DRIFCan

Over 450 million people worldwide live with a form of diabetes, and every three minutes another Canadian is diagnosed. Diabetes Research Institute Foundation Canada (DRIFCan) is a remarkable organization dedicated to diabetes research and finding a cure.  

About their work 

DRIFCan was established in 2005 to fund the Edmonton Protocol. Dr. Shapiro and his team are located at the Alberta Diabetes Institute at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They believe that donors supporting diabetes research want as much funding to go directly to cure based research. DRIFCan funds clinical and human trials with Dr. Shapiro and his team. 

For DRIFCan, its most important mission is to accelerate the cure for Type 1 diabetes by directly funding cure-based diabetes research conducted by Dr. James Shapiro and the team. 

“There is always room for improvement, and we need to work hard in the lab and continue to make progress. Our team’s goal is to drive research today to accelerate a cure for tomorrow.”

-Dr. James Shapiro 

The work that DRIFCan works on is not only monumental in its mission, but to improve and save the lives of those living with Type 1 diabetes. One way in which DRIFCan is unique, is by ensuring all funds raised stay in Edmonton, with the goal of 90% of all funds going directly to cure-based research.  

For the last three years, DRIFCan is proud to have met this monumental milestone of donating 90% of all dollars raised directly to the cure-based research. 

How you can help 

DRIFCan aims to spread awareness about the world-renowned diabetes research being done directly in Edmonton. Dr. James Shapiro and his team rely on access to private donor funding and research grants to continue their groundbreaking work. To help support their efforts, donations can be made through a variety of ways by visiting DRIFCan.  

They also count on the support of the community, so spreading their message via social media is incredibly beneficial. You can find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. To stay up to date on upcoming events, news, and updates, you can visit their website for more information. 

And, of course, funding is key! A cure can’t be found without the funding for research.  

“Almost 1 in 10 Canadians aged 20 years and older has been diagnosed with diabetes.”

–Statistics Canada 

Thank you to DRIFCan for the work you do, and for helping to find a cure for Type 1 diabetes. We appreciate you and your passionate dedication to those living with this disease.