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The Only Remedy Is a Cure Campaign

Campaign Overview
JDF has a focused mission: to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. Twenty-eight years ago, when JDF began its search for the cure, little was known about diabetes: what caused it; who would get it; why it caused health complications; or how to treat those complications. Research funded and stimulated by JDF has changed that. Our knowledge of the disease has grown enormously:

  • We know that Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease, in which the body attacks itself, destroying the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas.
  • We know there is not one gene, but a combination of genetic traits and environmental triggers which cause the disease.
  • We can predict who is at risk for diabetes and detect its earliest signs.
  • We have scientific proof that tight control of blood sugar reduces complications.
  • We can treat diabetic retinopathy and periodontal disease, reduce the necessity of lower limb amputations, and control high blood pressure to lessen kidney and cardiovascular complications.
  • We can greatly enhance fetal health and birth outcome in women with diabetes.

To achieve our mission, all relevant and promising research and clinical applications must be considered for funding. JDF’s Board believes that to hasten our progress to a cure we must fund a diversified “portfolio” of research focused on:

  • prevention of diabetes in those who are at risk, and of reoccurrence in those who have been cured by transplantation;
  • attainment of normal blood glucose levels through biological and bioelectrical-mechanical means, and
  • the prevention and mitigation of the consequences of diabetes.

During our twenty-eight years JDF has made grants of more than $290 million for diabetes research, and plans to elevate the pace of research further this year with grants totaling over $40 million.

Grant Review Process
JDF’s sponsorship of significant and productive research is not coincidental. JDF has built a system of senior scientist directed research review based upon the careful deliberation of two JDF committees: a Medical Science Review Committee (MSRC) to judge each application on scientific merit; followed by a Lay Review Committee which selects from the MSRC recommendations those projects which seem most likely to help JDF achieve a cure for diabetes and an end to its complications.

Contributors
This rigorous review process has earned the respect and leadership support from several significant corporations including: Becton Dickinson Company, Novo Nordisk, The Coca-Cola Company, Compaq Computer Corp., FIFTY 50 Foods, and Mistic Brands. A number of prominent foundations, as well, rely on JDF to select promising research grants for their ongoing contributions. This enables them to avoid creating a costly internal process to solicit, review, and fund individual research proposals.

Leadership
JDF provides more money for diabetes research than any other non-profit, non-governmental organization in the world. In terms of total dollars awarded to research, JDF now ranks third among all non-profit, non-governmental health organizations in the world. Moreover, JDF ranks first of all major health agencies in the percentage of funds raised that is allocated directly to research. Furthermore, of the private health organizations funding research, the percentage of its revenue JDF spends on fund raising is among the lowest. This unparalleled efficiency reflects the relentless commitment to finding a cure by JDF’s volunteers and supporters.  The December, 1997 issue of Smart Money magazine named JDF as one of the 10 most efficient and trustworthy charities in the United States—and only one of two in the field of health and medicine.

Efficiency
During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1997, JDF’s total support and revenue was $75,083,582. JDF committed $31,491,974 (59%) to its research program of over 350 grants to scientists in 15 countries on four continents, including 29 states in the U.S. and four provinces in Canada; $11,504,082 (21%) for public diabetes education; $2,488,582 (5%) for management and general purposes, and $8,280,119 (15%) for fund raising.

The Only Remedy Is a Cure Campaign
JDF’s success is largely due to The Only Remedy Is a Cure Campaign, an international major gifts initiative begun in 1990. Pioneering the public/private partnership concept in biomedical research, the Campaign has now secured new research dollars from government sources, matching the efforts of individuals, foundations, and corporations. As of August, 1998 more than $181.5 million has been raised toward a $200 million goal.

Partnerships
In 1992, in the single most ambitious enterprise in the history of diabetes research, JDF and its first public partner, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), launched six Diabetes Interdisciplinary Research Programs the first such programs in the world. These research programs team world-class diabetes researchers with scientists specializing in molecular biology, biophysics, genetics, immunology, and other cutting-edge areas of biomedical investigation.

The effectiveness of this partnership (which led to a second JDF/NIDDK partnership in 1994 and a third JDF/NIDDK partnership in 1997), along with JDF’s successful fund-raising efforts, convinced other government entities to join with JDF. To date, JDF has entered into agreements with four of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Medical Research Council of Canada, National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, and the Wallenberg Foundation/Swedish Medical Research Council to develop additional five-year, multi-million dollar interdisciplinary programs that now number 42 worldwide.

The Only Remedy Is a Cure Campaign provides financial stability to researchers which allows for both long term research commitments and rapid exploration of promising new research ideas and strategies. In the near future, JDF-funded research holds the promise for:

  • successful islet transplantation without dangerous systemic immunosuppression;
  • prevention of diabetes in those who are at risk, and of reoccurrence in those who have been cured by transplantation;
  • creation of an early detection system for kidney disease, preventing the need for dialysis and transplantation;
  • “immunization” against diabetes, and
  • clinical application of basic research developments.

Role of Philanthropy
A cure for diabetes will likely be achieved in several stages, and from a combination of sources. It is imperative, therefore, that JDF continue to fund many different areas of basic and clinical research, continue to promote the interdisciplinary approach, and increase the number of senior scientists involved in the task. This is all done through the generous contributions of the JDF Board of Trustees and thousands of volunteers and supporters.

For More Information
For more information on JDF’s The Only Remedy is a Cure Campaign and how you might join in our efforts to fund research for the cure, please contact Mark Monty at 1-800-JDF-CURE or via e-mail at mmonty@jdfcure.org.