Founded | May 28, 1970 [1] |
---|---|
Founder | Lee Ducat, Carol Lurie |
23-1907729 [2] | |
Legal status | 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization [3] |
Location |
|
Method | Research funding, Political advocacy, Education |
Revenue | $224 million [4] (in 2023) |
Website | breakthrought1d |
Formerly called | Juvenile Diabetes Foundation (JDF) 1970 - 2012 Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) 2012 - 2024 [5] |
Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF) is a type 1 diabetes (T1D) research and advocacy organization.
Breakthrough T1D funds research for the development of new therapies and treatments for type 1 diabetes. The organization advocates for federal research funding toward new technologies and treatments and works with regulatory and policy officials to disburse funds. Breakthrough T1D also has partnerships with academia, industry, and clinicians to accelerate research into potential cures for T1D. [6]
The organization has been described as "the leading global organization funding T1D research". [7] [8]
Breakthrough T1D was founded in 1970 by a group of parents of children living with type 1 diabetes. [9] The founding members formed the organization with the intent to find a cure for type 1 diabetes and its complications by supporting research. It adopted what was at the time a novel organizational structure, where non-experts participated in developing research and advocacy policies. [9]
The creation of international affiliates followed:
In 2012, JDF changed its name to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, which was later shortened to JDRF. [16]
In 2019, JDRF International appointed its first-ever CEO and President with Type 1 Diabetes, Dr. Aaron Kowalski. [17]
In 2024, the organization changed its name from JDRF to Breakthrough T1D, reflecting its focus on helping people of all ages and in line with growing awareness that T1D affects people of all ages. [18]
Breakthrough T1D was founded to support and accelerate breakthroughs in medical science to cure, prevent, and treat type 1 diabetes and its complications. These goals are pursued both through scientific research and public advocacy campaigns. [19] [20] [21]
Breakthrough T1D supports two main research objectives:
Breakthrough T1D prioritizes four strategic research areas; autoimmune therapies, cell therapies, prevention of complications, and glucose control. [19]
In 2006, Breakthrough T1D launched the Artificial Pancreas Consortium, allocating $6 million in grants to investigate the benefits of technology controlling blood-glucose levels to accelerate the availability of the artificial pancreas (AP). AP systems integrate three components—a CGM, an insulin pump, and an algorithm— to measure blood sugar, then calculate and administer, or withhold, insulin with minimal user input. [23]
In 2016, the FDA approved the first hybrid closed-loop, or AP, system. [24]
In 2008, Breakthrough T1D funded a clinical trial that demonstrated the efficacy of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) in helping to manage blood sugar, with lower HbA1c levels and reduced rates of severe hypoglycemia. The research confirmed substantial benefits for T1D patients, leading to insurance coverage of CGMs and more widespread use. [25]
In the 1980s, Breakthrough T1D began funding basic research into disease-modifying therapies which can slow, halt, or reverse the progression of a disease. Breakthrough T1D continued research and strategic investments of this kind for decades. [26]
In 2019, Breakthrough T1D, in partnership with the NIH, funded a clinical trial that led to the 2022 FDA approval of teplizumab (Tzield), the first disease-modifying therapy for T1D. [27] [28]
In 2023, Breakthrough T1D raised $224 million; of this, 78% went toward programs including research funding, 15% was spent on fundraising, and 7% was spent on administrative costs. [29] Cumulatively, Breakthrough T1D was funding approximately $568 million in T1D research projects worldwide in 2018. [30]
Breakthrough T1D advocates for federally-funded T1D research, facilitates the delivery of medical advancements and resources to the T1D community, and supports policies that help prevent, manage, and treat T1D, with an aim toward eventual development of a cure.
