BBDC Newsletter
Vol. 7, No. 3 -- March 2007
ANNUAL REPORT 2005-2006
The BBDC’s annual report for the year ending June 30, 2006 is now available in PDF format in the ‘Annual Report’ section of our web site at http://www.bbdc.org/annualReport/index.htm. The comprehensive report includes a financial statement of operations which details how our funds are generated and spent in support of diabetes research, training and education. The report also describes the Centre’s funding programs, lists the year’s award recipients, and highlights the educational activities hosted by the BBDC during the past year.
UPCOMING EVENTS
NeuroVascular Dysfunction in Diabetes: The Eye as Window
This international symposium, co-hosted by the University of Toronto’s Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences and the BBDC, will be held on Saturday, April 14, 2007 at the MaRS Discovery District, 101 College Street, Toronto. The full-day symposium will review the newest clinical and basic concepts describing systemic vascular dysfunction and systemic neuronal dysfunction in diabetes, and will consider Diabetic Retinopathy as a combined neurovascular disorder. It will present the "eye as window" to illustrate these concepts and to promote multi-disciplinary thinking for biomarker development, enhanced clinical trial design, and improved patient outcomes. It is aimed at academic scientists and physicians (ophthalmic and non-ophthalmic) with an interest in diabetes. The brochure and on-line registration are available on the Faculty of Medicine Continuing Medical Education web site at www.cme.utoronto.ca. Select the icon "Click Here to Register or Search for a Course NOW" and enter course code OPT0710.
annual scientific day 2007
The BBDC’s 18th Annual Scientific Day will be held on Friday, May 11, 2007 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Vaughan Estate, 2075 Bayview Avenue, Toronto. This year’s Charles Hollenberg Lecture will be presented by guest speaker Dr. Marc Montminy, Professor, Peptide Biology Laboratories, The Salk Institute, California. His presentation is entitled “Control of Glucose Homeostasis by the TORC Family of CREB Coactivators”. The program will also include University of Toronto faculty and staff: Drs. Khosrow Adeli, Gillian Booth, Benjamin Lamont, Susan Quaggin and Jim Woodgett. BBDC postdoctoral fellowship and graduate studentship recipients will present posters of their work, and winners of the Annual Trainee Awards Competition will be announced. This event is open and free to BBDC Members and their trainees, however, registration is required by Wednesday, April 25. The complete program and registration form are available on the BBDC’s web site at http://www.bbdc.org/educationalAct/scientificDay.htm. We gratefully acknowledge the supporters of our event: Eli Lilly Canada Inc., LifeScan Canada Ltd., Merck Frosst Canada Ltd., and Sanofi-Aventis. Prizes for the Annual Trainee Awards provided by Novo Nordisk Canada Inc.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
GRADUATE STUDENTSHIPS COMPETITION
The Banting and Best Diabetes Centre is accepting applications for the following OSOTF+ graduate studentships competition:
1) BBDC-Novo Nordisk Studentships
2) Yow Kam-Yuen Graduate Scholarship in Diabetes Research
3) Tamarack Graduate Award in Diabetes Research.
Students need only submit one application to be considered for all three studentships. To be eligible to apply, an applicant must be a registered full-time graduate student
in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto by August 31, 2007, and must be carrying out studies in diabetes research. The student's supervisor must hold a full-time faculty appointment with
the University of Toronto and must also be a registered member* of the BBDC at the time of application submission. In accordance with the OSOTF award guidelines, the applicant is required
to demonstrate financial need and must be either a Canadian citizen or have permanent residence status in Ontario by August 31, 2007. The deadline for receipt of applications is 4 p.m.,
Tuesday, June 5, 2007. For complete award details and application instructions, please see the FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES section of the BBDC’s web site at http://www.bbdc.org/fundingOpp/index.htm.
(+Ontario Students Opportunity Trust Fund)
* Those who are new to the field of diabetes research, education, or care and are not members of the BBDC can request free membership by contacting the Centre prior to submitting an application. For more information about BBDC Membership, please view the MEMBERSHIP section of our web site.
