New York, October 5, 2020—JDRF supported researchers showcased advances in type 1 diabetes (T1D) research shared at this year’s 56^th European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting.

The virtual event, which took place in late September, brought together more than 20,000 attendees from across the world and included more than 1,200 talks and presentations on the latest results in diabetes research by leading experts in the field.

“This was an amazing year for progress in type 1 diabetes research, both for curing the disease and improving the lives of those affected by it,” said Sanjoy Dutta, Ph.D., JDRF Vice President of Research. “This is a pivotal time for type 1 diabetes research, and we are excited about the strides being made.”

This year’s annual meeting featured more than 40 studies presented JDRF researchers, funded now or in the past. Highlights included:

• Artificial Pancreas Technologies: In a debate on open source versus commercial closed-loop systems, Dana Lewis and Henk-Jan Aanstoot, M.D., Ph.D., both of whom are JDRF funded, emphasized that open source and commercial systems are not mutually exclusive.
• Standardizing Clinical Trials: INNODIA (INNOvative DIAbetes)—a European public-private partnership, funded, in part, by JDRF—has developed a Master Protocol, in order to facilitate clinical trials and accelerate the testing of multiple drugs for T1D, either alone or in combinations.
• Advice for Beta Cell Replacement Therapy: JDRF-funded Eelco de Koning, M.D., Ph.D., provided an overview of research into stem cell-derived beta cells for islet transplantation, paying attention to the promises and pitfalls of cell delivery devices in development.
• COVID and T1D: In England, people with T1D had higher odds—3-fold—of in-hospital COVID-19-related death compared to people without diabetes, but Catarina Limbert, M.D., Ph.D., emphasized that this applies to a narrow part of the population: you have to be above 50, have had T1D for more than 20 years, have had an HbA1c of more than 10 percent and have a high prevalence of co-morbidities.

About JDRF

JDRF’s mission is to accelerate life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent and treat T1D and its complications. To accomplish this, JDRF has invested more than $2.5 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 five 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