Sorry for that. I'll just pick up, hopefully, where I cut out, just to say that there's really some remarkable diabetes research going on across the country and that Canada is truly uniquely poised to continue its world-leading role in diabetes research and make new discoveries and contributions that stand to change the lives of persons living with, or at risk for, the disease. Government support of research is critical if this is to happen. It can take years for discoveries to lead to therapies. About 50 years ago, there was a Canadian discovery of gut hormones that stimulate insulin secretion, and the research in this field that followed led to new classes of diabetes drugs, but these only came into clinical use in the last decade.
Increasing fundamental support across pillars and across research disciplines through the tri-council funding, particularly CIHR, ensures that the best diabetes research is funded across the country and that diabetes research capacity in Canada remains strong. When research capacity is strong, this government support of diabetes research in Canada is enhanced, for example, through Canadian participation in international teams and magnified by additional support from international organizations such as JDRF and the U.S. National Institutes of Health, and nationally from Diabetes Canada.
I would point out that some countries, notably the U.S. and Australia, have set aside special funding for diabetes research. As an example, in the U.S., special statutory funding of $150 million per year is set aside for type 1 diabetes research, and this has been transformative. I've acted as an external reviewer for these funding initiatives in these countries and have witnessed the remarkable impact on diabetes research and the progress that has been made as a result.
In Canada, special funding initiatives that target diabetes research have arisen from CIHR institutes such as the Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes, and in partnership with other funders such as the one announced last year between CIHR and JDRF, totalling $30 million towards clinical research in type 1 diabetes.
I believe there is great potential in such initiatives and partnerships for impactful Canadian diabetes research and discovery, and I encourage government to continue to pursue them, while recognizing that continuing to increase the base support in CIHR's open competitions is critical to maintain diabetes research capacity.
Finally, research plays a critical role in shaping Canada's clinical practice guidelines. These are the evidence-based guidelines that are written by diabetes clinical practitioners across the country. They're published by Diabetes Canada. They guide diabetes clinical practice and are recognized worldwide. I believe research should also be an important component of any national diabetes strategy. Indeed, government support of diabetes research was a key recommendation of Diabetes Canada's “Diabetes 360°” framework, an initiative that I support and that has received support from diabetes researchers across the country.
In conclusion, as the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin approaches, Canada can and should continue to be at the forefront and as a world leader in diabetes research, bringing discovery to improve clinical practice, lessening the burden of disease for Canadians and developing potentially curative new therapies. I encourage government to consider increasing its investment in diabetes research through continued and increased support of CIHR, through partnerships, and through new diabetes research initiatives.
Thanks very much for taking the time this morning to allow me to speak to you. I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have. Particularly where I dropped off the call, if there are things that were missed, I can address those.