Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Calls on Administration, Congress to Fully Support Critical Research Opportunities

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
Monday, 3 February 2003

During the past five years, Congress, the Administration, and the American people have joined together to support an unprecedented effort to double the budget of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This effort has dramatically strengthened our nation's commitment to pursuing cures for devastating diseases – including juvenile (type 1) diabetes – through biomedical research. However, "the Administration's budget, introduced today, could jeopardize much of what this effort has accomplished and set in motion," said Mary Tyler Moore, International Chairman of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRF).

"After five years of investment in NIH-funded medical research, the Administration's budget request for the NIH would dramatically reduce medical research opportunities in the country and diminish the hope that sustains the millions of Americans who suffer from devastating illnesses," Ms. Moore added.

According to JDRF, one example of the remarkable progress that can be made with a strong federal investment of resources is in the area of pancreatic islet transplantation. This procedure has allowed nearly 200 individuals with juvenile diabetes to no longer require insulin injections. The U.S. is poised to capitalize on this and other groundbreaking research.

Today, however, we took a step backwards, according to JDRF. The Administration released its FY2004 budget request, calling for an increase in NIH funding of just 2 percent. Such an increase would disrupt the dramatic research progress made in juvenile diabetes research. JDRF calls on the Administration to work with Congress this year to provide the NIH with a 10-percent increase, maintain current research, and allow for investments in other extraordinary research opportunities. "I look forward to working with the Administration and Congress this year to ensure that, in the final budget, the NIH receives the full 10-percent increase in funding, ensuring that medical progress — and hope — are sustained," Ms. Moore said.

JDRF, the leading charitable funder and advocate of juvenile (type 1) diabetes research worldwide, 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 in direct funding to diabetes research. The organization's mission is constant: to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. For more information, visit the JDRF web site at www.jdrf.org or call 800-533-CURE.

For more information, or to contact Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, see their website at: www.jdrf.org