Our journey began 30 years ago. Here is a selection of your most significant moments
On 6 November, The Juvenile Diabetes Foundation (UK) was registered as both a charity and company with the Charity Commission and Companies House. We were the third affiliate to be founded - before us were Canada and Australia.
Gary Mabbutt, who has type 1 diabetes, scored for England against Yugoslavia and is later interviewed in our newsletter.
The first ‘second generation’ blood glucose monitoring system became available, with results displayed after 45 seconds but 30% of readings were unreliable.
A mutation in the HLA gene is linked to type 1 diabetes for the first time.
We funded the first study comparing type 1 children and a matched control group. It showed that islet cell antibodies were strongly associated with newly diagnosed type 1, and found that there were a number of other autoantibodies (antibodies against ‘self’ cells) that appeared more frequently among children with type 1 than the control children, while also showing that other factors in addition to islet cell antibodies are necessary for the later development of type 1 diabetes.
Dr John Todd worked with colleagues to collect tissue samples from more than 400 families with children that had type 1 to sequence their DNA, establishing a valuable long-lasting ‘bioresource’.
We helped to create a centre for islet transplantation at Harvard Medical School to work to improve the success and longevity of islet transplants.
Twenty-five supporters took part in the London Marathon and raised £45,000.
We helped establish the Human Islet Distribution Program to meet the demand for beta cells for transplants, and for use in the lab in the investigation of beta cell function and the testing of drugs and therapies.
The supermarket Iceland became a corporate sponsor, taking part in our annual Diary Appeal.
The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT), which we helped to fund, proved that intensive therapy – where participants kept their HbA1c levels as close to normal as possible through frequent monitoring and insulin injections – vastly reduced the risk of complications.
A link was found between hypos and hypoglycaemia unawareness, showing that a high frequency and duration of hypoglycaemic episodes increased risk of hypoglycaemia unawareness. Separate work showed that hypoglycaemia unawareness resulted in up to six times the number of hypoglycaemic episodes in people with type 1..
Dr John Todd was able to discover new genes connected to type 1 diabetes as part of the Human Genome Project, thanks to our funding.
The first EASD/JDRF Oxford Scientific Workshop took place, which focused on insulin-dependent therapy. This was shortly followed by our first Open Meeting, also in Oxford where 100 families attended.
Professor John Todd’s genetics investigations continued with the finding that a variation in a gene responsible for mediating the response of the immune system was implicated in type 1 development. The finding helped further our understanding of why type 1 diabetes clusters in some families.
Bayer launched the first meter which allowed people with type 1 to download glucose readings to a personal computer.
Seven hundred people attended our first 'Walk to Cure Diabetes' in Richmond. It was organised by Board Director Jonathan Haw and raised more than £115,000.
We were accepted as a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC).
A joint JDRF/NASA workshop on Beta Cell Replacement Therapy in type 1 diabetes was held in Washington DC, attended by more than 100 leading research experts.
We established the ‘path to a cure’ strategy, with the aim of channeling the maximum amount of resources into those projects deemed most likely to find a cure for type 1 diabetes, and its complications, in the shortest amount of time.
The first ‘modern’ pump became commercially available.
DAFNE (Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating) courses started to be delivered to help people to estimate the amount of carbohydrate in each meal and inject the right amount of insulin.
Our global research funding budget increased to $40 million.
Professor John Todd received funding to map and identify the genes contributing to type 1 diabetes in families from Finland, the country with the highest incidence of type 1 diabetes in the world.
A 5mm needle was launched by Bayer Diabetes. Needles had become progressively smaller since 1987, when most people with type 1 diabetes used 16mm needles. In 1991, 12mm injection needles became available and in 1993, an 8mm needle was introduced.
Sugar Ray Leonard was appointed International Co-Chairman of Walk to Cure Diabetes and in the UK, Superdrug, Ford and Jaguar became corporate sponsors of the event series. An amazing 2,600 walkers raised over £350,000.
We were awarded a grant of £219,000 by the National Lottery Charities Board, to support funding of a three-year project at the Universities of Aberdeen, Sheffield, London and Leicester to develop a method of generating beta cells in the lab, using genetic engineering.
Yale Medical School scientists identified protein fragments of the insulin molecule as the targets of the aggressive immune cell attack that causes type 1 diabetes.
We succeeded in our ‘Million for the Millenium’ campaign, by surpassing £1 million annual income for the first time (£1,192,885).
Dr James Shapiro published ‘the Edmonton Protocol’, the result of a $5million investment from JDRF. This led to a step change in the success rates of islet transplantation (where islets are isolated from a cadaver pancreas and transplanted into the liver). The Edmonton protocol is still at the heart of the process used for performing islet transplants today.
