JDRF Peel

Dedicated to Finding a Cure

JDRF is the worldwide leader in funding research to cure type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease that strikes children and adults suddenly, but lasts a lifetime. JDRF sets the global agenda for diabetes research, and is the largest charitable funder of, and advocate for, diabetes science worldwide.

JDRF’s mission has been constant since it was founded four decades ago: to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. Until a cure is found, JDRF is also committed to working tirelessly to develop new and better treatments to improve the lives of people who have type 1 diabetes and keep them as healthy as possible.

Today, people with type 1 diabetes rely on insulin to manage the disease. But insulin is not a cure, nor does it prevent the possibility of the disease’s devastating effects, which can include kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, stroke, amputation, and pregnancy complications. JDRF is dedicated to finding a cure for type 1 diabetes and removing the burdens and threats the disease carries.

A Global Leader in Type 1 Diabetes Research

JDRF funding and leadership is associated with most major scientific breakthroughs in type 1 diabetes research to date. The Foundation remains a global leader in driving type 1 diabetes science forward by funding more type 1 diabetes research than any other charity. Internationally, JDRF directed nearly $101 million (U.S.) to such research in FY2009, bringing its total research funding to more than $1.4 billion (U.S.) since its founding in 1970. To ensure it supports science with the greatest potential to produce results as soon as possible, JDRF has established a research review process that involves leading scientists from around the world, as well as lay reviewers who either have type 1 diabetes themselves or have family members with the disease.

Moving Discoveries from Bench to Bedside

JDRF is a leading catalyst for translating research advances into new treatments that can improve the lives of people with diabetes in the near term – and ultimately lead to a cure. In recent years, JDRF has driven a major increase in the number of new drugs and devices being evaluated in human clinical trials, funding more than 40 such trials in FY2009. JDRF has also helped spark new interest in type 1 diabetes science from biotechnology and major pharmaceutical companies; they will be crucial partners in bringing new therapies and cures to market.

JDRF research encompasses multiple areas, with the goal of discovering and developing new drugs and devices to cure, treat, and prevent type 1 diabetes. Areas of focus include developing immune therapies, replacing and regenerating beta cells, achieving tight glucose control, and preventing complications.

Efficiently Organized for Successful Results

JDRF is structured on a business-world model that efficiently and effectively directs resources to research aimed at finding a cure and developing new treatments as soon as possible. Eighty cents of every dollar JDRF expends goes to support research and research related education. Because of its unwavering focus on its mission to find a cure, JDRFI annually receives top rankings from independent sources that rate charitable giving. JDRF leverages its impact by partnering with academic institutions, governments, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, other disease organizations and foundations, and people with type 1 diabetes.

A Backbone of Dedicated and Active Volunteers

JDRFI was founded in 1970, (1974 in Canada), by parents of children with type 1 diabetes. Today, volunteers at JDRFI’s more than 100 locations worldwide remain the driving force behind the Foundation’s success in advancing research toward a cure. Because of their personal connection to type 1 diabetes, JDRF’s volunteers have a passionate and unrelenting commitment to JDRF’s mission.