Doctor and Donors Help Make Diabetes History

For many of the over two million Canadians who have diabetes, daily insulin injections, severe dietary restrictions and the risk of debilitating complications are facts of life. But through an important discovery by McGill University Health Centre researcher Dr. Lawrence Rosenberg, diabetes may one day be a disease of the past. That day may be approaching faster than anticipated. Thanks to a $500,000 gift towards research and infrastructure by philanthropists John and Pattie Cleghorn, Rosenberg’s discovery is one step closer to becoming a drug therapy that is readily available for patient use.

Having spent nearly 30 years at the MUHC engrossed in laboratory research, teaching and clinical work, Dr. Rosenberg is currently Professor of Surgery and Medicine and Director of the Division of Surgical Research at McGill University, as well as the MUHC’s A.G. Thompson Chair of Surgical Research. He has dedicated his career to studying the pancreas, the gland behind the development of diabetes, in part because he had an uncle who died of pancreatic cancer.

John and Pattie Cleghorn have a similar family-focused interest in the disease. Pattie herself has diabetes, as does their young grandson. But while their personal experiences sparked their interest in diabetes research, making a gift to the MUHC was already a high priority for this committed couple who wanted to support their greater McGill family. Dr. Rosenberg’s research provided the perfect opportunity to realize their philanthropic ambitions while making a meaningful contribution to a disease that has affected them personally.

Diabetes is the result of the loss of insulin-producing pancreatic islet cells. Rosenberg and his collaborators have discovered and have now synthesized a protein called INGAP, which regenerates pancreatic islet cells in diabetes sufferers. This represents the first novel therapy to address the fundamental cause of the disease and could potentially pave the way to getting patients off their injections of insulin. What is needed now to make that potential a reality are extensive clinical trials, which with the help of the Cleghorn’s big-hearted gift are scheduled to begin in early 2008 at Rosenberg’s lab at the MUHC’s Montreal General site. Rosenberg notes that these clinical trials are “allowing us to move to the next phase of drug development and testing so we can get the drug to market.” The treatment could be available in as little as five years.

The Cleghorns’ donation, made through the MUHC’s Best Care for Life campaign, is being split evenly to fund Rosenberg’s research and the infrastructure required to carry it out. Part of their gift will be used to rebuild Rosenberg’s lab at the redeveloped Glen campus, resulting in ultra-modern facilities that will enhance the progress of this exciting research. On a recent tour of the existing lab, John Cleghorn warmly noted that, “We felt honored to have the chance to contribute to a discovery that might help diabetes become a thing of the past.” Pattie Cleghorn’s interest in Rosenberg’s work was equally evident as she admired the synthetic samples of INGAP that are kept on ice in the lab. “Go INGAP!” she exclaimed, hopeful for its success. The collaboration between Rosenberg and the Cleghorns shows that for doctors and donors working together, no obstacles are insurmountable.