Walks to Cure Diabetes events across the UK saw 4,000 participants raising £700,000. Those taking part included Gary Mabbutt, Alan Bates, Dolph Lungren, Angharad Rees, Marcia Warren, Nancy Lam and Ricky Tomlinson.
Steve Redgrave, who had recently been diagnosed with diabetes, attended the opening of the £20 million JDRF/Wellcome Trust Diabetes and Inflammation Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, which we joint funded. The aim of the lab is to identify and characterise the effects of genes that increase susceptibility to type 1 diabetes, in the hope of better understanding the early physiological events that lead to the autoimmune response.
We supported the launch of the Immune Tolerance Network, a network of researchers developing methods to regulate the immune system response in a range of autoimmune conditions.
We supported The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) study, following babies at high genetic risk of developing type 1 to understand if environmental factors, such as diet and exposure to infections, could explain why some individuals with these genetic risk factors develop type 1, while others do not.
We began funding a range of projects focused on beta cell regeneration, from research at the University of Leicester to enhance the functionality of beta cells grown from beta cell tissue, to investigations in gene expression to ‘immortalise’ beta cells grown in the lab.
The name of our charity legally changed from JDF to JDRF.
Founder of JDRF in the US, Carol Lurie, became an honorary member of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) for her outstanding contribution to diabetes research.
TrialNet - an international collaboration of researchers looking for ways to prevent, slow and reverse the progression of type 1 diabetes - began. We were a key funding partner in this major initiative, which is still delivering new insights in to type 1 diabetes today.
The European Centre for Beta Cell Therapy was launched, with the goal of researching and developing methods of preserving and regenerating beta cells in people with beta cell loss.
Kathleen Gillespie and Polly Bingley showed the value of epidemiological studies when they published their findings from a study of 1,299 families. Results showed that children with the highest risk gene mutations developed type 1 the earliest, while those developing type 1 later in childhood had lower risk gene mutations. The earlier a child was diagnosed the more likely they were to have a sibling also diagnosed with type 1.
The Human Genome Project identified that variations in the CTLA-4 gene (which is known as a 'molecular brake' for the immune system) increased the risk of type 1 diabetes.
The International Stem Cell Forum was established, with the aim of encouraging and facilitating international collaboration and funding support for stem cell research.
Firefighter Tim Hoy won his campaign to get individual assessments for firefighters with type 1 diabetes. Before this landmark result firefighters with type 1 diabetes were restricted to office work.
Alongside the Medical Research Council, and a number of other organisations, we contributed to a £1.5 million stem cell research centre at the University of Cambridge. The centre was established to enhance understanding of the genetic and cellular mechanisms behind a stem cell’s ability to grow into the range of cells found in different body tissues.
The first UK islet transplantation procedure took place at King's College Hospital in London. The transplant was successful, freeing the recipient of the need for insulin injections for a time. A further eight transplant procedures took place during 2005.
Seven new UK research projects were awarded funding, which meant the UK received 6% of all JDRF funding worldwide.
The Artificial Pancreas Consortium was formed bringing together researchers aiming to automate the delivery of insulin by ‘closing the loop’ between existing pump and sensor technology. The consortium is initially formed of eight research teams including a group led by Dr Roman Hovorka at the University of Cambridge.
Dr Roman Hovorka received funding for the development of a prototype artificial pancreas. The project permits a control algorithm to be tested in a simulated, virtual lab environment before moving on to testing in children and adolescents in a clinical research facility.
We committed an additional £5.18 million to the JDRF/ Wellcome Trust Diabetes and Inflammation Laboratory to support continued investigation of the genetic basis of type 1 diabetes, including the collection of samples from hundreds of families of people with type 1.
The Hoover Foundation picked us from a shortlist of charities and agreed to support our Outreach Programme for two years.
Trinny Woodall and Elizabeth Hurley attended The Cura Ball, which was organised by volunteers Astrid St Aubyn Findlay and Mia Woodford. The event raised almost £100,000 for JDRF and Cancer Research UK.
Dr Roman Hovorka and his team at the University of Cambridge began clinical trials of an artificial pancreas system.
A link between type 1 diabetes and Crohn's disease was found in the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium results.
JDRF-funded researchers identified proteins that may play critical roles in causing blood vessel leakage – one of the physiological changes driving the development of complications of diabetes, such as leakage of retinal blood vessels in the eye, which contributes to the retinal swelling often associated with advanced diabetic retinopathy.
We began work with the UK Diabetes Research Network, an initiative to enable and support more clinical research into diabetes through the NHS, and allow more people to take part in clinical trials.
New NICE guidelines were released, supporting wider adoption of insulin pump technology.
