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Contact:
William Ahearn, (212) 479-7531, wahearn@jdrf.org
Joana Casas, (212) 479-7560, mcasas@jdrf.org
New York, NY, November 5, 2009 -- JDRF, the leader in research leading to better treatments and a cure for type 1 diabetes in the world, announced today that it has named Aaron Kowalski, PhD, as Assistant Vice President and director of Glucose Control research at the foundation.
One of the four key areas of research that JDRF pursues, Glucose Control includes the foundation's groundbreaking Artificial Pancreas Project -- a multi-dimensional project to speed the development of integrated systems to monitor blood sugar and automatically deliver the precise amount of insulin necessary -- as well as research focused on both non-device-oriented methods of managing blood sugar and on reducing dangerous low blood sugar emergencies called hypoglycemia.
"In his five years with JDRF, Dr. Kowalski has helped lead the creation of one of the most fast-paced, well known, and hope-inspiring projects in JDRF's history," said Alan Lewis, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of JDRF. "Through the APP, JDRF has become the go-to organization for continuous glucose monitoring and artificial pancreas research, and is truly driving progress in this field to benefit people with diabetes in the near-term."
Dr. Kowalski joined JDRF's Research Department in 2004 in the area of Complications, with an academic background in molecular biology. He soon became involved with research related to hypoglycemia, and was appointed head of JDRF's research involving metabolic control. In 2006, he was the lead JDRF research staff member responsible for launching the Artificial Pancreas Project.
In just the three years since its inception, JDRF's Artificial Pancreas Project has taken significant steps towards the development of automated systems to help people with type 1 diabetes manage their disease. It has produced groundbreaking research showing the benefits of continuous glucose monitors in improving diabetes control and lowering the risk of devastating complications. It has created an Artificial Pancreas Consortium, a group of university-based mathematicians, engineers, and diabetes experts that have developed the computer programs needed for an artificial pancreas, and established their scientific feasibility. And the goal of an artificial pancreas has also been embraced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which along with JDRF and NIH, brought together scientists, regulators, industry, and patients for scientific workshops on the subject in 2005 and 2008; the FDA has designated an artificial pancreas as one of its "critical path" initiatives.
Dr. Lewis also noted that Dr. Kowalski's efforts have enabled significant new fundraising opportunities for JDRF, as the potential products, systems, and technologies developed as a result of glucose control-related research equally resonate with adults who have been living with type 1 diabetes and parents of children who have been newly diagnosed and are struggling with adjusting to living with the disease.
Before joining JDRF, Dr. Kowalski completed his graduate studies at Rutgers University. He earned an undergraduate degree in Biology and received his PhD in microbiology and molecular genetics from Rutgers University and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
About JDRF
JDRF is a leader in setting the agenda for diabetes research worldwide, and is the largest charitable funder and advocate of type 1 research. The mission of JDRF is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. Type 1 diabetes is a disease which strikes children and adults suddenly and requires multiple injections of insulin daily or a continuous infusion of insulin through a pump. Insulin, however, is not a cure for diabetes, nor does it prevent its eventual and devastating complications which may include kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, stroke, and amputation.
Since its founding in 1970 by parents of children with type 1 diabetes, JDRF has awarded more than $1.3 billion to diabetes research, including more than $156 million in FY2008. In FY2008 the Foundation funded more than 1,000 centers, grants and fellowships in 22 countries.
