Kaya was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was 13. That was also the point she knew she wanted to become a scientist and work in the research field of diabetes. Fast forward 15 years, Kaya is working on getting her doctoral degree at the Oregon Health & Science University. However, Kaya has realized that she wants to spend less time doing science and more time communicating current scientific knowledge to relevant audiences and the public. Her work for the DRC brings her one step closer to that goal. 

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was 13. One of my closest cousins had lived with diabetes for about 10 years back then, so it wasn’t an unknown disease to me. Still, it felt like a bad diagnosis when an indifferent doctor delivered it to me in front of his note-taking students at a university clinic. Today I recognize it as a life-changing moment and am grateful for it, as it has made me the person I am. It also has significantly impacted my career decisions. I knew I wanted to become a scientist and work on a cure for diabetes back then. Although actively working in the field of diabetes research today, I now know it’s not that simple. There is so much we still need to learn about the disease and its treatment, and that includes both basic science as well as coming up with smart solutions for the everyday life of diabetic patients. “Let’s see what the science says” is a phrase I often use both at work and while engaging in managing my diabetes. I’ve found that what I know as a scientist does influence my treatment decisions quite a bit. I’ve reached out to volunteer for the DRC as I want to give others the power to make science-based treatment decisions and to better understand their disease, the research around it, and their options.

Kaya is now helping this organization by translating complex scientific language from DRC-funded researchers so that the community can understand the project better.

Amy Adam’s son was diagnosed with T1D when he was five years old. She served on the Board of Directors and various committees for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Chicago chapter for 10 years and was a contributing writer to Insulin Free Times. This is her second term on the DRC Board, and she has served as the Lay Person Review Committee Chair since DRC’s inception.

It’s hard to believe that 30 years, hundreds of thousands of blood tests and shots, innumerable doctors’ visits and procedures, and countless renewed vows to find that elusive combination of food, activity, and insulin have passed since my own child was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Time has propelled us forward like tumbleweeds in a dust storm, yet the rigorous demands and challenges of diabetes have clung stubbornly to him every step of the way. One of the most significant personal challenges I have encountered along this path is having to stand by and watch my child’s indomitable spirit rise and fall as this disease continues to roll along with his organs, tissues, and psyche firmly in its grasp.

You can’t outgrow Type 1 Diabetes, and it is progressive. Most Type 1 diabetics develop at least one complication, and close to 50% of Type 1 diabetics will develop disabling or even life-threatening complications over their life despite their best efforts to control the disease. Perhaps due to multiple autoimmune diseases, my child struggles more than many. 

Fortunately, early on our path with this disease, we met the most extraordinary doctor who medically guided us through some of his darkest hours and gave us the only trustworthy source of hope we have ever felt through his research for a cure for this insidious disease. Years later, when Dr. Hayek introduced me to an equally impressive man named David Winkler and asked me to join them in their endeavor to create a diabetes research organization with a different paradigm, I was all ears.

Our founding vision for The DRC (Diabetes Research Connection) was to empower the community of young, innovative scientists, people affected by diabetes, and their supporters to propel unique and promising Type 1 Diabetes research ideas that weren’t receiving adequate attention by other organizations. Each selected project would have to be endorsed by a group of world-renowned diabetes experts who had volunteered their time to evaluate the merit of these projects to qualify for funding. Then the projects would be written in lay-friendly terms and posted on our website, where potential supporters could choose to support the projects that “spoke” to them based on their own experiences and knowledge of the disease. The scientists would provide regular updates on the progress of their project, good, bad, or inconclusive. Outcomes would be published on our website, adding to the body of diabetes knowledge in a united effort to eliminate diabetes.

I support the Diabetes Research Connection because despite our best efforts to control what we were told was a manageable disease, the only source of control we have ever felt is where we put our money towards curing it. Join us and influence the future of diabetes research; by selecting the research that is meaningful to you and your experience, you may help influence the work that leads to a cure for Type 1 Diabetes.

Amy’s initial vision for co-founding DRC has come to fruition. In this organization’s 10th year, they have funded 48 projects, invested $2.4 M in innovative T1D research, and 12+  researchers received approximately $12M in follow on funding.