A study into continuous glucose monitors showed their positive impact for the first time.
A genetic link was discovered between type 1 diabetes and coeliac disease.
We invested in a smart insulin project, SmartCells.
Pingu (the loveable penguin from the Antarctic) became our team mascot for the 2008 Flora London Marathon, after being named the face of the organisation in 2007. We had 131 runners taking part, raising £411,000.
Go Blue for World Diabetes Day launched with over 900 monuments across the world lit in blue.
We organised a press conference to launch the new JDRF Centre for Diabetes, Genes, Autoimmunity and Prevention (D-GAP). The event was attended by journalists from the Telegraph, Times, Financial Times and Daily Mail. D-GAP aimed to explore the links between genetic variations that increase risk of diabetes and changes in the immune systems of people with type 1 diabetes to try to uncover ways to prevent type 1 developing in the first place.
As part of a coalition of medical research organisations, including Parkinson’s Disease Society, Wellcome Trust and Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, we supported the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill as it was debated in the House of Commons. The Bill passed successfully.
Children with Diabetes (CwD) chose us as charity partner for the first Friends for Life conference in Windsor.
TrialNet, the international collaboration of researchers looking for ways to prevent, slow down and reverse type 1 diabetes established in 2001, opened recruitment to the Oral Insulin Trial. This trial aimed to stop people at risk of developing type 1 from ever needing to begin insulin treatment by giving tiny oral doses of insulin.
We supported the Islets for Research program to improve researchers’ access to human tissue to explore and validate ideas about islet biology using real human tissue instead of model systems.
Professor John Petrie begins the REMOVAL study, testing whether the drug metformin used alongside insulin can reduce cardiovascular complications arising from type 1 in people at increased risk of these complications.
The NovoPen Echo was the first insulin pen to offer a combination of a memory function and half-unit dosing options, allowing people with type 1 to deliver insulin more accurately than previously possible with a pen.
We produced our first schools pack to help educate teachers about supporting children with type 1 diabetes.
A new audit, commissioned by the Department of Health, revealed 22,500 children under 18 in England and Wales had type 1 diabetes.
Professor Doug Melton's team at Harvard succeeded in taking skin cells from people with type 1 diabetes and turning them into insulin producing beta cells.
Nick Jonas joined 150 young people at the JDRF Children's Congress and met President Barak Obama.
The International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine changed the standard units for HbA1c measurement from % to mmol/mol.
The 1 Campaign was launched in order to raise awareness of type 1 diabetes and give a voice to people with the condition.
Islet transplants became available as a treatment for hypoglycaemia unawareness on the NHS. The UK was the first country in the world to recognise islet transplants as a treatment option, rather than part of a research programme.
Ranizumab (also known as Lucentis), which was developed out of JDRF-funded research launched a treatment for Diabetic Macular Oedema.
DIAMAP, a roadmap for the future of diabetes research in Europe, was launched.
The Wellington Appeal was launched by The Wellington Hospital which aimed to raise £1 million for us and The British Red Cross.
Ford had been supporting us for 12 years, raising almost £250,000 through the Walk to Cure Diabetes programme.
Bob Krause, a supporter from Los Angeles, celebrated his 90th birthday and his 85th diaversary. He was diagnosed just a few years after insulin became available.
NICE guidance covering use of Continuous Glucose Monitoring is released for the first time.
Dr Roman Hovorka published results from a trial of his team’s artificial pancreas system, comparing the artificial pancreas system to pump therapy alone in how it manages to control glucose levels in twelve adults overnight.
We launched our Adult Type 1 Toolkit and a Primary Schools Pack.
We partnered with UK-based biotechnology company KalVista, developing a novel drug to treat diabetic retinopathy.
Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall visited some of our research teams at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, including Professor David Dunger, Dr Tim Tree and Dr Roman Hovorka to discuss their work. Youth Ambassadors George Dove and Amy Wilton were also joined by celebrity supporters Jeremy Irvine and Justin Webb at the event. Shortly after her visit, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall agreed to become our President.
The OmniPod, a tubeless insulin pump, became available in the UK.
We held our first Type 1 Parliament event, which saw 54 MPs and 60 adults and children come together to raise awareness of type 1 diabetes and the need for enhanced research efforts.
We awarded Professor Mark Peakman from King’s College London funding to develop a new immune therapy to treat type 1. The drug, called MonoPepTIDe, is designed to suppress the immune response that causes type 1, while leaving the rest of the immune system unaffected.
We hosted workshops to bring type 1 researchers together and encourage them to apply for European funding. The workshop bore fruit when a group of researchers who attended the meeting were awarded €6 million from the EU ‘FP7’ funding scheme.
