Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Intl.
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRF) is a charitable organization that funds a lot of pioneering research conducted on type I juvenile diabetes. Currently, there is no cure for diabetes that has been completely effective and patients are expected to live with the disease by managing it through medications and insulin injections. However, the fact remains that juvenile diabetes can cause a lot of complications in almost all areas of the human body, including the eyes, kidneys, heart and amputation too.
The organization aims to find a cure for diabetes and associated complications that plague people who have juvenile diabetes. The emphasis on juvenile diabetes is mainly because of the fact that juvenile diabetes indicates that an individual shall have to live with that issue for many years which increases the chances of complications.
Founded in 1970, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International has already awarded more than 41.5 billion to research in this area. The organization has funded type I juvenile diabetes research in more than 19 countries.
The one main fundraising event that the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International conducts is the 'Walk to Cure Diabetes' This is an event that is conducted in various parts of the country in order to raise awareness about type I juvenile diabetes so that funds can be raised for further research. There is also a premier advocacy event that takes place in Washington D.C. every two years by the JDRF Children Congress. The organization also reaches out to various corporate entities in order to raise funds for specific research.
There are various other initiatives that the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International has taken up. Some of the cure therapies that they are researching include beta cell therapies and immune therapies. There are also some treatment therapies that are being researched and these include glucose control and complications therapies. The Artificial Pancreas Project that was started in 2006 focuses on the development, approval and monitoring of glucose and the use of artificial pancreas technology.
Purpose
The singular mission of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International is to find a cure for diabetes and the associated complications that follow. The charitable, non-profitable organization aims at doing this through detailed research that the organization funds. Since Type I diabetes is a condition that strikes suddenly and requires multiple insulin injections each day for a normal life, it is not a cure but merely a method of managing blood sugar levels.
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International understands the complications and the devastation that high blood sugar levels can cause in the various parts of the body. Some of these complications include the kidney, eyes, heart, amputation and more. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International does not focus only on finding an ultimate cure for diabetes. The organization is aware of the fact that this is something that can take time.
Research in other areas that can help make life easier to manage for those who have juvenile diabetes is also carried out. Towards this goal, products like an insulin pump and others are created. There are also many drugs that have been discovered that help prevent and cure medical conditions associated with diabetes too.
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International believes that they have to lead the way towards finding a cure for type I juvenile diabetes. They have relentlessly worked towards finding talent across all areas in the medical fraternity in order to develop a multi-pronged approach towards making this disease more manageable.
The organization has awarded more than $1.5 billion towards researching this area and is dogged about their commitment to find a solution to this problem that plagues so many. The relentless approach that the scientists and doctors have in the organization is amazing to watch and despite the fact that they have still not found a permanent cure for the condition, they do not give up hope of reaching their ultimate goal.
History
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International was founded about 40 years ago. The organization was created with a single mission in mind and that mission was to find a cure for type I juvenile diabetes and the associated complications that arise from the condition. While a comprehensive cure has not yet been found for the condition, there have been various milestones that the organization has achieved. Today there are better treatment options for those suffering from juvenile diabetes than there were before.
Newer technologies like the insulin pump, continuous glucose monitors and others have been discovered and are being circulated among the public. The doctors at JDRF pioneered a surgical treatment to treat the progression of eye diseases related to diabetes. This technique was called vitrectomy and was first used in the 1970s. In the same decade hormones that could change the effect of insulin in a positive manner were discovered, an understanding of the "tumor angiogenesis factor" was obtained and the test to measure long term blood sugar levels hemoglobin A1c was developed. The last was a great breakthrough because it helped doctors understand the manner in which blood sugar was being controlled.
In the decade of the 1980s JDRF developed genetically engineered insulin for the first time. An experimental insulin pump was also invented. Preventive work in the area of diabetes was possible post an understanding of the relationship between diabetic eye disease and pregnancy. It was also recognized that blood sugar control was the key to managing fetal development.
In the 1990s, a prototype drug, aminoguandine, was discovered to be effective in keeping glucose from blocking blood vessels. This was also the decade when the success rate of pancreatic transplants increased immensely. Islet transplantation became a major priority at this stage. A Human Islet Distribution Program was also established to meet the increasing demand for insulin producing cells. A lot of milestones were achieved in the 2000s too, with clinical trials showing that using a drug called anti-CD3 antibody could hold off the progression of the condition among newly diagnosed patients.
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