Since the discovery of insulin more than 80 years ago, biomedical research — much of it sponsored by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) — has continued to improve the lives and health of diabetes patients while at the same time investing in strategies that are moving us closer to our ultimate goal of a cure.

The NIH is focused on 6 broad goals in type 1 diabetes research:

1. Understand the genetic and environmental causes of type 1 diabetes.
2. Prevent or reverse the disease.
3. Develop cell replacement therapy as a cure.
4. Prevent or reduce hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), which limits tight control of blood sugar levels.
5. Prevent or reduce complications.
6. Attract new talent and apply new technologies to research on type 1 diabetes.

JDRF-funded research complements the efforts of the NIH and identifies and fills in gaps in funding. For monthyly updates on JDRF-funded research, subscribe to the JDRF Research E-Newsletter.