The DRC was featured in the San Diego Union Tribune about how it is successfully providing the seed funding or the “spark” for truly novel T1D research being conducted by talented early-career scientists and has led to much-larger investments from the government or larger charities. “From zebra fish to bacteria, Diabetes Research Connection celebrates a decade funding novel ideas” – The San Diego Union-Tribune (subscription required)

 

Diabetes Research Connection (DRC) is excited to announce that our first-ever annual report is completed and ready for you to enjoy! Please click HERE to view the 2021 Annual Report highlighting all of the progress this organization has made throughout the last year. 

Join us in celebrating the impact DRC-funded research has made on the prevention, management, and cure for Type 1 Diabetes (T1D)! 

DRC is committed to seeking out, peer-reviewing, and providing seed funding to the most promising T1D research being conducted by innovative early-career scientists across the country – providing hope to those living with the disease. It is only through our community that we can stay unwaveringly loyal to our mission. 

Thank you for being a part of the DRC family.

74 type 1 diabetes (T1D) experts from renowned universities and research institutions across U.S. make up this year’s committee to vet innovative T1D research for funding by DRC

SAN DIEGO – February 28, 2022 – Diabetes Research Connection (DRC), a 501(c)(3) that funds research projects conducted by early-career scientists aimed at prevention, better care, treatment of related complications, and a cure for T1D, announces its Scientific Review Committee (SRC) for 2022.

The DRC SRC is a collaboration of T1D experts from renowned universities and research institutions from across the country. The committee members volunteer their expertise and time to thoroughly vet T1D research funding applications DRC receives based on their scientific merit. See the full list of DRC SRC members here.

“I’m honored to be a DRC SRC member. The warmth of the DRC community is unique. It brings scientists, patients, families, doctors, and supporters together. It also gives courage to scientists taking unconventional approaches toward solutions for T1D,” says Dr. Yo Suzuki of J. Craig Venter Institute. “I am forever thankful for the support DRC gave me when I was developing a nascent research idea. I hope to contribute my biological engineering perspectives, which may be non-standard in T1D research, to helping guide future research directions.”

DRC Board Member and previous Scientific Director Alberto Hayek, M.D. says, “These talented scientists and diabetes experts are at the center of our mission. Through their focused and rigorous vetting of projects submitted to DRC for financial support, we are able to provide seed funding to those most likely to find the cause, better treatments, and ultimately, a cure for T1D.”

In 2021 alone, DRC provided seed funding for 16 new T1D research projects, bringing the total support of early-career scientists to almost $2M. Follow on funding, a critical measure of the viability of projects funded by DRC, has topped $8.4M in additional funds for T1D research.

DRC is supported by donations from individuals, corporate sponsors, and private and public foundations. Contact us to discover how you can support DRC’s mission to eliminate T1D.

To donate online today click here.

Supported by corporate sponsorships, county grants, foundation awards, and a donation of $100,000 in matching funds, DRC pushes to fund more innovative research to find the cause, treatment, and cure for T1D

SAN DIEGO – December 16, 2021 – Diabetes Research Connection (DRC), a 501(c)(3) that funds research projects conducted by early-career researchers aimed at prevention, cure, and better care for those with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), announces significant achievements in 2021 amid its year-end giving campaign. This year, DRC has been supported by corporate sponsorships, county grants, foundation awards, and a $100,000 dollar-for-dollar matching gift from an anonymous donor.

In 2021 alone, DRC will provide seed funding for 16 new T1D research projects, bringing the total to 48 innovative studies by early-career scientists awarded since its founding in 2012. DRC expects to support close to $2M in research by year-end, with six early-career scientists receiving DRC funding going on to secure $8.4M in additional funds for their T1D research.

“DRC is committed to providing seed funding for early-career scientists to demonstrate the viability of their peer-reviewed, innovative T1D research ideas. Data driven outcomes show proof of concept to enable our scientists to pursue follow-on funding, often yielding over $1 million,” shared DRC Co-Founder, David Winkler.

