Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

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Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International
158 × 95px
Founded 1970
Headquarters New York City, New York, US
Staff Alan J. Lewis, Chief Executive Officer and
Leo Mullin, Chairman of the Board
Area served international
Focus "To find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research."[1]
Method Research funding, Public policy, and Education.
Website www.jdrf.org

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRF) is the leading charitable funder and advocate of type 1 (juvenile) diabetes research worldwide. The mission of JDRF is to seek a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. In 2008 the US Congress appropriated $1.78 billion for diabetes, digestive, and kidney disease. Reference-www.nih.gov/ndep. JDRF does duplicate the efforts by the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institute of Health. Management and general expenses totalled more than $91 million in 2007. Fund raising for 2007 totaled over $15 million.

According to Senator Johnny Isakson's office, federal funding for diabetes will continue to be appropriated. ($1.72 Billion in 2007).

JDRF was founded in 1970 by the parents of children with type 1 diabetes as the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. As a result, JDRF volunteers have a personal connection to type 1 diabetes, which translates into an unrelenting commitment to finding a cure[citation needed]. These volunteers are the driving force behind more than 100 locations worldwide that raise money and advocate for government spending for type 1 diabetes research[citation needed]. Type 1 diabetes is a disease which strikes in childhood, adolescence, or adulthood, but lasts a lifetime. It requires multiple injections of insulin daily or a continuous infusion of insulin through a pump. Insulin, however, is not a cure for diabetes, nor does it prevent its eventual[citation needed] and devastating[citation needed] complications which may include kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, stroke, and amputation. Ten percent of diabetics are type 1, the rest are type 2 (90%)[citation needed]

Contents

[edit] Fundraising

JDRF's largest fundraising event is the nationally known Walk to Cure Diabetes[citation needed]. Events are held across the country to raise awareness about type 1 diabetes and raise funds to be put towards research. They also host galas, Rides to Cure Diabetes for bicycle enthusiasts, and golf events. JDRF also accepts donations via mail or their website. JDRF is constantly revamping its fundraising efforts each year. The most recent development is an event that takes place one weekend in mid June. The event is JDRF's Children Congress and is held every two years in Washington D.C. Children ranging in ages 4 to 17 are selected from each state to become their state's delegate while in Washington D.C. The delegates are the liaison between the state and the government; they attend meetings, press conferences, and dinner galas throughout the weekend. The ultimate goal of the Children's Congress is continue the constant push in the government for continued funding for Diabetes research.[1]

[edit] Research

Currently, the organization has five therapeutic research targets:

Autoimmunity: A key part of JDRF's research is aimed at stopping or reversing the immune system response that causes diabetes: the attack on insulin-secreting cells in the pancreas. This attack must be stopped so that any therapies involving replacing or regenerating insulin-producing cells can work long-term[citation needed].

Regeneration: Among the fastest-growing scientific areas JDRF supports is research aimed at regenerating insulin producing cells in people who have diabetes (as opposed to transplanting cells from organ donors or other sources). This involves triggering the body to grow its own new insulin producing cells, either by copying existing ones - some are usually still active, even in people who have had diabetes for decades - or causing the pancreas to create new ones[citation needed].

Replacement: An alternative to sparking the body into growing new insulin-producing cells is replacing cells killed off by diabetes with functioning ones from a donor - similar to a heart or kidney transplant. Beyond improving transplantation techniques, our research is focused on increasing the supply of cells that can be transplanted - from animals, like pigs, or by finding ways to change different types of cells, such as liver cells, or coaxing adult or embryonic stem cells into becoming insulin-producing cells[citation needed].

Complications: A significant part of JDRF's research is focused on understanding how diabetes causes complications, and developing drugs, treatments, and therapies to stop that process, or reverse the impact of the different types of individual complications. Diabetes-related complications include eye disease, nerve damage, kidney disease, and heart disease and stroke.

Metabolic Control: Treatments that continually monitor the body's blood sugar levels and automatically respond with the correct dose of insulin would significantly enhance metabolic control. JDRF research is focused on demonstrating that advanced monitoring tools improves the health of people with diabetes, and on developing technologies that link insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors. Such a "closed loop" system would, in effect, be an artificial pancreas[citation needed].

In addition to these therapeutic research targets, JDRF has developed human clinical trials in an effort to further the search for a cure. Human clinical trials are the final phase of research done before a new drug or treatment is approved for the market. Many tests are conducted before the clinical trial stage to determine whether potential treatments are appropriate for testing in people. It is through clinical trials that new drugs, therapies and ultimately, a cure for type 1 diabetes will be discovered[citation needed].[2]

[edit] Location

The JDRF International is headquartered in New York City, at 120 Wall Street. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation. Its international spokesperson is Mary Tyler Moore, also a type 1 diabetic[citation needed], who appears in public service announcements for the organization.

There are also JDRF affiliates in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Greece, India, Israel, Italy and United Kingdom.

[edit] References

  1. ^ "JDRF". http://www.jdrf.org/index.cfm?page_id=101009. Retrieved on 2009-02-23. 
  2. ^ http://www.jdrf.org/index.cfm?page_id=101984

[edit] External links

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