research, supporting innovative approaches such as lab-grown disease models, improved stem cell–derived islets, vascularization strategies to enhance cell survival, and bioengineered devices to deliver insulin-producing cells safely and effectively. These investments are accelerating the development of therapies that could one day offer long-term blood sugar control and a functional cure for people living with type 1 diabetes.

Dr. Megan Levings, University of British Columbia, British Columbia

Cycle 5, Round 1: Impact Awardee (jointly funded with Breakthrough T1D) Modeling Type 1 Diabetes with Stem Cells to Unlock New Treatments

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease where the immune system mistakenly attacks the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Although promising new treatments are being developed—like cell replacement and immune therapies—a key challenge is the lack of reliable models to test these therapies on human cells.

Dr. Megan Levings’ research team is creating a lab-grown model of T1D using stem cells to produce the three key cell types involved: insulin-producing cells, T cells, and antigen-presenting immune cells. By combining these, her team recreates the disease process in the lab.

This model will enable researchers to better understand how T1D develops and test new treatments more effectively. It has the potential to accelerate the development of innovative therapies that could prevent or treat T1D, improving the lives of people living with this disease.

“By building a ‘mini-immune system’ in the lab that mimics type 1 diabetes, we can study this complex disease in ways never before possible. Our goal is to help pave the way for new, effective treatments that can prevent or one day cure T1D.”

Dr. Yasaman Aghazadeh, Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal, Quebec

Cycle 5, Round 1: Early Career Researcher Jump Start Award Building a Better Home for Transplanted Cells to Treat Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a lifelong disease caused by the immune system destroying insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Without insulin, blood sugar rises to dangerous levels, forcing people with T1D to manage their condition through multiple daily insulin injections—an exhausting and imperfect solution.

Stem cell-derived beta cell therapies are now in clinical trials and offer real hope for a long-term cure. But a major challenge is the lack of blood supply to support cells’ survival, sensing sugar and secretion of insulin.

Dr. Yasaman Aghazadeh’s previous work showed that co-transplanting adipose-derived blood vessels with beta cells can keep the cells alive and functioning by delivering oxygen and nutrients. Now, she’s advancing this approach by developing stem cell-derived vessels, an approach that allows engineering favorable features to tackle challenges after transplant.

If successful, this work could lead to a breakthrough beta cell therapy with improved yield and long-term effect.

“Our goal is to create a selective environment for transplanted beta cells to promote their long-term survival and function, so patients can live free from injections.”

Dr. Tara MacDonald, University of Toronto, Ontario

Cycle 5, Round 1: Early Career Researcher Jump Start Award Fixing the Glitches in Stem Cell-Derived Islets to Treat Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic disease that affects over 8 million people worldwide. It begins when the immune system mistakenly destroys insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Without these cells, people must inject insulin daily to stay alive—yet blood sugar control remains difficult, and long-term complications are common.

A promising new approach involves replacing lost beta cells using stem cell-derived islets (sc-islets). These lab-grown cells act like insulin factories, but they don’t always function like their natural counterparts. Think of them as software with bugs—capable of running the program, but prone to crashing under pressure. In particular, they struggle with glucose processing, a core function of healthy beta cells.

Dr. Tara MacDonald is working to debug these sc-islets. Her team is using tools from molecular biology, engineering, and physiology to uncover where things go wrong and design lab-based fixes to improve performance. Collaborating with experts at the University of Toronto—the birthplace of insulin discovery—she’ll test whether enhanced sc-islets can better-mimic natural islets to improve glucose handling.

If successful, this work could help to boost next-generation cell therapies that offer people with T1D a more natural, lasting solution—one that finally frees them from the burden of constant insulin injections.

“We’re building smarter, stronger beta cells—so that one day, people with type 1 diabetes can live without needles, worry, or compromise.”

Dr. Timothy Kieffer, University of British Columbia, British Columbia

Cycle 5, Round 1: Fueling Biotechnology Partnership Award (SCN-Breakthrough T1D Joint-Funding Award) Boosting Cell Survival to Improve Diabetes Cell Therapy

People living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) must constantly monitor their blood sugar levels and self-administer insulin. This is mentally exhausting, and even the best efforts often fail to prevent long-term complications.

Cell therapies using insulin-producing beta cells from deceased donors or stem cells are helping some people with T1D better control blood sugar and reduce long-term complications. But many transplanted cells don’t survive, meaning large quantities are needed. This creates manufacturing challenges, and over time, the cells often stop working—forcing patients back onto insulin therapy.

Dr. Timothy Kieffer and collaborators, and the team at Lunar Therapeutics are working to improve how long these transplanted cells can survive and function. By creating tiny, lab-grown islet organoids that are ready to form their own blood supply once in the body, and delivering them using a minimally invasive method, the team aims to make cell therapies more durable and accessible. Their ultimate goal is to improve the lives of people with diabetes by developing longer-lasting, more effective treatments.

“Cell therapies are already giving some people with type 1 diabetes a break from constant blood sugar monitoring and insulin injections—sometimes for years. Our goal is to extend those benefits even further, so more patients can experience lasting freedom from the daily burdens of this disease.”

Dr. Corinne Hoesli, McGill University, Quebec

Cycle 5, Round 1: Impact Award (SCN-Breakthrough T1D Joint-Funding Award) A New Implant to Restore Insulin Production in People with Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes destroys the insulin-producing islet cells in the pancreas, leaving most patients dependent on daily insulin. Even with careful management, blood sugar fluctuations can be dangerous. Islet transplantation can restore insulin production, but donor islets are scarce.

Dr. Corinne Hoesli’s team is developing a device that uses lab-grown stem cell-derived islets, offering a potentially unlimited supply. To ensure safety, the cells are contained within a removable implant. Unlike typical devices that limit blood supply, the device encompasses a vascular graft with blood flow provided through implantation like a bypass graft to support better function and survival.

The team will optimize the device and test it in large animal models. If successful, this approach could offer long-term blood sugar control without insulin injections—and lay the groundwork for future bioartificial organs.

“We’re building a living device that could one day free people with type 1 diabetes from daily insulin—and move us closer to fully functional bioartificial organs.”