When you participate in the JDRF One Walk you are making an impact in the lives of millions of people living with type 1 diabetes (T1D). JDRF is currently funding 50 clinical trials which is due largely to the money raised through JDRF One Walk.

Help continue this progress by walking & fundraising with JDRF on August 20th! It doesn’t matter how big or small the donation, every dollar makes a difference!

With a JDRF One Walk donation you are helping JDRF create a future where people with T1D won’t need to take insulin for months, possibly years, at a time thanks to a small implant. The picture below is of the ViaCyte VC-01 device that contains islet cells. The cells will be shielded from an autoimmune attack and they will produce and release insulin and other hormones as needed. This type of therapy could liberate people with T1D from the burdens of managing their disease all day, every day.

With a JDRF One Walk donation you are helping JDRF create a future where, thanks to improved insulin formulations and other drugs, staying within ideal blood-glucose range is no longer a struggle. A successful glucose-responsive insulin (GRI) will circulate through the bloodstream, turning on when it’s needed to control blood sugar and turning off when blood sugar starts to go low and would keep tight control over blood sugar, reduce the need for glucose monitoring and probably require fewer doses to maintain control throughout the day.

In 2003, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology chemical engineer founded a company called SmartCells to develop a glucose-responsive insulin. Others were skeptical, but JDRF saw tremendous promise and provided funding to encourage its development. In 2010, our judgment was validated when SmartCells was acquired by Merck, which is now testing the resulting glucose-responsive insulin in clinical trials.

With a JDRF One Walk donation you are helping JDRF create a future where your body produces insulin and T1D is a distant memory. Researchers have already shown that the body has the ability to increase insulin production in women with T1D during pregnancy. Now we’re investigating several promising therapeutic strategies, including drugs that form new beta cells, reprogram other cells in the body to become insulin-producing cells and prevent or reverse the loss of beta cell function.

Our work is not done. Until those with T1D have these in their hand, we still have work to do. 

What can you do today to make a difference?
Register to Walk with us on Saturday, August 20th. 
Make a donation to fund this life-changing research.

For more information on JDRF funded research click here.

Participating in a clinical trial is a great way for people to contribute to the development of new therapies to cure, prevent and treat T1D. Click here to find trials you are eligible to participate in.