In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin, Novo Nordisk Canada has announced a $2 million donation to the Banting & Best Diabetes Centre, University of Toronto (BBDC), Canada's leading centre of excellence for innovation in diabetes research, education, and clinical care.
This contribution will support and expand existing BBDC programs and be applied toward innovative research in type 1 and type 2 diabetes management, drug delivery, obesity, cardiovascular disease, metabolic liver disease, and the complications ensuing from these chronic conditions.
“Novo Nordisk is guided by its purpose to defeat diabetes,” said Béatrice Clerc, President of Novo Nordisk Canada. “One hundred years after the discovery of insulin at the University of Toronto, we are proud to support the BBDC’s continued legacy of excellence in diabetes research.”
The contribution will benefit several academic departments, including Physiology, where insulin was first discovered. This donation builds on the company’s contribution in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of insulin in 1996 to establish the BBDC-Novo Nordisk Canada Studentship Program, which continues to support graduate students pursuing basic diabetes research.
“As we celebrate this landmark discovery, which took place right here at the University of Toronto, we are thrilled at this commitment to support ongoing diabetes research through our centre,” said Dr. Gary Lewis, Director of the BBDC and professor in the departments of physiology and medicine at the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine. “For decades, Novo Nordisk has been supportive of the University and our pursuit of improved treatment and care for those living with diabetes. This donation will allow research teams in Toronto to pursue important projects and, we hope, support work that may lead to the next big breakthrough.”
In 1921, a University of Toronto research team of Frederick Banting, Charles Best, J.J.R. MacLeod and James Bertram Collip discovered insulin. Novo Nordisk predecessors, Nordisk Insulin Laboratorium and Novo Terapeutisk Laboratorium were among the first to produce insulin at a large scale, bringing this life-saving treatment from University of Toronto labs to people with diabetes around the globe. 100 years after the discovery of insulin, the University of Toronto and Novo Nordisk will once again work together to improve the lives of people living with diabetes—and seek to prevent the disease.
Novo Nordisk is a leading global healthcare company, founded in 1923 and headquartered in Denmark. Our purpose is to drive change to defeat diabetes and other serious chronic diseases such as obesity and rare blood and endocrine disorders. We do so by pioneering scientific breakthroughs, expanding access to our medicines and working to prevent and ultimately cure disease. Novo Nordisk employs about 45,000 people in 80 countries and markets its products in around 170 countries. For more information, visit novonordisk.com, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube
Kate Hanna (Canada)
+1 905-301-7334
kxyh@novonordisk.com