Singapore, Oct 3, 2007: The promise of research utilizing adult and embryonic stem cells is broader than most might think, including not only the longer-term prospects of cell-based therapies, but also opportunities to understand development and test therapeutics for multiple diseases, including diabetes, according to Mr Arnold W Donald, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), the largest charitable funder and advocate of type 1 diabetes research in the world.

 

Making his remarks at a panel on stem cells and diabetes at The Stem Cell Summit, Mr Donald said, "JDRF's focus is on filling gaps in the scientific and drug development process, gaps that once filled could accelerate the pace of science leading to a cure for type 1 diabetes and its complications. To that end, our objective is to progress research from academic settings to clinical trials and into marketable drugs and therapeutics." 

 

"The embryonic stem cell field is obviously in its infancy, and there is so much still unknown. We recognize that basic research is a necessary precursor for the development of cell-based and other therapies. Therefore some of our most valuable contributions are to help researchers have access to the scientific resources they need to move the ball forward. While cell-based therapeutics are, realistically, a long way off, they hold the promise of transformational change in diabetes therapy. But equally exciting is that stem cell science holds excellent promise as a tool for research for understanding normal and abnormal development, and for testing therapeutics for multiple diseases including diabetes, said Mr Donald.

 

In the last five years, JDRF has funded more than $40 million in research utilizing adult and embryonic stem cells in the US and around the world. JDRF committed funds early on for the derivation of new stem cell lines, and last year spent about $3 million on research utilizing embryonic stem cells and about $1.6 million on adult stem cells. In total, JDRF funded some $137 million in science last year aimed at developing cures and therapeutics for type 1 diabetes and its complications.

 

Since inception in 1970, JDRF has provided more than $1.16 billion to diabetes research worldwide. More than 85 percent of JDRF's expenditures directly support research and research-related education. JDRF has recently developed a number of initiatives to support new programs in research, including science utilizing stem cells, in order to attract new scientific talent to the field and stimulate creative thinking about diabetes research.