 Corporate partners and financial underwriters are instrumental to DRC’s mission and include:

 

Leading Sponsors

• AMCR Institute
• San Diego County
• Tandem Diabetes Care
• Tarson Family
• Numerous private family foundations

 

Sustaining Supporters

• Benchmark CIS
• Carruth Cellars
• Centura Wealth Advisory
• San Diego Live Well Partners 
• Sheppard Mullin

 

Event Sponsors

• Jimbo’s
• New Wave Gelato
• Seaside Market
• Sycuan Casino

 

DRC Senior Director of Development Casey Davis said, “I can’t express enough the importance of our sponsors, and corporate and public underwriters to our mission to eradicate T1D through research. That’s what we mean when we say, ‘It takes a community to connect for a cure’.”

Through their help and that of family foundations and other donors, DRC expects to raise a record $750,000 in 2021, and anticipates it will increase that figure to $1 million in 2022.

“DRC is funding important research to find ways to prevent, better treat, and cure T1D. Donors and partners can also choose specific research projects they want to support. This enables you to see your dollars at work,” said Stephen Korniczky, DRC Board Member and Partner, Sheppard Mullin. “DRC not only supports a noble mission, they have been a wonderful partner as well.  I invite other sponsors and donors to join us in supporting DRC in 2022.”

DRC has additional sponsorships available for 2022 at a variety of levels. In honor of its 10-year anniversary it will be re-launching its annual Dance for Diabetes, and event sponsorships, in Fall 2022.

To donate to DRC and double your impact with a tax-deductible donation click here by December 31, 2021.

By 2050, 5 million people in the US are expected to be diagnosed with T1D; 600,000 of them will be children, requiring them to regularly monitor blood sugar and putting them at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease, kidney damage, blindness and other complications. Hear 18-year-old Cooper Buchanan describe how he learned he has T1D, and, how he and others are imagining a world where no one has to ever hear: You have T1D.

May 2022 Update

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today provided updates on its Phase 1/2 clinical trial of VX-880, an investigational stem cell-derived, fully differentiated pancreatic islet cell replacement therapy for people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) with impaired hypoglycemic awareness and severe hypoglycemia. According to the results released on May 2, data from the first two patients in Part A established proof-of-concept for VX-880, with one patient achieving insulin independence at day 270 and the other patient showing reductions in insulin requirements through Day 150.

Additionally, the Independent Data Monitoring Committee recommended advancement to Part B, where patients receive the full target dose of VX-880, which has been generally well-tolerated to date. Vertex also announced that VX-880 Phase 1/2 study has been placed on clinical hold in the U.S. by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) due to a determination that there is insufficient information to support dose escalation with the product.

Click HERE to read the full article about this update.

Commentary

Authors:

Vincenzo Cirulli, M.D., Ph.D.

Scientific Director, Diabetes Research Connection

Department of Medicine, UW Diabetes Institute

University of Washington

Institute for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine

 

Alberto Hayek, M.D.

Medical Director, Scripps/Whittier Diabetes Institute

Co-Founder, Diabetes Research Connection

 

David Winkler

Co-founder, past Chair and current CFO, Diabetes Research Connection

Past Chair, Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute

Past Chair, American Diabetes Association, San Diego Chapter

Type 1 Diabetes Patient for 62 years  

 

A Cure for Type 1 Diabetes? For One Man, It Seems to Have Worked.

This article, which appeared in the New York Times (NYT) on Saturday, November 27, 2021, provides a promise for achieving a cure for type 1 diabetes (T1D). Dr. Melton, a brilliant scientist at Harvard, and an inspired father of two T1D patients is credited with overseeing this important effort which built on many past and present researchers’ discoveries.

While we applaud Dr. Melton and his team’s efforts for taking the necessary steps to bring this research to the bed-side, there are some questions that will need to be addressed. It remains to be determined if any issue or side effects will arise over time in some of the 17 patients participating to this initial clinical trial. Patient immunosuppression may be problematic, as it has been the case for some recipients of cadaveric human islet transplants. The long-term survival and function of these stem cell-derived beta cells will also need to be assessed, and design plans to replace them with additional transplants should they fail. Ultimately, the cost of the procedure and required FDA approval will also need to be addressed.

In the year 2000, the New England Journal of Medicine published an article that caused many to believe a cure for T1D had been discovered. The principal investigator, Dr. James Shapiro, initiated what became known as the Edmonton Protocol. This multicenter trial involved transplanting human cadaveric islets. Some issues soon arose: 1) an insufficient supply of islets; 2) failure of the islet transplants to function long-term; 3) complications associated with the site of transplantation into the portal vein of the liver, and 4) side effects caused by the immunosuppression of the recipients.

