JDRF awards 23 training grants to advance type 1 diabetes research

NEW YORK, NY — December 12, 2019 — JDRF, the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research, announced that it has committed 23 training grants, totaling more than $8 million in new funds to accelerate T1D research and the next generation of T1D experts, representing 9 states, as well as Australia, France, Canada, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, in partnership with 20 institutions. The grants will provide critical support for the research and training of promising postdoctoral fellows and early-career scientists who are seeking to understand the basic biology of and better treatments for T1D.

The awards include:

• 5 Career Development Awards, which provide five years of support for promising scientists early in their careers to fund groundbreaking research on T1D
• 2 Early-Career Patient-Oriented Diabetes Research Awards, which provide five years of funding for clinician researchers who are doing research while progressing their clinical careers
• 2 Advanced Postdoctoral Fellowships, providing three years of funding to postdoctoral investigators who are transitioning from their fellowship to a faculty position, with an optional one-year supplement, which will serve as a bridge between their fellowship and an independent career
• 14 Postdoctoral Fellowships, which provide three years of funding for young scientists who are bringing creative new insights and perspectives to the T1D research field

“JDRF funds cutting-edge T1D research from exceptional investigators from all over the world,” says Sanjoy Dutta, JDRF Vice President of Research. “This work supports all of JDRF’s research priorities, from prevention to glucose control to beta cell replacement, and will play a critical role in bringing T1D therapies to market faster. JDRF is excited and proud to support such promising scientists and their research, and thus continue to fill the gap in next generation talent.”

With this support, JDRF investigators are shedding light on some of the most important questions in T1D research, including the development of ultra-fast and smart insulins, a better way to enclose the beta cells for transplantation and enhancing immunotherapies using a microscopic material called nanoparticles. Learn more about JDRF’s commitment to improving the lives of those with T1D and finding cures through innovative research here.

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About T1D

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease in which a person’s pancreas stops producing insulin, a hormone that enables people to get energy from food. It occurs when the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, called beta cells. While its causes are not yet entirely understood, scientists believe that both genetic factors and environmental triggers are involved. Its onset has nothing to do with diet or lifestyle. There is nothing you can do to prevent T1D, and–at present–nothing you can do to get rid of it.

About JDRF

JDRF is the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. Our mission is to accelerate life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent and treat T1D and its complications. To accomplish this, JDRF has invested more than $2.2 billion in research funding since our inception. We are an organization built on a grassroots model of people connecting in their local communities, collaborating regionally for efficiency and broader fundraising impact and uniting on a national stage to pool resources, passion and energy. We collaborate with academic institutions, policymakers and corporate and industry partners to develop and deliver a pipeline of innovative therapies to people living with T1D. Our staff and volunteers throughout the United States and our six international affiliates are dedicated to advocacy, community engagement and our vision of a world without T1D. For more information, please visit jdrf.org or follow us on Twitter: @JDRF.