DRC & Research News

This page shares the latest news in T1D research and DRC’s community.

Get the most recent diabetes research news, delivered straight to your inbox

Delivering a Box

Dexcom to Launch Patient Assistance Program to Support Type 1 Diabetes Care

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) does not take a break for a global pandemic, or for anything else. It is a chronic health condition that must be managed 24/7/365. Access to affordable medical and testing supplies is critical for patients. With unemployment skyrocketing as an effect of the coronavirus outbreak, many people have lost their employer-provided healthcare. Without insurance (or income from a steady job), paying for diabetes supplies can become difficult.

In an effort to better support individuals impacted by the loss of insurance due to COVID-19, Dexcom is launching a patient assistance program. The program will provide eligible participants with “two 90-day supply shipments, with each dispatch including one transmitter and three boxes of sensors at just $45 per 90-day shipment” according to the organization.

This will allow patients to continue following their normal management routine without fear of how they will afford their CGM supplies. The program will be rolled out over the next few weeks and last through the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. residents who receive state or federal assistance through programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, or VA benefits are not eligible to participate.

Dexcom’s patient assistance program is just one more example of businesses stepping up to support individuals during this time of need. In recent weeks, pharmaceutical companies have also been providing assistance by reducing or limiting out-of-pocket costs for insulin. Diabetes Research Connection (DRC) is glad to see that individuals with T1D are receiving support to ensure their needs are met and their health is effectively managed during these challenging times. Until a cure for diabetes is found, the need for insulin and continuous glucose monitors remains a priority.

DRC continues to work toward finding a cure and improving treatment options by providing critical funding to early-career scientists. Learn more about current projects and how to help by visiting https://diabetesresearchconnection.org.

Learn More +

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