Canada is at risk of missing a critical opportunity to lead the next breakthrough in type 1 diabetes research unless the federal government acts now, says Breakthrough T1D Canada. In a formal pre-budget submission, Breakthrough T1D Canada is calling on the federal government to invest $62 million over five years in the Breakthrough T1D Network for Canada (BTNC), a national network that would leverage Canada’s world-leading expertise in regenerative medicine to accelerate cures for type 1 diabetes (T1D) and attract global clinical trials to Canada.
Canada is at a critical inflection point. As cell and gene therapies move into real-world clinical use, countries around the world are organizing trials, talent, and commercialization at the national level. Canada lacks a similar pan-Canadian approach, meaning it’s losing ground on trials, talent, and economic value, despite its world-renowned expertise in diabetes, transplantation, and trial execution.
The proposed Breakthrough T1D Network for Canada is poised to connect researchers, clinicians, hospitals, industry, and the T1D community under one aligned national strategy to accelerate the most promising therapies toward patients and ensure Canada competes – and leads – in one of the most important frontiers in medicine.
T1D is among the diseases closest to a curative breakthrough in regenerative medicine, with multiple cell-based therapies already in or nearing clinical trials at Canadian sites. A cure for T1D will have a far-reaching impact for cancer, rare disease, and organ repair discoveries.
“Canada discovered insulin. A century later, we have the researchers, the institutions, and the scientific momentum to lead the world toward curative therapies for type 1 diabetes. What we need now is federal investment and leadership to enable acceleration of effort at a national scale. The Breakthrough T1D Network for Canada is how we do that.” — Jessica Diniz, President and Chief Executive Officer, Breakthrough T1D Canada.
The Economic and Health Impact of the BTNC Investment
Federal investment would unlock a total of $100 million, with Breakthrough T1D Canada contributing $25 million, and industry and research institutions contributing a further $13 million — delivering at least a dollar-for-dollar match on every federal dollar spent on research.
Over the next five years, a $100 million investment in the BTNC is projected to:
- Generate approximately $575M in economic value
- Create more than 120 high-skilled jobs
- Double the number of T1D trials testing curative therapies
- Increased academic discoveries supported toward commercialization
Accelerating a T1D cure by just five years could prevent billions in healthcare spending and create a pathway from scientific discovery to real-world therapies for the 300,000 Canadians living with T1D. Type 1 diabetes is a chronic autoimmune condition in which the immune system destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. With no cure currently available, T1D requires lifelong daily management and carries serious risks including kidney disease, blindness, cardiovascular complications, and premature death.
“The science is no longer the primary barrier—coordination is. We have the expertise and patients ready to participate in cutting-edge trials, but we lack the national infrastructure to move at the pace this moment demands. The BTNC would change that by enabling faster, more integrated clinical research and ensuring Canadians can access the most promising curative therapies sooner.” — Dr. David Thompson, Clinical Assistant Professor, University of British Columbia and Director, Vancouver General Hospital Diabetes Centre