The Civil Aviation Authority lifted restrictions for pilots and air traffic controllers with type 1 diabetes. Supporter Douglas Cairns played a huge role in persuading the CAA to look again at old regulations.
The Type 1 Diabetes Research Roadmap was launched in the Houses of Parliament. The Roadmap identified key strengths of type 1 diabetes research in the UK and also highlighted barriers to efficient research progress.
Award-winning actress, Susan Hampshire, became our Vice President.
Professor David Dunger of The University of Cambridge published a paper using data from the AdDIT study that showed a simple urine test could help identify which young people with type 1 diabetes may be at longer term risk of heart and kidney disease.
Theresa May MP attended the first ever Sugarplum Dinner organised by supporter Jubie Wigan.
A research team in Exeter funded by us found evidence that enteroviral infection may play a significant role in the development of type 1 diabetes.
A team led by Professor Polly Bingley found that a person’s age when they are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes could be an important indicator for how likely it is that their siblings will also develop the condition.
HRH The Duchess of Cornwall visited University College London Hospital and Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, meeting with supporters and learning more about our research and community outreach work. Jamie Sutherland was one of the guests at the Ninewells Hospital event. He helped introduce The Duchess of Cornwall to JDRF by writing to her and explaining how type 1 affects his sister and family.
We drove the development of the JDRF/Wellcome Trust Frontiers meeting on the common mechanisms of autoimmune disease. We brought together researchers specialising in different autoimmune conditions to share their knowledge and understand where opportunities for collaborative research outside traditional condition-specific groupings might be especially productive.
Dr Doug Melton grew large numbers of insulin-producing beta cells in the lab from stem cells and gained worldwide media coverage. The advance was heralded as one of the top ten scientific advances of the year. Another JDRF-funded group, led by Timothy Kieffer in Vancouver, also devised a method for generating beta cells from stems cells at high volume.
Dr Roman Hovorka of The University of Cambridge published results from his overnight closed loop artificial pancreas trial in children and young people.
Dr Ricardo Ferreira and Professor John Todd published results of a study into the link between viral infection and type 1 diabetes.
Viacyte, a company that received substantial support in developing an encapsulated islet product, announced that the first person with type 1 diabetes had been implanted with the device.
The Abbot Freestyle Libre was launched in the UK, heralding a new concept in glucose monitoring known as flash glucose monitoring.
The #CountMeIn campaign was launched to encourage the government to increase funding for type 1 research. As part of the campaign, we launched a #CountMeIn petition, which gathered 12,777 signatures.
Chris Pennell became the first rugby player with type 1 diabetes to score a try for the England national team.
We were the beneficiary of a Downton Abbey themed event held at Highclere and hosted by Julian Fellowes and Lady Emma Fellowes
We agreed a partnership with the Medical Research Council to fund a programme of Clinical Research Fellowships in type 1 diabetes.
We supported a parliamentary investigation of diabetes education in the UK. This led to strong recommendations for changing provision of this vital support for people with diabetes.
Emma Watson saluted her mum with type 1 diabetes. The story on our website received nearly 11,000 hits in one single day. In total, this story on the website has been viewed 35,671 times.
Millie's Manifesto was launched, which called on politicians to give a fairer future to people with type 1 diabetes and recognise the impact of living with this condition.
The Art Antiques London Party in the Park was attended by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall and raised just over £500,000.
We became one of the beneficiary charities for the 2015/2016 City of London Lord Mayor’s Appeal and our float took part in the Lord Mayor’s Show.
Prime Minister David Cameron announced a research funding collaboration involving us, the MS Society and Parkinson’s UK, to fund a £3.2 million programme of research partnerships between leading universities across Britain and Israel. The projects were the latest addition to the British Council’s Britain Israel Research and Academic Exchange Partnership (BIRAX).
Jude Law and Bafta award winning actress from The Theory of Everything Felicity Jones gave their support to our #CountMeIn campaign.
Adrian Sanders, former Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Diabetes, became our Vice President
We joined Arthritis Research UK, Medical Research Council and Wellcome Trust to host the Grand Challenges in Autoimmune Diseases workshop, continuing our programme of activity to enable type 1 scientists to engage with and learn from colleagues working on other conditions.
We launched Type 1 Research Today, an overview and analysis of type 1 research funding in the UK, at our Type 1 Catalyst parliamentary event.
We launched our University Toolkit to provide support and information to people with type 1 diabetes who are going to university for the first time.
Professor Doug Melton announced he was able to produce functional beta cells from stem cells, efficiently and in large quantities.
The US FDA granted approval for the Medtronic 670G system, making this the first commercially available system to automatically adjust insulin delivery in order to prevent hypos and hypers.
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Our 30 years of progress is down to our amazing and committed supporters.
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