Leading researchers from around the world will gather for the annual meeting of the International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes (ISPAD). At this year’s meeting, which will take place from October 18-21 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, more than 45 studies will be presented by Breakthrough T1D researchers, funded now or in the past, working to find cures for type 1 diabetes (T1D) and improve the lives of those living with the condition today. Let’s have a look:
- The first findings from the PROTECT clinical trial, which tested the disease-modifying therapy Tzield™ (teplizumab-mzwv) in children with new-onset T1D. The findings are being presented by Kevan Herold, M.D.— who Breakthrough T1D has supported since the late 1980s. In his research, Dr. Herold showed that he could prevent autoimmune diabetes with an immune-modifying antibody (which, later, became a humanized version, Tzield) and was the lead on the clinical trial that demonstrated that Tzield could delay the onset of T1D in people almost certain to develop the disease. In November 2022, Tzield was approved by the FDA to delay the onset of the disease in at-risk individuals.
- In a joint ISPAD-Breakthrough T1D symposium on global pediatric diabetes development, we will hear from Tom Robinson, who heads the T1D Index, the first-of-its-kind tool that provides the most accurate and comprehensive picture of how many people live with T1D in every country in the world. Joining Tom will be Graham Ogle, MBBS, FRACP, who will discuss the Life for a Child Program, an international aid program that provides life-saving support to children and youth with diabetes in developing countries.
- In a presentation by Line Wisting, Ph.D., we will get an update on the Breakthrough T1D-funded clinical trial testing a virtual eating disorder prevention program for young women with type 1. They have recruited approximately three-quarters of their planned 240, and we will get results on the first 6 months of the study. About two-thirds of young women with T1D develop eating disorders in their lifetimes, so this is a very important and timely topic.
- In a symposium sponsored by Sanofi, we will hear from Breakthrough T1D chief scientific officer Sanjoy Dutta, Ph.D., Thomas Danne, M.D.—who were both Breakthrough T1D postdoctoral fellows when they were at the Joslin Diabetes Center—and Kimber Simmons, M.D., M.S., as they discuss general population screening for T1D and how we can work together to help individuals and their families prepare for and potentially delay this chronic health condition.
Keep up with the latest updates and exciting news from the ISPAD annual conference on Facebook (@myJDRF), X (formerly Twitter) (@JDRF), and LinkedIn, with the hashtags #JDRFxISPAD and #ISPAD2023.
