For over 50 years, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) has been working to cure type 1 diabetes (T1D), a serious and challenging autoimmune disease that develops when the pancreas stops producing insulin. While the goal of finding a cure has yet to be achieved, the advances that JDRF has made over the decades mean that we now know much more about not only what a cure will look like and how to get there, but also how better to manage daily life with T1D.
Today, JDRF is pursuing its mission with more dedication than ever through its new, updated research strategy. Developed by JDRF scientists, evaluated by external experts, and approved by a committed board of volunteers, JDRF’s “5 years, 5 goals” strategy aims to make the biggest possible difference in the fight against T1D in the short-term future.
These five key goals are as follows:
Goal #1: Developing a strategy for global universal screening in order to reduce occurrences of diabetic ketoacidosis at diagnosis.
Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a serious complication that can result in life-threatening conditions, and even death, for people with T1D. Unfortunately, a significant percentage of people experience DKA when they are first diagnosed with T1D simply because, having been unaware of being at risk for it, they failed to take the necessary steps to avoid it. JDRF aims to change this by developing a global universal screening strategy (based on the presence of specific antibodies) that will predict how likely someone is to develop T1D in their lifetime. Armed with this knowledge, people and their health care providers can be on the lookout for symptoms of T1D in general, and DKA in particular, before the disease develops.
Goal #2: Accelerating the development of disease-modifying therapies.
JDRF’s drug development objectives are centered on treatments that will change the course of T1D for everyone who is, or could be, affected by it. This means researching, developing, and testing disease-modifying therapies that will help slow or stop the progression of T1D, reverse the disease, and prevent it from occurring in the first place. Specific focus areas here include discovering ways to stop the immune system from attacking healthy beta cells, which is what leads to the development of T1D, and exploring ways to spur and protect beta cell growth so that people with T1D don’t need to depend on external insulin.
Goal #3: Developing first-generation beta cell replacement therapies.
Through its Beta Cell Therapies Program, JDRF is investing in research and clinical trials that will see healthy, insulin-producing beta cells placed back into the bodies of people with T1D. This replacement of destroyed beta cells with healthy external cells is one of the known ways to cure T1D; however, due to the challenges of producing these new beta cells, and of protecting them once they are implanted, only a small portion of people with T1D have been able to access this treatment. Through its work in this area, JDRF aims to make these life-changing cell replacement therapies more broadly available, thus giving people with T1D years or even decades of freedom from their blood-glucose monitors and insulin injections.
Goal #4: Improving overall outcomes for people with T1D.
While much of JDRF’s work is about finding a cure for T1D, the organization is working just as hard to improve the lives of the millions of people who are living with T1D today. The nature of T1D means that people living with it never get a break: they are aware of the disease and taking steps to manage it all day, every day, and the struggles and stress that this involves can make it very challenging to live a healthy, balanced life. JDRF aims to lift this burden by working on research and technological advances that can make daily life safer, healthier, and more productive for everyone with T1D. Specific initiatives that JDRF has developed in this area include a variety of drugs and devices for glucose control, including not only novel insulins and continuous glucose monitors, but also behavioral health interventions that help combat the emotional and mental health toll that T1D can take on people living with the disease.
Goal #5: Building a community of T1D researchers.
Solving the T1D puzzle is a complex challenge that can’t be done by any one individual or organization. This is why JDRF supports researchers and clinicians across the country and around the world and works to bridge the gap between different areas of specialization so that everyone can be part of one community working toward the same goal. With the aim of getting life-changing solutions to market as quickly as possible, JDRF funds groundbreaking research, connects like-minded researchers and institutions, and propels key advances forward through initiatives such as training awards and administrative support.