Breakthrough T1D has advocated for various kinds of research; in a 2004 article in The Wall Street Journal, the authors observed that the Breakthrough T1D "... has become adept at unleashing an army of hard-to-resist lobbyists – made up of determined parents and their afflicted children – on researchers, politicians and potential donors." [33]
Breakthrough T1D has been supporting the "Special Diabetes Program" (SDP) [34] for 25 years. The program, which receives over $150 million in federal funding per year, provides resources and support for T1D research in cooperation with the NIH. [35] Breakthrough T1D works with the U.S. Senate Diabetes Caucus to advocate for continued funding of the program, which also benefits Breakthrough T1D's research efforts. [36]
In response to rising insulin costs and research showing that many people with diabetes are skipping or rationing their insulin, [37] [38] Breakthrough T1D has advocated for insurance companies to provide better health coverage for those living with type 1 diabetes, including making out-of-pocket costs for insulin and other vital diabetes tools more predictable and reasonable. The aim of this advocacy is to ensure people have the freedom to choose treatment strategies that are appropriate for them, and to cover artificial pancreas/automated insulin delivery systems. [39] In response to escalating insulin affordability issues, Breakthrough T1D partnered with nonprofit drug maker Civica to manufacture insulin that will cost $30 a vial, regardless of a patient's insurance provider. Civica insulin is expected to be available to the public in 2025. [40]
Breakthrough T1D also advocates for passage of the INSULIN Act, which caps cost-sharing under private health insurance for a month's supply of selected insulin products at $35 or 25% of a plan's negotiated price (after any price concessions), whichever is less, beginning in 2025. [41]
Breakthrough T1D holds a biennial Children’s Congress, where over 150 children from the U.S. and the world between the ages of 4 and 17 meet with key decision-makers to share their experiences of life with T1D and raise awareness about the condition. [42]
Breakthrough T1D’s Government Day is an annual event where volunteer advocates tell their stories to illustrate the financial, medical, and emotional costs of type 1 diabetes to national leaders in the U.S. and help develop policy responses. [43]
In 2011, the FDA made it a priority to clarify the requirements for approval for such a closed-loop monitoring and drug delivery device for T1D, and announced it was preparing draft guidelines. Breakthrough T1D launched a campaign to influence those guidelines to be lenient. [44] After the first closed-loop device was approved in 2016, Breakthrough T1D lobbied insurance companies to cover it. [45] The campaign also put resources into educating people with diabetes on how to navigate health insurance in the United States, and into lobbying Congress to continue funding diabetes research through the NIH. [45]
The FDA lobbying campaign was part of a gradual realignment of the organization to focus on issues other than helping find a cure for type 1 diabetes, but to help treat and manage the disease. This broadened scope meant that the organization increasingly directed its funds to education and advocacy, along with research funding. [21] This included lobbying insurance companies to pay for CGM devices, educating patients on how to advocate for themselves, and lobbying Congress for more NIH funding. [45]
Breakthrough T1D offers education and resources, in both English and Spanish, for people of all living with T1D. Some of those who receive support are parents who care for children with T1D, children attending school with T1D, pregnant women with T1D, college students with T1D, and adults with T1D. whether it is caring for children with T1D, sending children back to school safely, pregnancy and T1D, living with T1D as an adult, college life and T1D, and support groups. [46]
Breakthrough T1D also arranges community engagement which allows newly diagnosed families to connect with other T1D families for mutual support. [47]
Breakthrough T1D provides care packs containing resources and support for children, teens, and adults with T1D. [48] One well-known care pack is the "Bag of Hope" which contains toys and story books for children recently diagnosed with T1D to help them adjust. [49]
Breakthrough T1D receives funding from numerous private donors, corporations and foundations. Funds also come from events such walkathons, [50] bike rides, [51] and galas. [52]
An insulin pump is a medical device used for the administration of insulin in the treatment of diabetes mellitus, also known as continuous subcutaneous insulin therapy. The device configuration may vary depending on design. A traditional pump includes:
Blood glucose monitoring is the use of a glucose meter for testing the concentration of glucose in the blood (glycemia). Particularly important in diabetes management, a blood glucose test is typically performed by piercing the skin to draw blood, then applying the blood to a chemically active disposable 'test-strip'. The other main option is continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). Different manufacturers use different technology, but most systems measure an electrical characteristic and use this to determine the glucose level in the blood. Skin-prick methods measure capillary blood glucose, whereas CGM correlates interstitial fluid glucose level to blood glucose level. Measurements may occur after fasting or at random nonfasting intervals, each of which informs diagnosis or monitoring in different ways.
Feline diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease in cats whereby either insufficient insulin response or insulin resistance leads to persistently high blood glucose concentrations. Diabetes affects up to 1 in 230 cats, and may be becoming increasingly common. Diabetes is less common in cats than in dogs. The condition is treatable, and if treated properly the cat can experience a normal life expectancy. In cats with type 2 diabetes, prompt effective treatment may lead to diabetic remission, in which the cat no longer needs injected insulin. Untreated, the condition leads to increasingly weak legs in cats and eventually to malnutrition, ketoacidosis and/or dehydration, and death.
Type 1 diabetes (T1D), formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disease that occurs when pancreatic cells are destroyed by the body's immune system. In healthy persons, beta cells produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone required by the body to store and convert blood sugar into energy. T1D results in high blood sugar levels in the body prior to treatment. Common symptoms include frequent urination, increased thirst, increased hunger, weight loss, and other complications. Additional symptoms may include blurry vision, tiredness, and slow wound healing. While some cases take longer, symptoms usually appear within weeks or a few months.
