MaRS Mornings - Diabetes breakthrough: The future of treatment

There’s something about Toronto and diabetes discoveries. In 1921 Frederick Banting and Charles Best administered the world’s first dose of insulin to a 14-year-old boy at Toronto General Hospital. With this injection diabetes shifted from a deadly disease into a manageable condition. MaRS stands on the site where insulin was first administered and also shares corridors with UHN, where the development of stem cells gave rise to the field of regenerative medicine and living therapies that hold immense potential to transform countless lives. Over the past century, scientists here in Toronto have made game-changing advancements in the treatment of diabetes and metabolic disease, including paving the way for today’s most-talked-about drug, Ozempic. Join us on November 14 to hear about some of the latest innovations, as well as ways to make medications and treatments more accessible, while helping companies grow.

More speakers to be announced soon!

Michael Midmer, Chief Executive Officer, Zucara Therapeutics Inc. Michael has 25 years of experience in the life science industry, fund management, corporate finance and therapeutic development. Michael has been CEO of Zucara Therapeutics since 2016 and has advanced the company from preclinical discovery into Phase 2 clinical trials securing over US$30 million in capital. Michael was previously an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at TIAP (Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners) providing management support to its portfolio companies. Michael also managed an industry/academia focused funding program with Genome Canada and spent nearly a decade with Rosetta Capital, an international venture capital firm.

Michael has an MSc in molecular biology from the University of Toronto (Canada) and an MBA from Imperial College Business School (UK).

Frank Shannon serves as Senior Vice President, Clinical Development and Regulatory at Sernova Corporation. He has 30+ years of international experience in healthcare product R&D, regulatory, quality, medical affairs and health economics across pharma, medtech, biotech, and combinations thereof. He has led the design, execution, analysis, and reporting of numerous clinical trials and has contributed to regulatory authorizations, worldwide.

Following his bachelor’s degree, Frank studied Epidemiology at the University of Toronto and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences. He shares his experience in product development as Advisor in Residence for the Health Innovation Hub at Temerty Faculty of Medicine.

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