BBDC Newsletter
Vol. 6, No. 2-- December 2005BBDC GRANT REPORTING POLICY CHANGES
The BBDC’s Executive Committee recently met to discuss the increasing frequency of BBDC grant recipients not actually completing proposed studies and/or using the funds within the specified grant period. As a result, grant recipients have been approaching the BBDC to request one or more extensions to their granting period in order to complete funded studies. To address this issue, the Executive Committee recommended the following changes to the Centre’s grant reporting policy:
- Both the financial report and written report are now due within 3 months of the end of the funding period (instead of 6 months).
- All unspent funds are to be returned to the BBDC within the 3-month period.
- Failure to provide either the written or financial report within the 3-month period may result in future ineligibility for BBDC funding programs.
-
This policy applies to BBDC grants that are
still active (as of December 6, 2005) and all future grants.
The funding programs affected by the policy changes include:
- Pilot & Feasibility Grants
- Pilot Grants for Innovative Activities Related to Diabetes Education, Management
and Care
- Reuben and Helene Dennis Scholar Awards and New Investigator Awards for
Diabetes Research - Only under extenuating circumstances will the BBDC consider extending the grant period at the request of the principal investigator. Maximum extension granted will be no more than 6 months after the end of the original funding period. If an extension is granted, the final reports will be due no later than 3 months after the extension end date.
WEB SITE: WWW.BBDC.ORG
rEQUEST FOR 2005 DIABETES RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
It is time to update our web site's RESEARCH AT THE UNIVERSITY section to include the 2005 diabetes research highlights of our members. The highlights section is intended to increase public awareness of the many exciting diabetes-related research developments that occur each year at the University of Toronto. We ask that BBDC members forward one or two descriptions of their diabetes research carried out, and if applicable, published during the 2005 calendar year. For examples on how to format your paragraph, please see the 2004 Diabetes Research Highlights at http://www.bbdc.org/research/highlights2004.htm .
As we have had historical difficulty in securing timely updates from many of our members, provision of a one paragraph update with one or two references will now be a pre-requisite for
maintaining eligibility for BBDC funding effective January 1, 2006.
What we need from our members:
Please forward the following information by e-mail to
diabetes.bbdc@utoronto.ca by January 31, 2006:
- Your name and department(s).
- One paragraph (200 words maximum) describing, IN LAY LANGUAGE, the diabetes-related research that you have been involved in during the year 2005.
- If applicable, provide one or two references of papers you have published in the year 2005 related to the research you describe. For consistency of style, only papers available on the PubMed web site should be cited. Provide URL (web page address) where paper appears on the PubMed web site.
Member Profile Updates
Once a year, we ask BBDC Members to take a few seconds to review their research profile and contact information which is posted in the RESEARCH AT THE UNIVERSITY section of our web site (see http://www.bbdc.org/research/profiles.htm). It is very important that the information on this web page be kept up to date since it’s a primary resource for students and postdoctoral fellows seeking supervisors. Please forward any changes or additions to diabetes.bbdc@utoronto.ca .
CLINICAL TRIAL LISTING UPDATES
The BBDC posts information regarding clinical research trials relevant to diabetes and it's complications that are ongoing at the University of Toronto and its affiliated hospitals. This information is intended to be a resource both for patients interested in participating in clinical trials in the Greater Toronto Area, and for research professionals. If you have a clinical trial listed on the BBDC’s web site in the CLINICAL TRIALS section (see http://www.bbdc.org/clinicalTrials/index.htm), please check to make sure that the information listed is current and accurate. If you would like to add a listing, please complete the table below and forward it to the BBDC by e-mail at diabetes.bbdc@utoronto.ca .
