ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ

News Release

March 18, 2014

ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Diabetes Research Receives a Big Boost

Launch of new ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Diabetes Institute: Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Research Fund Call for Proposals

·¡»å³¾´Ç²Ô³Ù´Ç²Ô… The ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Diabetes Institute at the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ has announced a new collaboration with Janssen Inc. in Canada to advance early-stage technologies related to Type I and Type II diabetes. Janssen is part of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.

The Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Research Fund is a newly-created $600,000 partnership, funded between Janssen, the Government of ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ, and the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Diabetes Foundation. The three year competitive fund, administered by U of A's ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Diabetes Institute, will support research in either Type I or Type II diabetes with a focus on novel, discovery research with a high potential for commercialization.

"ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ's decades-long commitment to diabetes research has brought ground-breaking discoveries and better quality of life for diabetes sufferers, " said Fred Horne, Minister of Health. "Working collaboratively with our innovation system, Campus ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ and across the public and private sectors, means we can move promising discoveries to the marketplace faster where they can help ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈns and people worldwide."

Through the collaboration, the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Diabetes Institute and technical experts from Johnson & Johnson Innovation Center in California will jointly identify several high-potential opportunities from medical researchers across ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ and award up to $50,000 for one (1) year including indirect costs from the Research Fund. All aspects of diabetes research are eligible to apply for funding. Proposals are expected to lead to further development of drugs, devices, cell therapies and processes that relate to the diagnosis, treatment and management of Type I or Type II diabetes.

"Advancing the care of people living with Type I or II diabetes is a priority for us," said Dr. Douglas Miller, dean of the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry. "This collaboration of funding partners exemplifies the good will of the private, public and philanthropic organizations to work together to best serve patients. Only by scientists working together across ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ will we find better treatments."

Letters of Intent are currently being accepted and instructions can be found by visiting the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Diabetes Institute website: www.adi.ualberta.ca/researchfund.aspx. The first call for Letters of Intent closes on April 30, 2014.

Over 9 million Canadians currently live with either pre-diabetes or Type I or Type II diabetes, and this private-public partnership fund will accelerate the development and validation of healthcare technologies within ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ which is known for life-changing research in the causes, prevention, treatment and management of diabetes.

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BACKGROUNDER

About ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Innovation and Advanced Education

Education and entrepreneurship are cornerstones of the dynamic economy that ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈns continue to build through their knowledge, adaptability and entrepreneurial spirit. Toward that end, ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Innovation and Advanced Education aligns economic development activities in the province with post-secondary education, entrepreneurship, industry training, research and innovation. ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ is a leader in Canada with the implementation of this unique, inclusive structure, which builds on existing links between government functions that contribute to a stronger, more robust economy. Please visit our website at: .

About ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Diabetes Foundation

The ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Diabetes Foundation is devoted to raising money for diabetes research. Through our fundraising efforts, we directly support scientific research which has yielded extremely positive results. To date the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Diabetes Foundation has raised over $11.8 million in support of cure-related diabetes research. For more information about the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Diabetes Foundation, please visit .

About ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Diabetes Institute

The ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Diabetes Institute (ADI) is a research facility dedicated to translating discovery science into health solutions for the prevention, treatment and cure of Type I and Type II diabetes. The ADI uses a multidisciplinary approach, bringing together leading researchers from diverse fields of expertise in a state-of-the-art facility on the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Campus. Please visit our website at www.adi.ualberta.ca for more information.