BBDC Newsletter
Vol. 7, No. 1 -- September 2006
ANNOUNCEMENTS
MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN:
REAPPOINTMENT OF DR. DANIEL DRUCKER AS BBDC DIRECTOR
It is with great pleasure that I announce the re-appointment of Professor Daniel Drucker as the Director of the Banting and Best Diabetes Centre (BBDC) for a second 5 year term commencing July 1, 2006. Professor Drucker is an internationally recognized scientist in the field of diabetes research and has served as Director of the BBDC for the last 6 years with distinction. On behalf of the Faculty of Medicine and the University of Toronto, may I take this opportunity to thank all of the faculty members of the BBDC who serve in leadership roles on the Executive and standing Committees. Special thanks to Rose LaBarbera for her dedicated administrative assistance to the BBDC. The BBDC provides leadership in diabetes research and education across the Toronto Academic Health Science Network that includes the Health Faculties of the University of Toronto.
Catharine Whiteside, MD, PhD
Dean, Faculty of Medicine
WEB SITE: WWW.BBDC.ORG
EXTERNAL REVIEW OF THE BBDC – MAY 2006
In May 2006, a 5-year review of the BBDC was conducted by external reviewers Dr. Jean-Louis Chiasson (Professor of Medicine, University of Montreal) and Dr. John Buse (Associate Professor of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill). Their full report as well as the Dean’s response to the reviewers’ recommendations are now available on the home page of the BBDC’s web site at www.bbdc.org . The BBDC Director and Executive Committee intend to hold a series of meetings to discuss the 5-year review in greater detail with a view to implementing several of the positive suggestions made by the reviewers, and will communicate the Committee’s decisions to the BBDC membership via e-mail updates, though the BBDC newsletter, and with web site postings.
UPCOMING EVENTS
BBDC SEMINAR SERIES
The BBDC will be hosting four diabetes-related seminars this year which are held in conjunction with City-wide Endocrine Rounds. The seminars are held on selected Friday mornings from 8 to 9 a.m. at the Mount Sinai Hospital, Lebovic Building, 60 Murray Street, 3rd floor conference room. Speakers include:
| October 13, 2006 | Unraveling the CNS Pathways Underlying Coordinated Body Weight and Glucose Homeostasis Joel K. Elmquist, DVM, PhD Professor and Director, Center for Hypothalamic Research Department of Internal Medicine The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (Dallas) |
| November 10, 2006 | The Importance of Amyloid to the ß Cell in Diabetes Steven E. Kahn, MB, ChB Professor of Medicine Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrition, University of Washington VA Puget Sound Health Care System Seattle, Washington |
| December 15, 2006 | The Islet in Type 2 Diabetes Peter C. Butler, MD Professor of Medicine Director, Larry L. Hillblom Islet Research Center at UCLA Los Angeles, California |
| January 19, 2007 | GLP-1 and Cardioprotection: More Than Glycemic Control Richard P. Shannon, MD |
Faculty wishing to meet with any of the visiting speakers should contact the BBDC at 416-978-4656 or at diabetes.bbdc@utoronto.ca . The seminar schedule is also available in the Educational Activities section of the BBDC’s website at http://www.bbdc.org/educationalAct/seminars.htm .
DIABETES UPDATE 2007
Mark your calendar! The BBDC will be hosting the next DIABETES UPDATE on Friday, March 23, 2007 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. DIABETES UPDATE is a biannual continuing education event for diabetes health care professionals. DIABETES UPDATE 2007 will focus on innovative and emerging therapies in the management of diabetes and associated conditions. Topics will include: the use of new insulin delivery and monitoring systems; the use of incretins in the management of diabetes; the emerging role of the pharmacist in the diabetes care team; new approaches to obesity in adults and children; and emerging therapies for women with diabetes. The program will consist of several lectures and interactive sessions, and will include internationally renowned guest speakers (Paul Ciechanowski, Tino Montopoli, and John Walsh) as well as equally renowned local health care professionals (Glenn Berall, Anna Brundage, Daniel Drucker, Sheila Laredo, Lawrence Leiter, Gary Sibbald, and Dana Whitham). The complete program and registration information will be available in December 2006.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
PILOT GRANTS FOR INNOVATIVE ACTIVITIES
RELATED TO DIABETES EDUCATION, MANAGEMENT, AND CARE
The Banting and Best Diabetes Centre will provide up to $20,000 per applicant for pilot projects which are one to two years in length. This program is intended to support new research initiatives in the following general areas: a) Diabetes care delivery, b) Evaluation of diabetes education programs, and c) Practical issues in diabetes management. This program is designed to encourage new academic research activities that would not usually be supported by traditional granting processes. Specifically, we invite applications from frontline diabetes health care professionals working in University of Toronto affiliated institutions or working with University of Toronto faculty. To be eligible to apply, the principal applicant and all co-applicants must be full-time health care professionals working at a University of Toronto-affiliated institution or with University of Toronto faculty. Eligible applicants include: Full-time physicians; nurses; dietitians; pharmacists and others on the front line of diabetes care. Full-time staff at both fully and partially affiliated University of Toronto institutions are eligible to apply. Interested individuals are asked to submit a one-page letter of intent and estimated budget to the BBDC by 3 p.m., Tuesday, September 26, 2006. For complete award details and application instructions, please see the FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES section of the BBDC’s website at http://www.bbdc.org/fundingOpp/index.htm.
TRAINEE TRAVEL AWARDS - PERIOD 1
FOR TRAVEL OCCURRING BETWEEN JULY 1, 2006 AND DECEMBER 31, 2006
A limited number of travel awards of up to $1,000 (Canadian) are available to trainees who will be traveling to a national or international meeting between July 1 and December 31, 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., October 3, 2006. For complete award details and application instructions, please see the FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES section of the BBDC’s website at http://www.bbdc.org/fundingOpp/index.htm.