Name of Trial |
|
Location |
|
Primary Investigator |
|
Supporting Centre |
|
Start and End Dates of Trial |
Start: |
Objective of Trial |
|
Description of Trial |
200 words or less |
Patient Recruitment Criteria |
|
Patient Reimbursement |
|
Contact Information |
Include name, address, telephone, fax or e-mail address. |
UPCOMING BBDC EVENTS
BBDC SEMINAR SERIES
The following seminars are held in conjunction with City-wide Endocrine Rounds, and are held on selected Friday mornings from 8 to 9 a.m. at the Mount Sinai Hospital, Private Dining Room, 2nd level below main. Please note that Dr. Rabinovitch’s seminar has been moved to Friday, March 24. Faculty wishing to meet with any of the visiting speakers below should contact the BBDC at (416) 978-4656 or at diabetes.bbdc@utoronto.ca.
| March 24, 2006 NEW DATE |
Islet Beta-Cell Regeneration: A Therapy for Type 1 Diabetes? Alex Rabinovitch, MD Professor, Department of Medicine Co-Director, Muttart Diabetes Research and Training Centre University of Alberta, Edmonton |
| April 28, 2006 | Roles For Ghrelin in the Regulation of Body Weight and Glucose Homeostasis David E. Cummings, MD Associate Professor of Medicine University of Washington, Seattle |
aNNUAL SCIENTIFIC DAY
The BBDC’s 17th Annual Scientific Day will be held on Friday, May 12, 2006 at Vaughan Estate, at the Estates of Sunnybrook. The program will include presentations from University of Toronto faculty and staff: Drs. Patricia Brubaker, Adria Giacca, Jacqueline Koehler-Adams, Thomas Wolever, and Michael Wheeler. This year’s guest speaker is Dr. Jens Juul Holst, Professor of the Department of Medical Physiology, University of Copenhagen, Panum Institute, Denmark. We gratefully acknowledge support from Merck Frosst Canada Ltd. for our guest speaker. The complete program and registration information will be available in late February 2006.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
bbdc postdoctoral fellowships and hugh sellers postdoctoral fellowship 2006-2007
The Banting and Best Diabetes Centre will be awarding a number of postdoctoral fellowships, including one Hugh Sellers Postdoctoral Fellowship to qualified applicants. The one-year fellowships (normally commencing on July 1, 2006) are to be used for full-time research training in diabetes. To be eligible, the candidate's proposed supervisor must be a member* of the BBDC. Candidates must have received a Ph.D. degree after July 2002, or an M.D. degree after July 1997 and must be within their first four (4) years of postgraduate research training. The deadline for receipt of applications is 3 p.m., Tuesday, January 24, 2006. For complete award details and application instructions see the following web page http://www.bbdc.org/fundingOpp/fellowships.htm or go to the Funding Opportunities section of our web site.
charles hollenberg summer studentship program 2006
This program provides an opportunity for qualified undergraduate and/or medical students to carry out full-time summer research in diabetes in the laboratory of a BBDC member*. To find a supervisor, students should approach professors with whom they are interested in working to discuss the possibility of a summer position. A list of BBDC members, their research interests, and contact information can be found on the BBDC’s web site at http://www.bbdc.org/research/profiles.htm . Successful students will be required to work for a minimum of 12 weeks between May 1 and August 31, 2006. This competition is not restricted to University of Toronto students. The deadline for receipt of applications is 3 p.m., February 1, 2006. For complete award details and application instructions see the following web page http://www.bbdc.org/fundingOpp/summer.htm or go to the Funding Opportunities section of our web site.
annual trainee awards (Sponsored by Novo Nordisk Canada Inc.)
Undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are invited to submit their abstracts for the BBDC’s Annual Trainee Awards competition. The abstract must be directly related to an area of diabetes research, and the trainee must be first author. The trainee's supervisor must be a full-time faculty member of the University of Toronto and must be a member* of the BBDC. Winners will receive their prizes at the BBDC Annual Scientific Day to be held on Friday, May 12, 2006 at Vaughan Estate. The deadline for receipt of abstracts is 3 p.m., Tuesday, February 7, 2006. For complete award details and application instructions see the following web page http://www.bbdc.org/fundingOpp/abstract.htm or go to the Funding Opportunities section of our web site. The BBDC would like to thank Novo Nordisk Canada Inc. for providing the prizes for this funding program.
archie sopman diabetes research and education competition
This competition is only open to University Health Network staff physicians, dietitians, nurses, social workers, pharmacists, scientists, research technicians, or clinical trial coordinators who are involved in diabetes research, education, or clinical care. Applicants must be employed by the University Health Network on either a full-time or part-time basis. Funding is available for travel to a national or international diabetes meeting occurring in the year 2006, or to support a visiting lecturer in diabetes or metabolic disorders visiting in the year 2006. Please note that research fellows, clinical fellows, students, and those working at a U.H.N. site but are employed by the University of Toronto or other institution are not eligible to apply. The deadline for receipt of applications is 3 p.m., February 14, 2006. For complete award details and application instructions see the following web page http://www.bbdc.org/fundingOpp/sopman.htm or go to the Funding Opportunities section of our web site.
