Lighting Up Landmarks Blue For JDRF and the 100th Anniversary of the Discovery of Insulin

On November 14, 2021, in honour of World Diabetes Day and to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin, Canadian landmarks from coast to coast were illuminated in JDRF blue. Often called “Canada’s gift to the world,” the discovery of insulin by researchers Dr. Frederick Banting and Charles Best, with the help of James Collip, and under the directorship of John Macleod at the University of Toronto, remains one of the most important scientific breakthroughs in medicine. Before insulin treatment, a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes (T1D) meant inevitable death.

100 years later it remains the only treatment for T1D and is why we continue to fund the most promising research into a cure, so that we may soon know a world free from diabetes. On World Diabetes Day, JDRF supporters and volunteers joined us to raise awareness of T1D and celebrate this historical milestone by sharing photos of illuminated landmarks in their area using the hashtags #LightUpBlue, #LightForJDRF and #WorldDiabetesDay.