EQUIPMENT GRANTS FOR DIABETES RESEARCH
A minimum amount of $5,000 and a maximum amount of $30,000 is available from the Banting and Best Diabetes Centre to be used for the purchase of specific laboratory equipment for diabetes research. To be eligible the applicant (and all co-applicants) must be a full-time faculty member of the University of Toronto conducting diabetes research and a member* of the BBDC. The deadline for receipt of applications is 3 p.m., October 24, 2006. For complete award details and application instructions, please see the FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES section of the BBDC’s website at http://www.bbdc.org/fundingOpp/index.htm.
DIABETES EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD (2006)
Each year the BBDC will present one award to a diabetes educator who has demonstrated outstanding efforts and achievements in their role as a diabetes educator. This award is meant to recognize those who educate at the patient/client and community/professional levels. Candidates must be nominated for the award by a health care professional. To be eligible, the nominee must be a full-time or part-time diabetes educator or health care professional employed by a University of Toronto-affiliated institution. The nominee must have a minimum 3 years of full-time or part-time experience as a diabetes educator. The deadline for receipt of nominations is 3 p.m., December 5, 2006. For complete award details and application instructions, please see the FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES section of the BBDC’s website at http://www.bbdc.org/fundingOpp/index.htm.
Upcoming Funding Opportunities
The following funding programs will announced and information posted on our web site in October/November:
- BBDC Postdoctoral Fellowships and Hugh Sellers Postdoctoral Fellowship 2007/2008 (Application deadline: January 2007)
- Charles Hollenberg Summer Studentship Program 2007 (Application deadline: January 2007)
- Annual Trainee Awards 2006/2007 (Application deadline: February 2007)
* 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**
GRADUATE STUDENTSHIPS
BBDC/Novo Nordisk Studentships
The following students have been offered a one-year BBDC/Novo Nordisk Studentship commencing September 2006:
| Applicant | Supervisor | Title of Research |
| Jasmine Bahrami | Dr. Daniel Drucker | The role of endogenous glucagon-like peptide-2 in nutrient absorption and the development of bowel hyperplasia |
| Prasad Dalvi | Dr. Herbert Gaisano | The role of Syntaxin 4 and Munc18c in insulin exocytosis |
| Laura Fick | Dr. Denise Belsham | Hypothalamic Neuropeptides Involved in Feeding are Regulated in a Circadian Manner Within Clonal, Immortalized Neurons |
| Grace Flock | Dr. Daniel Drucker | Incretin control of alpha cell function |
| Diana Islam | Dr. Tianru Jin | Examining the role of the Epac signaling pathway in proglucagon gene expression, hormone synthesis and secretion |
| Matylda Jasic | Dr. Denise Belsham | Ghrelin Synthesis and Signalling in Immortalized, Clonal, Hypothalamic Neurons |
| Michael Kiraly | Dr. Mladen Vranic and Dr. Stephen Matthews |
The Effects of 13 Weeks of Exercise Training and Neurogenic Stress on Beta-cell Mass Dynamics and Function in the male Zucker Diabetic Fatty (ZDF) Rat Model of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus |
| Elida Wing Shan Lai | Dr. Allen Volchuk | Molecular characterization of ER stress-induced pancreatic beta-cell death |
| Simon Lee | Dr. Michael Wheeler | Uncoupling protein-2 modulation of reactive oxygen species and cell death in the pancreatic beta-cell |
| Golnaz Madadi | Dr. Denise Belsham | Insulin Synthesis and Signaling in the Brain |
| Edward Park | Dr. Adria Giacca | Mechanism(s) underlying free fatty acid induced hepatic insulin resistance |
| Matthew Parrott | Dr. Carol Greenwood | Diet-induced insulin resistance may accelerate cognitive decline and neurodegeneration in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease |
| Janice Sarmiento | Dr. Philippe Poussier | Association of PTPN22 in Diabetes |
| Karen Sison | Dr. George Fantus and Dr. Susan Quaggin |
Role of VEGF-A in diabetic nephropathy and glomerular permeability |
| Simon Smukler | Dr. Derek van der Kooy | Identification and Characterization of Mammalian Pancreas-Derived Multipotent Precursors |
| Christine Tang | Dr. Adria Giacca | The Role of Oxidative Stress in Beta Cell Glucotoxicity in vivo |
| Victor Wong | Dr. Patricia Brubaker | The role of R-spondin/Wnt signaling in GLP-1 regulation of pancreatic beta cell mass and function |
| Jessica Yue | Dr. Mladen Vranic and Dr. Adria Giacca |
Mechanism of diminished glucagon response to hypoglycemia: Impact of antagonizing somatostatin actions on hypoglycemia-induced glucagon release |
Tamarack Graduate Awards in Diabetes Research
The following students have been offered a one-year Tamarack Graduate Award commencing September 2006:
| Applicant | Supervisor | Title of Research |
| Lisa D'Alessandro | Dr. Kenneth Norwich and Dr. Patricia Brubaker |
Refinement and Testing of a Mathematical Model of Glucose Regulation |
| Jane Sun | Dr. Tianru Jin | Examination of Crosstalks between insulin and Wnt Signaling Pathways |
Yow Kam-Yuen Graduate Scholarship in Diabetes Research
The following student has been offered a one-yearYow Kam-Yuen Graduate Scholarship commencing September 2006:
| Applicant | Supervisor | Title of Research |
| Anna Radziszewska | Dr. Minna Woo | Dissecting c-Myc biology toward enhancing beta cell mass |
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