📢 In case you missed it, the video of the ADI 100 Years of Insulin Celebration webinar is on our website visit ualberta.ca/alberta-diabetes… #Insulin100 #UAlberta #Diabetes

Dr. Kieffer shared his lab’s first paper, published at the University of Alberta, and with the collaboration of senior scientists Dr. Ray Rajotte and Dr. Gregory Korbutt. @UAlberta_FoMD @UofAResearch #insulin100 #UAlberta

Dr. Kieffer @ubc on stem cells: “The process works by trying to replicate the process of human pancreatic development. Even in the lab, it takes 9 months, but full development is not required in the dish - cells can continue differentiating following implantation.” #stemcells

Dr. Kieffer on an ongoing clinical trial @UBC: The @ViaCyte project involves encapsulation of pancreatic progenitor cells in an open device. The 15 patients had improved blood glucose regulation - there was more time in the target range, and less time in the hyperglycemic range.

Thank you to Dr. Kieffer for his informative talk on the role of stem cells in islet transplantation, and for sharing with us his cutting-edge research which is advancing our knowledge of the field. @UAlberta_FoMD @UofAResearch #insulin100 #UAlberta

Our final speaker of the day is Dr. James Shapiro, Professor of Surgery at @UAlberta, and a Canada Research Chair in Transplantation Surgery and Regenerative Medicine. His talk today is entitled “Cell Transplantation from the Beginning to the End of Insulin.” #insulin100

Dr. Shapiro @UAlberta_FoMD @UAlbertaSurgery: 60% of patients are still insulin independent 20 years after transplant. Both islet and pancreas transplant patients enjoy tight glycemic control – these are highly significant and meaningful results.

Dr. Shapiro: "We’ve helped the FDA move forward in gaining approval for transplantation. We’ve been very fortunate in Canada to have approval for islet cell transplantation in Canada for over 20 years." @UAlberta_FoMD @UofAResearch #insulin100 #UAlberta @UAlbertaSurgery

Dr. Shapiro: "We’ve shown that replacement therapies in human patients can reverse the diabetic state. The two challenges ahead of us - islet shortages and immunosuppression - are limiting factors which prevent us from treating the 463mm people around the world with diabetes."

Dr. Shapiro: "We’re looking forward to first-in-human trials over the next 12-24mo. This is ambitious, but we’ll start with the encapsulation devices… then as we move this work forward, we’ll look at deviceless methods, then full therapeutic doses to the liver to treat diabetes"

Thank you to Dr. Shapiro for his excellent presentation today, which summarized the history of islet transplantation, and explained the research and clinical trials in-progress, both in his lab and around the world. (1/2)

It is clear that there is a great deal of exciting research coming out of labs in Canada, and accordingly, a great deal of hope as we look towards the future. @UAlberta_FoMD @UofAResearch #insulin100 #UAlberta @UAlbertaSurgery (2/2)

Finally, thank you to everyone who’s joined us, both today and over the course of the "Celebrating 100 years of Insulin” seminar series. We hope to be celebrating a cure within the next 100 years! #insulin100

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin, the @AlbertaDiabetes is excited to host a seminar series featuring our ADI Members culminating in a half-day event on June 16th. To find out more & register for the webinar events visit ualberta.ca/alberta-diabetes…

That’s a wrap! Thank you to our five speakers today for making our half-day event a resounding success! Thank you also to ADI Director Dr. Light @plightYEG @TheLightLabADI for opening and closing the webinar, and to Theo @Theo_d_S and Stepheny for hosting this event! #insulin100

Dr. Peter Light @plightYEG @TheLightLabADI in his closing remarks: “Canadian scientists are truly punching above their weight. We’ve talked a lot about the future, but the future is almost here.”

Our third speaker today is University of Alberta Professor Emeritus of Surgery, and founder of UAlberta’s Islet Transplantation Group, Dr. Raymond Rajotte (@UAlberta_FoMD @UAlbertaSurgery). His talk today is entitled “From Bench to Bedside, the Road to the Edmonton Protocol.”

Alison Li: “What do you do when you’re 29 years old, and realize that you have made the most significant contribution that you ever will? For some people, it would have ruined them, but for Collip, it defined the rest of his career.” @UAlberta_FoMD @UofAResearch #insulin100

Alison Li: “Macleod’s input was critical - his studiousness and devotion proved key to the whole endeavour.... He coordinated with many clinical partners around the world to study the effects on patients, to provide a compelling case to the scientific world.” #insulin100