AWARD RESULTS**
ARCHIE SOPMAN DIABETES RESEARCH AND EDUCATION AWARDS 2007
The following have been offered funding:
CHARLES HOLLENBERG SUMMER STUDENTSHIPS 2007
The following have been offered funding:
| Applicant | Supervisor(s) | Title of Research |
| Arash Azin | Dr. Amira Klip | Unexpected Partners: Insulin-dependent Association of Glycolytic Enzymes with Muscle Glucose Transporter 4 (GLUT4) |
| Madhu Chari | Dr. Tony Lam | Brain Glucotoxicity and Diabetes |
| Diana Choi | Dr. Minna Woo | Mechanisms of beta cell apoptosis in diabetes models |
| Howard (Chia Hao) Hsu | Dr. Shelley Boyd | Can Erythropoietin Antagonism Reduce Diabetic Retinal Neovascularization? |
| Xiao Yan Jin | Dr. Qing Meng and Dr. Khosrow Adeli |
Beneficial Effects and Underlying Mechanisms of Soy Isoflavone in Type 2 Diabetes |
| Yanruo (Roger) Lu | Dr. I. George Fantus | Role of PKC-zeta and IRS-1 Ser 318 in Hyperglycemia-induced Insulin Resistance |
| Venetia Lo | Dr. Sandra Donnelly | Renal anemia in diabetes mellitus |
| Laura Quinn | Dr. Maria Rozakis | Role of PHIP1 in pancreatic islet cell function |
| Sabreena Sadat | Dr. Dominic Ng | Regulation of glucose and energy homeostasis in a genetic model of low HDL |
| William Schultz | Dr. Patricia Brubaker | The role of R-spondin1 in GLP-1 regulation of beta cell mass and function |
| Adam Sirek | Dr. Mladen Vranic | Improving counterregulation to hypoglycemia in diabetic rats using somatostatin receptor antagonism |
| Sobia Sultan | Dr. Michael Wheeler | The role of uncoupling protein 2 in pancreatic beta-cell function |
| Siming (Phil) Xue | Dr. Michelle Bendeck | Mechanisms of vascular calcification in atherosclerosis |
| Jeffery (Shu-Chieh) Yu | Dr. Xiao-Yan Wen | Knockdown of Pdx-1 and Insb Genes to Study Zebrafish Beta Cell Development |
| Wen-Jia Zhang | Dr. Martin Wojtowicz | Effects of diabetes on brain plasticity |
DIABETES EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD 2006
The following nominee has been selected to receive the Diabetes Educator of the Year Award for 2006. The award will be presented to the recipient at the Toronto Diabetes Association Annual Meeting to be held on Thursday, May 3, 2007 at Mount Sinai Hospital.
Name |
Title and Institution |
Amount |
Marcia Frank |
Clinical Nurse Specialist, Hospital For Sick Children |
$2,000 |
EQUIPMENT GRANTS FOR DIABETES RESEARCH 2006/2007
The following have been offered funding:
| Applicant(s) | Title of Research | Amount |
| Dr. Herbert Gaisano | FRET analysis of SNARE-K+ channel single molecule interactions to reveal their optimal actions on insulin granule exocytosis | $30,000 |
| Dr. Allen Volchuk | Fluorescence Microscope Imaging System for Diabetes-Related Research | $30,000 |
| Dr. Michael Wheeler Dr. Peter Backx Dr. Patricia Brubaker Dr. Adria Giacca Dr. Stephen Matthews Dr. Mladen Vranic |
Acquisition of a Digital Imaging System for Protein Analysis | $30,000 |
PILOT GRANTS FOR INNOVATIVE ACTIVITES RELATED TO DIABETES EDUCATION, MANAGEMENT AND CARE
The following have been offered funding:
| Applicant(s) | Title of Research | Amount |
| Ms. Margaret De Melo Ms. Lina Medeiros Ms. Valerie Tarasuk Dr. Donna Stewart |
Food Insecurity in Canadians with Diabetes Mellitus | $20,000 |
| Dr. Rene Wong Dr. Robert Silver
|
Can Continuity of Care Online Simulations in Diabetes Management (COCOS-DM) Improve Residents’ Knowledge in the Longitudinal Management of Patients with Diabetes? | $12,664 |
Award results are also posted in the Funding Decisions section of the BBDC’s web site.
** 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’s support 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