10
NEWS
£50m donation to cure T1D
There has been an historic £50m investment
from the Steve Morgan Foundation into Type 1
diabetes research.
Steve Morgan, wife Sally and son.
The donation - the largest
ever single gift in the UK
for diabetes research -
will pave the way for the
development of new treatments
for Type 1 diabetes, bringing a cure
closer. Diabetes UK has joined
forces with the Juvenile Diabetes
Research Foundation (JDRF) to
make sure this donation funds the
best scientists and most promising
research projects as part of the Steve
Morgan Foundation Type 1 Diabetes
Grand Challenge.
The Steve Morgan Foundation
(SMF) founder Steve Morgan and his
wife and SMF trustee Sally, are driven
by their personal connection with
the condition as their son Hugo was
diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the
age of seven.
Through the extraordinary and
unparalleled £50m investment from
the Steve Morgan Foundation, the
partnership will fund game-changing
Type 1 diabetes research that will
drive forward the development of
new treatments and cures.
SMF's donation is the largest ever
single gift in the UK for diabetes
research, and this is the first time
that JDRF UK and Diabetes UK have
partnered with a foundation to
deliver research at this scale. SMF
has donated a total of £7m to JDRF
over the last three years, becoming
the biggest single donor in the
charity's history.
Grand challenge
The SMF Type 1 Diabetes Grand
Challenge will focus on three areas
of research, which were decided on
after consultation with world-class
scientists and people with type 1
diabetes. These areas were identified
as carrying the most potential to
improve the lives of people with type
1 and propel us towards a cure:
Treatments to replace or rescue
insulin-making beta cells in the
pancreas
Treatments to stop the immune
system's attack that destroys
insulin-making beta cells
Next generation insulins, such as
those that respond to changing
blood sugar levels
Commenting, JDRF's chief executive
Karen Addington said, "JDRF was
founded on the values and practice
of collaboration, both in the UK and
internationally, and together with
the Steve Morgan Foundation and
Diabetes UK, we will drive research
This unparalleled
investment will
change the course
of Type 1 diabetes
research forever