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Research Pathways
JDRF's clearly defined and complementary research pathways are structured to take us most quickly towards a cure for type 1 diabetes. The focus is on two main areas: Cure Therapies and Treatment Therapies.
Get the latest on research progress by going to the research news section of our website.
Cure Therapies
Beta Cell Therapies
Beta Cell Therapies focus on identifying ways to either trigger the body to grow new insulin-producing cells or to directly replace them using cells from outside the body.
Once the autoimmune attack has been turned off, the next step towards a cure for type 1 diabetes is to replace the insulin-producing cells that have been lost - either by making them from the remaining healthy cells in the pancreas (regeneration) or by processing them from different sources in a laboratory and putting them into the body (replacement).
JDRF is funding this entire spectrum of research activities - from identifying the building blocks of pancreas development to creating better surgical techniques for cellular transplantation.
Immune Therapies
Immune Therapies aim to prevent, stop and reverse the autoimmune process that kills off the insulin-producing beta cells and causes the onset of type 1 diabetes.
This therapeutic area addresses the body's complete immune system response as well as the genetic and environmental basis of the disease. JDRF is committed to delivering immune therapies to people at all stages of type 1 diabetes; preventing the onset of the disease in people at risk, delaying the need to take insulin and optimising glucose control in the newly diagnosed and stopping the recurrence of the disease in people with established disease who have undergone therapy to replace beta cell function.
Treatment Therapies
Glucose Control
Research into Glucose Control aims to dramatically improve the short and long term control of blood sugars while avoiding dangerous highs and lows.
Good blood glucose control is important to improving the chances of ongoing good health. The Glucose Control pathway aims to develop approaches for restoring optimal blood glucose control for people at all stages of type 1 diabetes. This includes the development of an artificial pancreas - a closed loop system that continually monitors blood glucose levels and automatically responds with an appropriate dose of insulin - as well as improvements in insulin delivery, glucose monitoring and day-to-day diabetes management regimens.
Complications Therapies
Complications Therapies aim to free people from diabetes-related complications affecting the eyes, nerves, kidneys and blood vessels, which are devastating to health and wellbeing and create an enormous personal and economic burden.
The past two years have seen dramatic changes in scientific thinking about how the complications of diabetes occur and JDRF researchers have pioneered much of this exciting new research. The advances generated by JDRF research in this area - in particular new technology, earlier diagnosis and improved treatment - have already had a significant effect on the overall health of people with type 1 diabetes. This fact was highlighted by data from the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial showing that health complications are decreasing in people who intensively manage their condition. With the incidence of type 1 diabetes increasing, particularly in children, more work is urgently needed.
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