Background & Purpose

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PURPOSE

JDRF aims to accelerate the discovery and translation of therapies to prevent or treat hypoglycemia unawareness in people with T1D as this complication significantly increases the risk of severe hypoglycemia that can lead to seizure, coma, cardiac arrhythmias and increased mortality. To this end, JDRF is soliciting letters of intent for research with the potential to translate into novel therapeutic strategies that will significantly reduce the incidence of hypoglycemia by maintaining or restoring awareness of potentially life-saving hypoglycemia warning symptoms in individuals with T1D.

BACKGROUND

Iatrogenic hypoglycemia is responsible for 4-10% of the mortality rate and is the chief barrier to optimal glucose control in people with T1D. Frequent hypoglycemia has been shown to reduce the glycemic threshold for activation of the counter-regulatory response needed to restore euglycemia during a subsequent hypoglycemic episode (hence, “hypoglycemia begets hypoglycemia”). As a result, some individuals develop hypoglycemia-associated autonomic failure (HAAF) and do not experience and respond to the potentially life-saving warning symptoms, and are at increased risk of seizures, coma and death. It is estimated that up to 25-40% of individuals with T1D have some level of impaired awareness of hypoglycemia. Progress in closed-loop artificial pancreas systems and beta cell replacement therapies hold great promise for the mitigation and ultimate elimination of hypoglycemia. JDRF seeks to complement this progress with novel therapeutic approaches in order to provide the broadest range of treatment alternatives to people with T1D.