Diabetes Research Institute Foundation | November 14, 2017

The Diabetes Research Institute: Moving Groundbreaking Research from the Lab to Patients

November is Diabetes Awareness month, and a time to elevate the dialogue about how this disease affects millions of people across the world. For those living with and managing the disease every day, a world free from the pain and suffering of diabetes is the ultimate dream.

While there are many organizations that raise awareness about diabetes, the Diabetes Research Institute is unique in its singular focus on a cure. Our dedication to curing diabetes now is a testament to the belief that tomorrow is not soon enough to cure those living with diabetes.

The DRI has always been and continues to be a strong voice for translational research, ensuring that promising findings in the lab are applied to patients in the fastest, safest and most efficient way possible. This long-standing philosophy drives its collaborative, fast-track approach to advancing cutting-edge disciplines that have a real potential to deliver a cure, like tissue engineering, nanotechnology, immune-modulation, biomaterials, cellular reprogramming, and regenerative medicine, among others. Its singular focus on a cure, along with the integration of technology and medicine, is what makes the DRI unique and distinguishes its research efforts from all others.

Clinical trials – moving exciting DRI research from the laboratory to people living with diabetes – represent a significant step forward in the DRI’s search for a biological cure. It is an exciting time at the DRI, as scientists gear up for four new clinical trials:

  • The DIPIT (Diabetes Islet Preservation Immune Treatment) trial is a multi-combination therapy that will focus on halting immune system attack in new-onset diabetes, preserving islet cell function (cells that produce insulin), and, possibly, allowing the body to regenerate its own islets. This first-ever therapy will combine five different agents that have demonstrated significant benefits for patients when tested previously in combinations of two or three.
     
  • DRI scientists are conducting a trial to test the effectiveness of low doses of Interleuken-2 (IL-2), which is naturally produced by the body, in rebalancing the immune system and preserving insulin function in people with established type 1 diabetes and who are still producing some insulin. Low-doses of IL-2 have already shown benefits in other autoimmune diseases.
     
  • The Intraocular Islet Transplant Trial will test the safety of transplanting islets into the anterior chamber of the eye to try to prevent the immune system from attacking the cells. The eye is one of few selected sites in the body that are “immune privileged” – where an immune reaction is dampened. Researches will learn whether this method can achieve “immune tolerance” just locally in the eye or help retrain the entire immune system.
     
  • DRI researchers hypothesize that treatment with high doses of vitamin D and Omega-3 fatty acids, both of which have known anti-inflammatory properties, may delay or slow the progression of type 1 diabetes, and several scientific reports have suggested this possibility. Pending regulatory approval, DRI researchers will launch a pilot trial to test this combination therapy in children and adults as a safe and cost-effective means of halting the progression of type 1 diabetes and increasing islet function.

It is through these clinical trials that DRI scientists will learn more about this complex disease, with a specific focus on tacking the complex challenges of the immune system. These trials represent the culmination of many years of research, and will bring us one step closer to a cure.

To learn more about the work of the Diabetes Research Institute and Foundation, please visit www.DiabetesResearch.org or contact us at 1-800-321-3437 or info@drif.org.

 

Get Resources and Insights Straight To Your Inbox

Explore More Articles

Productive Partnerships: Supporting Nonprofits Through CSR Initiatives, hosted by NXUnite by Nexus Marketing

Productive Partnerships: Supporting Nonprofits Through CSR Initiatives

October 21, 2024

Join America’s Charities President and CEO, Jim Starr, along with other panelists on October 30, 2024 at 3:00 PM ET for NXUnite’s panel on Productive…

Read Article

Animal Rescue Team and Disaster Response

September 30, 2024

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) Animal Rescue Team (ART) is on call 24/7, ready to deploy whenever animals are caught in large-scale…

Read Article

Domestic Violence Awareness Month: Together We Can End Domestic Abuse

September 24, 2024

The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that 1.3 million women and 835,000 men are victims of physical violence by a partner every year. People who are…

Read Article

Get Resources and Insights Straight To Your Inbox

Receive our monthly/bi-monthly newsletter filled with information about causes, nonprofit impact, and topics important for corporate social responsibility and employee engagement professionals, including disaster response, workplace giving, matching gifts, employee assistance funds, volunteering, scholarship award program management, grantmaking, and other philanthropic initiatives.

newsletter-mock