Undoubtedly, the most significant development since 2000 has been the conversion of pluripotent stem cells into insulin-producing cells to provide an unlimited supply of islet tissue for transplantation in T1D patients.

The need for immunosuppressive drugs to prevent rejection of the islet transplants remains an ongoing concern, although these types of drugs, and their regimen protocols have improved considerably since 2000. Notwithstanding, immunosuppression continues to have issues. Better drugs will be needed to ensure that the transplanted islet tissue is not rejected, retains its insulin-producing function over time, and that the recipients’ immune systems is not negatively impacted for its important primary function of fighting off other diseases.

Another approach to avoid rejection of pluripotent stem cell-derived beta cells is to encapsulate them. However, to date, these cells have not prospered in such enclosed environments, because current cell encapsulation technologies do not allow for these beta cells to intimately interact with blood vessels of the host to receive nutrients and oxygen to survive long term while performing their insulin secretory function in response to circulating glucose levels.

In two recent studies just published in peer-reviewed journals (https://www.cell.com/cell-stem-cell/fulltext/S1934-5909(21)00415-X), Canadian investigators led by Dr. Timothy Kieffer in collaboration with ViaCyte, and by ViaCyte scientists in collaboration with Dr. James Shapiro (https://www.cell.com/cell-reports-medicine/fulltext/S2666-3791(21)00338-4) reported that transplantation of immature stem cell-derived pancreatic islet progenitors in 15 and 17 patients, respectively, produced negligeable, yet detectable levels of human C-peptide production in response to a meal after a year from the day of transplantation. These studies were conducted using devices that allow some level of interaction of the transplanted cells with the patient’s blood vessels, thus requiring immune suppression. The bottom line is that after ~1 year, none of the patients became independent from insulin injections and all required exogenous insulin during the trial.

A possible solution to the problem of allorejection (i.e., immune rejection of “non-self” cells, coming from a different genetic background) may involve the use of a T1D patient’s own cells to generate induced pluripotent stem cells (or iPS), produced through a technique of reprogramming, and then convert these iPS cells into pancreatic beta cells. These “self-cells” may evade rejection by mechanisms of allo-immunity; however, auto-reactive immune cells that caused T1D in the first place in these patients may still target and destroy these newly transplanted beta cells.

San Diego’s ViaCyte is pursuing another potential cure. This company recently announced a collaboration with Crisper, a biotech leader in DNA editing to genetically modify the stem cells to avoid the need for immune therapy post-transplantation.

Ultimately, in order to ensure that all of the above treatments are safe for transplantation in the general population of T1D patients the FDA will require: 1) a careful peer-reviewed analysis of the results on all patients; 2) a long-term assessment of the survival and function of the transplanted cells; 3) evaluation of the long-term effects of immunosuppression; and 4) determination of the acceptability of all side effects.

Collectively, what all of these recent advancements show is that there is much more to be learned before stem cell derived islet tissue can be routinely and safely used for cell replacement therapy in T1D.

Hence, notwithstanding these open questions, substantial progress is being made towards a functional cure for T1D. We must proceed with hope and caution while pursuing additional innovative research.

The DRC is committed to continue supporting innovative basic and translational research by early-career scientists who strive to prevent, find better treatments for, and cure T1D.

 

Five million people are expected to have T1D by 2050 and 40,000 are diagnosed with T1D each year in the U.S. Our Executive Director Karen Hooper discussed DRC’s unique mission in raising research dollars for early-career scientists to develop innovative studies that will lead to the end of T1D. Learn about our commitment to not rest until T1D is eliminated in this recent Spotlight on the Community podcast.

Dear Supporter,

In consideration of the safety and comfort of our community, and the uncertainty for the effects of COVID-19 and its variant in indoor settings, DRC had to postpone events in 2021.

However, we are thrilled to announce we will be honoring our 10-year anniversary by throwing an epic party for our Dance for Diabetes in 2022. Stay tuned for more details.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership!

 

Happy Holidays, 

The DRC Team