By Michelle A. Cissell, Ph.D. Women know the importance of taking extra care of themselves before and during pregnancy—for the optimal health of their babies, as well as for their own well-being. For women with type 1 diabetes (T1D), diligent self-management both before and during pregnancy is especially crucial, as high blood glucose levels increase [...]
By Jeffrey Brewer When JDRF was asked to submit an article to Diabetes, a medical journal of the American Diabetes Association (ADA), our organization’s leaders recognized the superb opportunity offered by this request. As a result, “Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation: Mission, Strategy, and Priorities” was published in the January 2012 issue ofDiabetes in the journal’s “Perspectives in [...]
Taking oral insulin in combination with low-dose anti-CD3 results in long-term reversal of type 1 diabetes in mice whose immune systems specifically attack insulin. The findings, if translated to humans, would help not only to identify people who are most likely to benefit from the therapy, but also to determine whether the therapy is working.
Previous research identified high levels of the enzyme plasma kallikrein in patients with diabetic macular edema, a condition that can cause impaired vision or blindness. JDRF-funded studies by KalVista Pharmaceuticals aim to identify new therapies that will reduce levels of plasma kallikrein and preserve the eyesight of people with T1D.
Researchers supported by JDRF recently characterized for the first time the nature of the encounter between killer T cells and their targets—the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Using an actual T cell that was replicated or “cloned” from a patient with type 1 diabetes (T1D), the
researchers provided valuable evidence about the interaction that takes place on a molecular level and contributes to the autoimmune attack that destroys beta cells. These findings can help guide the development of targeted therapies for the prevention of T1D.
Researchers recently demonstrated for the first time a direct association between human beta cell destruction and CD8 T cells, which are cells that play an important role in the body’s immune system. This autoimmune “attack” is a hallmark of T1D and it results in the destruction of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. In their investigation, the researchers used human tissue samples from the pancreases of T1D organ donors obtained through nPOD, a JDRF collaborative research project. This new study provides evidence that CD8 T cells are present in the islets of the pancreas that contain beta cells. These findings are important for future research on preserving beta-cell function and establishing biomarkers for therapies for T1D.
Consistent with its leadership role in T1D research, JDRF is prioritizing the investigation of biomarkers. We are advancing the knowledge about the direction and needs of research in this critical area, with the goal of providing vital information to reliably measure or predict disease progression in individuals with T1D and to indicate their responsiveness to therapies. Supporting the development of biomarkers for T1D could provide industry with tools to allow for more efficient and attractive incentives to pursue therapies for the disease.
by Thania Benios For people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) awaiting an islet transplant, a single phone call could change their life. The waiting list for these transplants stretches on, and far too often only serendipity propels a patient to the front of the line. These transplanted islets hold the promise of supplying a patient [...]
JDRF and the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, two of the largest non-government funders of type 1 diabetes (T1D) programs, teamed up in November to optimize their common efforts to improve the health of people living with the disease. Since 2007, the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust has provided [...]
JDRF-funded scientists are conducting new research to create a blood test that may reveal when beta cells are lost during the development of type 1 diabetes (T1D). The test, which is the first of its kind, could be used to identify individuals who have begun to develop T1D, but do not yet have abnormally high [...]
