Posted by Ellen on October 18, 2002 at 06:01:20:
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Release: Seattle-Area Institutions Present Cutting-Edge Research At Diabetes Symposium
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International Funds Biotechnology and Clinical Research
SEATTLE, Oct. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- A free diabetes symposium sponsored by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRF) will highlight the cutting-edge research of three Seattle-based institutions on Saturday, October 19 at the Volney Richmond Auditorium at Virginia Mason Medical Center.
Renowned researchers from the JDRF Center for Bioinformatics at the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB), the JDRF Center for Translational Research at the Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason, and the JDRF Center for Human Islet Transplantation at Pacific Northwest Research Institute will discuss the progress of their research and participate in a question and answer session moderated by Bill Yeend of KOMO radio.
"We have awarded over $14 Million to these Seattle centers to focus on some of the most crucial and cutting-edge research going on in the field of diabetes today," said Peter Van Etten, President and CEO, JDRF. "Seattle is a hub of diabetes research and biotechnology expertise in the northwest, and this collaborative effort will help to better serve patients with diabetes in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and North-west Canada."
Researchers at the JDRF Center for Bioinformatics at the Institute for Systems Biology are developing an integrated set of instruments and software tools to enable the scientific community to analyze the complex data that diabetes researchers are generating. In essence, the Center will create a type 1 diabetes "super-resource" available to all researchers. By bringing all this data together in one database, the goal is to yield new ways to diagnose, treat and prevent type 1 diabetes.
"JDRF is funding research in many different centers around the world in genetics, gene expression, immunology, gene therapies, drug and transplant trials ... and each of these areas generates its own vast collection of data. Our database will bring some order to this information and help us develop new knowledge about diabetes," stated Leroy Hood, MD, PhD, and President of ISB.
The JDRF Center for Translational Research at the Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason seeks to understand what makes some people, but not others, susceptible to developing type 1 diabetes and determine which genes are linked to the specific ways the immune system goes wrong in someone with the disease. This Center will recruit patients for clinical trials from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and other neighboring states.
"This is an exciting time for patients and families because new interventions are being tried, moving from the laboratory into clinical trials. Understanding and using a combination of genetic and immunologic tools will bring faster progress to these efforts", said Gerald Nepom, MD, PhD, and Director of the Benaroya Research Institute.
The goal of the JDRF Center for Human Islet Transplantation in Seattle is to overcome barriers in the field of islet transplantation (such as the limited supply of islets available for transplantation and using less toxic drugs in the procedures). Under the direction of Dr. R. Paul Robertson, MD, Scientific Director of Pacific Northwest Research Institute, the new Center will involve scientists from six separate research centers: the Pacific Northwest Research Institute, Virginia Mason Hospital and Research Center, Swedish Medical Center, Puget Sound Blood Center, University of Washington, and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
"Our consortium of researchers is excited to be bringing cell-based transplantation to JDRF's Seattle research efforts. We are providing the therapeutic edge to the prevention and cure of diabetes," said Dr. Robertson.
More than one million Americans have type 1 (juvenile) diabetes-a disease which strikes children suddenly, makes them insulin dependent for life, and carries the constant threat of devastating complications. Someone is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes every hour. It can and does strike adults as well. In type 1 diabetes, a person's pancreas produces little or no insulin, a hormone necessary to sustain life. Although the causes are not entirely known, scientists believe the body's own immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. It is not caused by obesity or by eating excessive sugar, which are two common myths about type 1.
JDRF, the world's leading nonprofit, nongovernmental funder of diabetes research, was founded in 1970 by the parents of children with juvenile diabetes-a disease which strikes children suddenly, makes them insulin dependent for life, and carries the constant threat of devastating complications. Since inception, JDRF has provided more than $600 million to diabetes research worldwide. In a typical year, 85 percent of JDRF's expenditures directly support research and education about research. Our mission is constant: to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. For more information, visit our website at http://www.jdrf.org, or call 800-533-CURE.
The Institute for Systems Biology is one of the most visible and innovative research organizations in the world dedicated to systems biology. The Institute was founded by Dr. Leroy Hood, Dr. Ruedi Aebersold and Dr. Alan Aderem in 2000 and has grown to a faculty of nine and a staff of more than 170. Dr. Hood, the Institute's president, led the development of the automated DNA sequencing technology that enabled the Human Genome Project and was among the small group that advocated for the effort in 1985. Director Alan Aderem, a prominent immunologist and cell biologist and pioneer in the study of innate immunity, has provided scientists with fundamental insights into the functioning of the macrophage. Dr. Aebersold, an international expert in analytical protein biochemistry and proteomics, leads a research group at the Institute that is focused on developing new methods and technologies for understanding the structure, function and control of complex biological systems.
Virginia Mason Medical Center, founded in 1920, is a non-profit comprehensive regional healthcare system that combines a primary and specialty care group practice of nearly 400 physicians with a 336-bed acute care Seattle hospital. In addition, Virginia Mason has a world-renowned research center. The Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason conducts approximately 150 clinical studies every year. The studies primarily focus on diabetes, arthritis and immunology, and cancer.
The mission of the Pacific Northwest Research Institute (PNRI) is to prevent and cure cancer and diabetes. PNRI was established in 1956 by Dr. William B. Hutchinson, Sr. as one of the first private non-profit biomedical and clinical research institutes in the Northwest. The Institute sponsors basic science efforts in biochemistry, molecular biology and immunology as they pertain to the clinical areas of cancer and diabetes.
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SOURCE Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International
-0- 10/17/2002
/NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information on the free Diabetes Symposium held on Saturday, October 19th from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the Volney Richmond Auditorium at Virginia Mason Medical Center, please contact JDRF Northwest, 206-838-5153./
/CONTACT: Karen Arthur, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International, +1-206-621-9000, or karthur@jdrf.org; or Gretchen Sorenson, Institute for Systems Biology, +1-206-732-1239, or gsorenson@systemsbiology.org; or Paula Brady VMC, +1-206-341-1651, pbrady@vmresearch.org; or Rich Murphy, PNRI, +1-206-726-1200, rmurphy@pnri.org, all for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International/
/Web site: http://www.jdf.org /
CO: Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International; Institute
for Systems Biology; Virginia Mason Medical Center; Pacific Northwest
Research Institute ST: Washington IN: HEA MTC SU: SVY NPT
JL-BS -- NYTH140 -- 2829 10/17/200212:40 EDThttp://www.prnewswire.com
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