Rotary Clubs boost diabetes research

Cutting edge research to cure diabetes got a $10,000 shot in the arm last week from Rotary Clubs throughout the district, with the possibility of more support to come.

About 300 people attended a dinner last week to hear from two world-renowned scientists about progress in defeating a disease that now directly affects more than 25% of Canadians.

Dr. Gary Lewis

“Stunning rates of obesity are driving the diabetes epidemic,” said Dr. Gary Lewis, Director of the Banting & Best Diabetes Centre at Toronto General Hospital. “Children are not active enough, and our lifestyle puts us at risk.”

The event in Caledon East was sponsored by a cluster of Rotary Clubs: Bolton, Erin, Orangeville, Orangeville Highlands, Palgrave and Shelburne.

Lewis was presented with three cheques: $5,000 from Scotiabank, $3,000 from RBC Dominion Securities and $2,000 from the local Rotarians.

Since 1985, Rotary International has contributed $1.2 billion (US) to help eradicate polio – a job that is almost complete.

“It is my belief that Rotarians will rally behind the efforts of the McEwen Centre and Banting & Best Institute in battling diabetes, just as Rotarians have contributed to the worldwide elimination of polio,” said Brian Gentles of Erin, Assistant Governor of the cluster.

Type 1 diabetes, the more severe form of the disease, occurs when the body’s immune system mistakenly destroys the “beta” cells that produce insulin within the pancreas. Insulin injections help diabetics control their blood sugar, but the goal is to restore the body’s ability to produce its own insulin.

Type 2 diabetes, in which insulin is deficient, represents 90% of cases. It can often be controlled with diet and exercise, but insulin injections are needed in serious cases. Diabetes can lead to heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, impotence, depression and nerve damage, including amputations.

Lewis said while there are strong genetic factors behind diabetes, it is also “a disease of the poor”, since low income is linked to a higher risk of poor nutrition and less physical activity. While 3 million Canadians are known to have diabetes, another million may not know they have it, he said, and millions more have a high-glucose condition called pre-diabetes.

Dr. Maria Cristina Nostro

He introduced Dr. Maria Cristina Nostro, Principal Investigator with the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine, describing her as a “world expert in stem cell research”.

She works with embryonic stem cells, which are “pluripotent” – able to develop into any type of self-replicating cell, including an insulin-producing beta cell.  She described her excitement in 2011 of training cells to make this transformation, injecting them into special mice without an immune system and seeing those human cells develop, delivering insulin to the blood to control sugar levels.

“We are now testing to see if we can cure a diabetic mouse,” she said. “We have very recent data suggesting we can normalize the sugar concentration. The data is extremely encouraging and we are just super-excited.”

Their goal is to understand what it takes to produce a supply of insulin-producing cells outside of a mouse. This would enable experimentation on transplant methods and drug therapy to ensure their survival and full function, leading to human trials.

“If we have enough of these cells, and if one day we can find a better immuno-suppressant regimen, we could actually cure Type 1 diabetes,” she said. “If we can find a drug that can improve the growth of the beta cells in vitro, maybe we can also help cure, or at least treat, Type 2 diabetes.”

CBC proud to release report by ERIN Research

As published in The Erin Advocate

The first phase of an innovative study by an Erin firm, measuring the "balance" of news presented on television, radio and the internet, has been released by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

The News Balance Interim Report, by ERIN Research, is based on a 10-week sample of news recorded from October 26, 2009, to January 17, 2010. The full study, to be released in the fall, will span the 25-week period ending May 2, 2010, covering about 440 hours of broadcast news and 2,400 internet news stories.

"The study will be the most detailed and comprehensive of its kind in Canada and likely among any in the world. It's already creating something of a buzz in the academic and research communities," said Jennifer McGuire, general manager and editor-in-chief of CBC News. "Overseen by an independent panel of media experts, the final study will include both detailed content analysis and audience perception research."

ERIN Research has a long history with the CBC – the broadcaster was their first client back in 1981. That work has included six major studies of fairness in coverage of federal elections, plus the Quebec Referendum in 1995.

The company was founded by Dr. George Spears, PhD, trained in cognitive psychology, and Kasia Seydegart, with a Masters in Social Work. The couple moved to Erin, then decided it was better to start their own company than to commute long distances to work. The core team now includes Director Pat Zulinov and Business Manager Brenda Nicholson. There is also a variable workforce of contract researchers hired for various projects. You can learn more about the company and its ventures at www.erinresearch.com.

In addition to research for various media groups, ERIN Research also works for large organizations including TD Canada Trust, Peel Region, the Upper Grand District School Board and the Ontario government, measuring the level of satisfaction or effectiveness perceived by end users of specific services.

"Organizations want an empirical basis for making decisions, grounded in fact, in the truth, removing it from the subjective," said Seydegart. "This enables decision makers to have common information."

She says the success of a study depends not just on knowledge of the field, but on the sophistication of the statistical analysis, which can produce more beneficial data for clients. The questions must not only be relevant, but worded to elicit clear answers.

ERIN Research has won several awards for innovation and performance. Dr. Spears is considered an expert in the analysis of news and public affairs broadcasting, and of music use in the media and on the internet.

The firm did four studies in a project called Citizens First, for the Institute for Citizen-Centred Service, analyzing what really drives public satisfaction with government services. The organization says it has established the "gold-standard" for research on public sector service delivery, not only in Canada, but around the world.

"It is a powerful tool for governments to see themselves from the public perspective," said Seydegart.

The high-profile work for the CBC results in some intense scrutiny. Follow the on-line link from the ERIN site to the CBC announcement, and you'll find a forum filled with critics who accuse the CBC of all sorts of biases. Some suggest the ERIN Research study cannot be valid, since they see it as the CBC analyzing itself.

"That is not the case – we are independent," said Seydegart. "They come to us to get objective advice. It is not slanted or biased."

The CBC study measures things like the amount of news exposure given to different parts of the country, the representation given to visible minorities and aboriginal people and the balance of air time given to various political parties. It even measures the "tone" of the introductions and wrap-up comments in news items. For example, on The National, it is 19 per cent positive, 62 per cent neutral and 19 per cent negative.

It also finds that the CBC leads its competitors in its proportion of appearances of female news anchors and program hosts: 49 per cent for network radio, 60 per cent for local radio, 58 per cent for network television and 75 per cent for local television. Men still dominate the content of the news, since they remain the primary players in major news categories such as politics and crime.