The main goal of diabetes management is to keep blood glucose (BG) levels as normal as possible. If diabetes is not well controlled, further challenges to health may occur. People with diabetes can measure blood sugar by various methods, such as with a BG meter or a continuous glucose monitor, which monitors over several days. Glucose can also be measured by analysis of a routine blood sample. Usually, people are recommended to control diet, exercise, and maintain a healthy weight, although some people may need medications to control their blood sugar levels. Other goals of diabetes management are to prevent or treat complications that can result from the disease itself and from its treatment.
Inhalable insulin is a powdered form of insulin, delivered with an inhaler into the lungs where it is absorbed. In general, inhaled insulins have been more rapidly absorbed than subcutaneous injected insulin, with faster peak concentration in serum and more rapid metabolism.
Automated insulin delivery systems are automated systems designed to assist people with insulin-requiring diabetes, by automatically adjusting insulin delivery in response to blood glucose levels. Currently available systems can only deliver a single hormone—insulin. Other systems currently in development aim to improve on current systems by adding one or more additional hormones that can be delivered as needed, providing something closer to the endocrine functionality of the pancreas.
Diabetes Management Software refers to software tools that run on personal computers and personal digital assistants to help persons with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes manage the data associated with:
The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young is a longitudinal study examining the environmental causes of Type 1 diabetes (T1D), formerly known as juvenile diabetes. The study follows children at high genetic risk for T1D from birth to 15 years of age.
Teplizumab, sold under the brand name Tzield, is a humanized anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody that is the first approved treatment indicated to delay the onset of stage 3 type 1 diabetes (T1D) in people with stage 2 T1D.
MiniMed Paradigm is a series of insulin pumps manufactured by Medtronic for patients with diabetes mellitus. The pump operates with a single AAA battery and uses a piston-plunger pump to infuse a programmed amount of insulin into the patient through a length of tubing. The Paradigm uses a one-way wireless radio frequency link to receive blood sugar measurements from select glucose meters. The Paradigm RT series adds the ability to receive data from a mated continuous blood-glucose monitor. Although the pump can use these measurements to assist in calculating a dose of insulin, no actual change in insulin delivery occurs without manual user-intervention.
DexCom, Inc. is a company that develops, manufactures, produces, and distributes continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems for diabetes management. It operates internationally with headquarters in San Diego, California, and has manufacturing facilities in Mesa, Arizona, Batu Kawan, Malaysia and Athenry, Ireland.
Mark Atkinson is an American medical researcher best known for his contributions to research seeking to predict, prevent, and cure type 1 diabetes. He is the author of over 600 publications and is one of the world's most cited diabetes researchers.
Bruce Bode, MD, FACE is a diabetes specialist with the Atlanta Diabetes Associates in Atlanta, GA and is a clinical associate professor at Emory University in the Department of Medicine. He has served on the board of directors of the Atlanta chapters of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), the American Diabetes Association (ADA), and various Georgia-based diabetes camps. Bode is a member of the board of directors of Glytec and an active member of the JDRF research team validating the efficacy and safety of real-time continuous glucose monitoring (CGMS), and is a former president of the ADA Georgia Affiliate and editor of the ADA's 2004 edition of Medical Management of Type 1 Diabetes.
International Diabetes Center at Park Nicollet (IDC) is a center for diabetes care, research and education located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The center provides clinical, motivational and educational services for people with diabetes. It is part of HealthPartners Institute.
Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc. is an American medical device manufacturer based in San Diego, California. The company develops medical technologies for the treatment of diabetes and specifically insulin infusion therapy.
Bigfoot Biomedical Inc. is a medical technology start-up headquartered in Milpitas, California, founded by a team of people with personal connections to type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
The Juvenile Diabetes Cure Alliance (JDCA) is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to developing a "Practical Cure" for type 1 diabetes. The organization advocates for increasing type 1 diabetes cure research and publishes reports on a variety of related topics, including research progress, fundraising utilization, and donor priorities. Established in 2010, the organization’s home office is in New York City and it focuses primarily on activity within the United States.
A continuous glucose monitor (CGM) is a device used for monitoring blood glucose on a continual basis instead of monitoring glucose levels periodically by drawing a drop of blood from a finger. This is known as continuous glucose monitoring. CGMs are used by people who treat their diabetes with insulin, for example people with type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, or other types of diabetes, such as gestational diabetes.
William V. Tamborlane has been Professor and Chief of Pediatric Endocrinology at Yale School of Medicine since 1986.