canadian innovators in diabetes share the global spotlight with other recipients of new award
a hundred years after the breakthrough discovery of insulin, innovators around the world continue to drive advances in the treatment and management of diabetes.
published apr 01, 2022
last updated feb 20, 2025
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a hundred years after the breakthrough discovery of insulin, innovators around the world continue to drive advances in the treatment and management of diabetes.
five of those innovators, including two canadians, became the first recipients of the leonard award, launched by eli lilly and company – a global pharmaceutical company that was first to commercially produce insulin, under an agreement with the university of toronto for the americas – to mark the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin.
“there were more than 70 submissions, for five different categories, from many different countries,” says dr. sarah linklater, chief scientific officer at jdrf canada – the largest funder and advocate for type 1 diabetes research in canada – and one of the judges for the leonard award. “it’s so inspiring to see the incredible work that people are doing around the world to help improve the lives and clinical outcomes of patients with diabetes.”
named after leonard thompson, the first person with diabetes to receive a successful dose of insulin, the new award comes with a $20,000 donation for each winner to life for a child, a global non-profit organization that provides access to care, education, medicine and medical supplies to children and young people with type 1 diabetes living in countries where these resources are scarce. the leonard award will launch for the second year this year and submissions will be open again, this spring.
dr. james shapiro: a breakthrough method for a life-altering treatment
receiving the leonard award was an exciting moment for dr. james shapiro, a transplant surgeon and researcher in edmonton, who developed a method for implanting pancreatic islets, which contain cells that produce insulin, that minimized the risk of rejection by the patient’s immune system.
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known as the edmonton protocol, dr. shapiro’s method initially made 17 changes to the original islet transplantation procedure, including introducing a cocktail of immunosuppressants and a significant increase in the volume of implanted islet cells. the first seven patients with type 1 diabetes who received pancreatic islet implants between 1999 and 2000 using the edmonton protocol became non-dependent on insulin as a result of the procedure, and maintained a steady glucose count without the need for insulin for at least a year after.
that was a significant improvement from past procedures using other methods, which led to insulin independence in only eight per cent of patients. dr. shapiro received a standing ovation when he presented the results to about 5,000 clinicians and scientists at an american society of transplantation conference in chicago.
“twenty-one years later we’ve done this procedure about 710 times in type 1 diabetes patients and most are able to come off insulin for a period of time, with three-quarters of patients able to retain the protection afforded by these implanted cells,” says dr. shapiro. “we continue to refine the protocol to extend the anti-rejection time and make the treatment more sustaining.”
vanita pais: changing young lives through better food literacy
for vanita pais, the leonard award adds another layer of goodness to food skills programs and workshops that deliver great benefits to children with type 1 diabetes.
pais, a toronto-based diabetes educator and registered dietitian, created an eight-week program that helps young people truly understand food – where it comes from, how the food system works, food marketing, how to make balanced meals and healthy snacks, and why it’s important to reduce food waste.
“in general, food literacy skills are lower in children,” she says. “that’s not good and, when you have diabetes, that lack of knowledge can have serious consequences on your health and your ability to manage your diabetes.”
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set to launch this year as a pilot project at sick kids hospital in toronto, pais’s food skills program is geared towards kids with type 1 diabetes. the program was inspired by a summer lunch program for children in a toronto community whose families were struggling with food insecurity.
“i had done a study looking at food insecurity among the diabetes population in our clinic, so i thought that a program that taught children how to access and prepare healthy meals, even with their family’s limited food budget, would be great not only for healthy kids but also for kids with type 1 diabetes,” says pais. “so in collaboration with ryerson university, i got funding for the program.”
along with the funding, pais was asked to expand the program to all children with type 1 diabetes, not just those who face food insecurity.
the pilot program is expected to sign on about 60 participants, all patients at sick kids hospital. the long-term goal, says pais, is to make the program available to all canadian children.
“i want to start with the diabetes community because i believe food literacy is critical to better disease management,” she says. “but i hope that, eventually, everybody will have access to this program.”
this story was provided by eli lilly for commercial purposes.
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