The Problem
One out of 10 Canadian adults are currently living with diabetes. This proportion and the total number of people with diabetes has increased over the last 20 years. It is even higher in many other countries in the world. This rising level is seen in all types of diabetes, and despite much research, we still do not clearly understand why diabetes develops or why its rate is rising. What we do understand is that diabetes can reduce the quality of life and increase the chance of developing one or more serious and even life-threatening diseases during their lifetime.
Solving the Problem
Research focused on identifying and testing ways to prevent or reduce diabetes, put it into remission, cure it, and prevent or reduce the serious health outcomes that may be experienced by affected people is the only way to eliminate this disease and its effects. Canadian researchers have helped lead this quest over the past 100 years. Specifically, they have identified and tested many novel therapies focused on reducing the burden of diabetes. And they have done this by harnessing the most effective tool to test promising therapies: the randomized clinical trial.
How do Researchers Conduct Randomized Clinical Trials?
The effectively and efficiently conduct a trial, researchers need to create a network. This network designs and organizes the trial, and then recruits volunteers living with diabetes as participants. Over the last 50 years Canadian researchers have formed many networks to conduct specific clinical trials, that lasted until the trial was finished.
The Diabetes Clinical Trials Network is a large network of Canadian researchers focused on making it easier to design and conduct clinical trials in Canada focused on diabetes. It is doing this by increasing awareness, increasing connections, increasing opportunities, sharing expertise, and engaging people with diabetes of all types throughout the country.
The Knowing Diabetes online platform provides reliable evidence-based information and resources for people with diabetes and facilitates participation in clinical trials. It represents one of the most important projects of the Diabetes Clinical Trials Network.
If you are a researcher interested in joining this network, click on “my account” to register or log in.
About the author
Hertzel Gerstein, Endocrinologist
Hertzel is an endocrinologist and professor at McMaster University who is in high demand as a speaker, advocate, and educator on diabetes-related topics. His research focuses on using large, international randomized trials to identify and test new ways of preventing type 2 diabetes, reducing serious health outcomes like strokes and death, and achieving type 2 diabetes remissions.