JDRF Funding Research for a Cure

In the US, we are starting the "Walking Season" when JDRF asks us to walk to raise money for cure. So I'd like to do my part, by reminding you all how important JDRF is to the human trials of potential cures for type-1 diabetes, which I track.

Let me give you the punch line up front: 69% of the treatments currently in human trials have been funded by JDRF. (And the number is 86% for the later phase trials!) This is an amazing impact; one that any non-profit should be proud of.

Cures in Phase-III Human Trials
Summary: there are 4, and all of the treatments have been funded by JDRF.

• GAD65 (several different studies)
• TolerRx's CD3 (several different studies)
• MacroGenics's CD3 (several different studies)
• DiaPep227

Cures in Phase-II Human Trials
Summary: there are 10, and 8 of them have been funded by JDRF, either directly or indirectly through ITN. Here are the treatments that have been funded by JDRF:

• MMF/DZG by Skyler
• PROCHYMAL by Osiris Therapeutics
  
• Rituximab by Pescovitz at Indiana
  
• Thymoglobulin (also known as ATG) by Gitelman
  
• Abatacept by Orban at Joslin Diabetes Center
• Umbilical Cord Blood Infusion by Haller at University of Florida
• Exsulin (previously INGAP) by Exsulin
  
• Kineret / Anakinra by Mandrup-Poulsen at Steno Diabetes Center

Not funded by JDRF:

• Atorvastatin (Lipitor) by Willi at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
  
• Brod at University of Texas-Health Science Center

Cures in Phase-I Human Trials
Summary: there are 12, and 6 of the are funded by JDRF and 6 are not. Here is the list funded by JDRF:

• BHT 3021 by Bayhill Theraputics
  
• Trucco at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
  
• IBC-VS01 by Orban at Joslin Diabetes Center
  
• CGSF by Haller at University of Florida [*]
• Proleukin and Rapamune by Greenbaum at Benaroya Research Institute
  
• Lisofylline by DiaKine
  

Not funded by JDRF:

• ATG and autotransplant by Burt at University of Sao Paulo
• Diabecell by Living Cell Technologies
• NI-0401 by NovImmune
  
• Etanercept (ENBREL) by Quattrin at University at Buffalo School of Medicine
• CGSF and autotransplant by Esmatjes at Hospital Clinic of Barcelona [*]
• Pioglitazone by Wilson at Stony Brook [*]

The studies marked with a [*] are ones which I have not yet blogged about, but hope to in the next few weeks, as I work through my backlog. This summary does not include Artificial Pancreas research, which I will discuss more in a future posting.

Summary of all Trials
26 in total
8 not funded by JDRF
So 68% of the human trials currently underway are funded (either directly or indirectly) by JDRF. Everyone who donates to JDRF should be proud of this huge impact; and everyone who works for JDRF or volunteers for it, should be doubly proud.

It is important to remember, however, that although there are four treatments in Phase-III trials, we are not close to a cure for established type-1 diabetes. All of the clinical trials in Phase-III and Phase-II are targeted at honeymoon type-1 diabetes; none at established cases. Even with that restriction. None of the treatments in Phase-III trials resulted in cures during their Phase-II trials. They all extended or increased the honeymoon phase in some way.

We have a long way to go, and that is where JDRF comes in.

Compared to Last Year

In 2008 there were 3 treatments in Phase-III trials, in 2009 there are 4 (growth of 33%).
In 2008 there were 5 treatments in Phase-II trials, in 2009 there are 10 (growth of 100%).
In 2008 there were 10 treatments in Phase-I trials, in 2009 there are 12 (growth of 20%).

I do think that a little of this "growth" is because I have gotten better at finding clinical trials, so last year I missed some trials which I'm not missing this year. But I also think that most of the growth is real. There really are more clinical trials going on now.

Discussion

• I give an organization credit for funding a cure if it funded that cure at any point in it's development cycle.
• I use the term "US Gov" for all the different branches and organizations within the United States of America's federal govenment (so includes NIDDK, NIAID, NICHD, etc.)
• The ITN (Immune Tolerance Network) has JDRF as a major funder, so I count ITN as indirect JDRF funding.
• I have made no attempt to find out how much funding different organizations gave to different research. This would be next to impossible for long research programs, anyway.
• Funding of research is not my primary interest, so I don't spend a lot of time tracking down details in this area. I might be wrong on details.
  
• I don't work for the US Gov, JDRF, or any of the other organizations discussed here. I'm not a member of JDRF or any of the other organizations discussed here. I do own stock in several of the companies discussed here.

This is an update and extension to a blog posting I made last year:
http://cureresearch4type1diabetes.blogspot.com/2008/10/jdrf-funding-of-cure-research-phases-ii.html

Joshua Levy