DRC & Research News

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Glucose Monitor

Making Insulin More Affordable During Coronavirus Pandemic

The coronavirus crisis has turned life upside down for people around the world. As tighter restrictions are put in place and more businesses are forced to close or cut hours, it is taking a serious toll on the economy and individuals’ finances. Millions of people have filed for unemployment and lost employer-provided health insurance.

This can be an especially scary time for people with chronic diseases such as type 1 diabetes who require continued medical care, supplies, and medications to manage their condition. Lack of income or insurance means that some people can no longer afford insulin. They may begin rationing what they have left, which can be incredibly dangerous and lead to diabetic ketoacidosis, which can be fatal.

The cost of insulin in the United States has skyrocketed in recent years, but in an effort to support those with diabetes during this difficult time, pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly recently announced a $35 monthly cap on out-of-pocket insulin costs. Almost all of Lilly’s insulins are included, and the cap applies to individuals both with and without insurance. However, according to Lilly, “patients with government insurance such as Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare Part D, or any State Patient or Pharmaceutical Assistance Program are not eligible for the scheme.”

With so many Americans facing financial hardships right now, this is a step toward reducing some of the stress for those with diabetes regarding how to pay for insulin in order to keep themselves healthy. Insulin is not optional when it comes to type 1 diabetes – it is a life-sustaining medicine. Other drug makers such as Sanofi and Novo Nordisk have also lowered the cost of insulin during this time.

Diabetes Research Connection (DRC) is glad to see that individuals with type 1 diabetes are getting some support during these challenging times so that they can continue to afford the insulin they need. Until a cure for diabetes can be found, affordable insulin is a necessity. The DRC continues to work toward finding a cure as well as improving treatment options. Click to learn more about current projects and provide support.

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OUR PROJECTS

See our approved research projects and campaigns.

Role of the integrated stress response in type 1 diabetes pathogenesis
In individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D), the insulin-producing beta cells are spontaneously destroyed by their own immune system. The trigger that provokes the immune system to destroy the beta cells is unknown. However, accumulating evidence suggest that signals are perhaps first sent out by the stressed beta cells that eventually attracts the immune cells. Stressed cells adapt different stress mitigation systems as an adaptive response. However, when these adaptive responses go awry, it results in cell death. One of the stress response mechanisms, namely the integrated stress response (ISR) is activated under a variety of stressful stimuli to promote cell survival. However, when ISR is chronically activated, it can be damaging to the cells and can lead to cell death. The role of the ISR in the context of T1D is unknown. Therefore, in this DRC funded study, we propose to study the ISR in the beta cells to determine its role in propagating T1D.
Wearable Skin Fluorescence Imaging Patch for the Detection of Blood Glucose Level on an Engineered Skin Platform
zhang
A Potential Second Cure for T1D by Re-Educating the Patient’s Immune System
L Ferreira
Validating the Hypothesis to Cure T1D by Eliminating the Rejection of Cells From Another Person by Farming Beta Cells From a Patient’s Own Stem Cells
Han Zhu
Taming a Particularly Lethal Category of Cells May Reduce/Eliminate the Onset of T1D
JRDwyer 2022 Lab 1
Can the Inhibition of One Specific Body Gene Prevent Type 1 Diabetes?
Melanie
Is Cholesterol Exacerbating T1D by Reducing the Functionality and Regeneration Ability of Residual Beta Cells?
Regeneration Ability of Residual Beta Cells
A Call to Question… Is T1D Caused by Dysfunctionality of Two Pancreatic Cells (β and α)?
Xin Tong
Novel therapy initiative with potential path to preventing T1D by targeting TWO components of T1D development (autoimmune response and beta-cell survival)
flavia pecanha