Trainee Travel Awards (Period 2)
For Travel Occurring Between January 1 And June 30, 2006
The Banting and Best Diabetes Centre will make 15 awards of up to $1,000 available to trainees who will be traveling to a national or international meeting between January 1 and June 30, 2006 to present a first-author abstract. The content of the abstract must be directly related to an area of diabetes research. To be eligible, applicants must be registered graduate students or postdoctoral fellows conducting diabetes research at the University of Toronto. The trainee's supervisor must be a member* of the BBDC. The deadline for receipt of applications is 3 p.m., March 28, 2006. For complete award details and application instructions see the following web page http://www.bbdc.org/fundingOpp/trainee.htm or go to the Funding Opportunities section of our web site.
* Faculty who are new to the field of diabetes research and are not members of the BBDC can request free membership by contacting the Centre prior to submitting an application. To be eligible for BBDC Membership, one must hold a full time faculty appointment with the University of Toronto and must be involved in diabetes research. For more information about BBDC Membership, please view the MEMBERSHIP section of our web site.
AWARD RESULTS**
trainee travel awards (period 1)
for travel occurring between july 1 and december 31, 2005
The following have each been offered a Trainee Travel Award of up to $1,000 Canadian:
| Applicant | Supervisor(s) |
Abstract Title |
| Heather Basciano | Dr. Khosrow Adeli | LXR in hepatic insulin sensitivity and production of apoB-containing lipoproteins: Evidence for LXR-mediated induction of insulin resistance, de novo lipogenesis, and VLDL-apoB production in hamster |
| Hélène Duez | Dr. Gary Lewis | 1) Increased production of intestinal (apo B48-containing) lipoproteins is a newly described feature of insulin resistance in humans. 2) Dissociation between the insulin sensitizing effect of rosiglitazone and its effect on hepatic and intestinal lipoprotein production. |
| Nicole Liadis | Dr. Minna Woo | Tissue-specific Role of Caspase-8 in β Cell Homeostasis |
| Andrei Oprescu | Dr. Adria Giacca | Evidence for a role of oxidative stress in both ß cell lipotoxicity and glucotoxicity |
| Varinder Randhawa | Dr. Amira Klip | Compartmentalization of GLUT4 distribution and traffic in L6 muscle cells |
| Ilana Talior | Dr. Amira Klip | Insulin-Dependent Interaction and Colocalization of GLUT4 with Alpha-actinin-4 within Dynamic Actin Structures |
| Ling Xia | Dr. Catharine Whiteside | 1) Mesangial cell generation of reactive oxygen species via NADPH oxidase in response to high glucose or transforming growth factor ß1 is protein
kinase C-ζ-dependent 2) Mesangial cell upregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor in high glucose is dependent on reactive oxygen species and conventional and atypical protein kinase C |
| Changting Xiao | Dr. Gary Lewis | Endothelial lipase does not preferentially enhance the clearance of triglyceride-enriched versus native high-density lipoprotein apolipoprotein A-I |
**An essential condition of all BBDC programs is the acknowledgement of BBDC support, where appropriate, in all publications relevant to the BBDC-supported research program. Failure to appropriately acknowledge the BBDC in relevant publications will be considered grounds for suspending future eligibility for BBDC funding programs.
BBDC News is published in September,
December, March and June of each year.
Current and past issues are available
on our web site.
DIRECTOR: DANIEL J. DRUCKER, MD, FRCPC
Banting and Best
Diabetes Centre
Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
Located at
the Toronto General Hospital
200 Elizabeth Street
Max Bell Research
Centre, 4th Floor, 4R402
Toronto, Ontario M5G 2C4
Phone: (416) 978-4656
• Fax: (416) 978-4108
E-mail: diabetes.bbdc@utoronto.ca • Website:
www.bbdc.org