Newswise — Diabetes is serious business, affecting more than 29 million Americans. And one in every four people with diabetes, is unaware they have it. Dr. Duc Dong of Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) in La Jolla California, does research on both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. He can talk about the difference between the two, the latest research in diabetes, and how one of the scientists in his lab is getting creative and using crowdfunding to try to find a cure.
Here is his video:https://www.diabetesresearchconnection.org/cause-view/replacement-beta-cells-from-an-unexpected-source/
Please contact me if you'd like to speak with Dr. Duc Dong and/or the "crowdfunder" Joseph Lancman, Ph.D.
Thank you!
Kristen CusatoCommunications Manager SBP Office (858) 795-5126Cell (760) 420-7063[email protected] The Science of CrowdfundingDesperate times call for desperate measures; researchers use social media to secure funds for projects La Jolla, Calif., March 21, 2016 – He doesn’t need money to produce an album. He’s not raising funds to start a new business in his hometown. And he’s not asking for cash because he’s a famous rapper who suddenly finds himself “bankrupt”. He is a young scientist who needs money to conduct research aimed to save lives, so he is turning to crowdfunding.Joseph Lancman, Ph.D., is a scientist in Duc Dong Ph.D.’s organogenesis lab at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) in La Jolla. Lancman’s crowdfunding site recently went live on Diabetes Research Connection (DRC), a San Diego based company that created a platform to connect donors directly with early-career scientists. In the next 60 days, Lancman hopes to generate $50,000 for his research project that may provide the scientific breakthrough needed to find a cure for type 1 diabetes. “We recently discovered a way to reprogram cells and change their identity without removing them from the body,” Lancman said. “We believe this breakthrough will have great implications for people with degenerative diseases, like diabetes.” As many as three million Americans have type 1 diabetes. Millions of children and adults struggle with this disease, yet funding has decreased dramatically for research. In fact, the head of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) said last year that young scientists in this country now face the worst funding in 50 years. So, if you are a young scientist with a great idea, where do you go? Alberto Hayek, M.D., co-founder and president of the DRC and world-renowned diabetes expert, says some go away. “Due to the limited funding available, scientists just starting out in their career are forced to leave the field of diabetes and go to fields that have more funding. We are giving scientists the funding needed to test and validate research that departs from conventional thinking,”Hayek said. SBP’s Duc Dong, Ph.D. says his lab heard about DRC from others in the field. “The DRC is committed to funding innovative projects that may not be considered mainstream approaches. The crowdfunding model itself is highly innovative, by making sure that 100% of donations will go directly into specific labs and projects chosen by the individual donors,” Dong said. And it works. Since DRC launched its platform in 2014, six research projects from all over the country have been 100% fully funded. Every dollar of the money raised, goes directly to the scientist. The power to fund projects, has been given to the people. Lancman now has 60 days to make it happen. He needs 5,000 people to donate $10 each in order to reach his goal. He’s excited to be able to continue to work towards a cure for diabetes, and allow people to live full lives, without painful daily insulin injections. Come on, social media.### About Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery InstituteSanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) is an independent nonprofit research organization that blends cutting-edge fundamental research with robust drug discovery to address unmet clinical needs in the areas of cancer, neuroscience, immunity, and metabolic disorders. The Institute invests in talent, technology, and partnerships to accelerate the translation of laboratory discoveries that will have the greatest impact on patients. Recognized for its world-class NCI-designated Cancer Center and the Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics, SBP employs more than 1,100 scientists and staff in San Diego (La Jolla), Calif., and Orlando (Lake Nona), Fla. For more information, visit us at SBPdiscovery.org. The Institute can also be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/SBPdiscovery and on Twitter @SBPdiscovery. About DRC The Diabetes Research Connection (DRC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in San Diego, California. Established in 2012 by five tireless proponents of diabetes research, our mission is to connect donors with early-career scientists enabling them to perform peer-reviewed, novel research designed to prevent and cure type 1 diabetes, minimize its complications and improve the quality of life for those living with the disease. Six projects have been fully funded since 2014 and nearly $250,000 has been raised for new, peer-reviewed diabetes research. For more information please visit, www.diabetesresearchconnection.org, or connect with them on Twitter @DiabetesRsrch or http://www.Facebook.com/ DiabetesResearchConnection.
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