Diabetes Research Institute Honors World Diabetes Day

Makes Promise to Cure Millions Living with Diabetes

MIAMI, Nov. 12, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Diabetes Research Institute is joining the International Diabetes Federation, the United Nations and millions of concerned people around the world this Sunday, November 14, 2010, to recognize World Diabetes Day, the primary global awareness campaign for diabetes.  

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20101112/DC00803)

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101112/DC00803)

This year's World Diabetes Day theme, Let's Take Control of Diabetes. Now., focuses on diabetes education and prevention, urging all people in the diabetes community, from patients to healthcare providers to governments, to understand diabetes and take control of the disease.

While optimal management, education and prevention are critical components of diabetes care, the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI), a recognized world leader in cure-focused research, is going beyond this year's theme by promising to cure the millions of children and adults worldwide now living with diabetes. That message is particularly appropriate for World Diabetes Day, as global scientific collaboration is the cornerstone of the Diabetes Research Institute's research philosophy.  

"The Diabetes Research Institute and its worldwide Federation of collaborative centers are fully committed to finding a cure in the fastest and most efficient way possible. We will cure diabetes. This is not a prediction. It's our promise," says Dr. Camillo Ricordi, DRI scientific director, together with the Institute's faculty and staff in a special video message honoring World Diabetes Day. The video can be viewed at

www.DiabetesResearch.org/WorldDiabetesDay2010 or at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn1yqyHkzcY

The Diabetes Research Institute has changed the international research paradigm by embracing an open-door mindset, stressing that collaboration, rather than competition, leads to greater discoveries for people suffering with diabetes as well as a host of other diseases. As a testament to this collaborative commitment, the DRI established in 2006 the Diabetes Research Institute Federation, a formal, global alliance of researchers on every continent focused on curing diabetes as quickly as possible. An extension of the Diabetes Research Institute's patient-centered strategy, the DRI Federation is helping to accelerate progress by eliminating regulatory, financial, institutional and political obstacles that may exist at any one center in a given country.

"The DRI Federation has already resulted in hundreds of transplants and pilot trials taking place in both Asia and South America that could not have been completed  in the same time frame in the United States," says Dr. Ricordi in a video research update on the DRI's website at www.DiabetesResearch.org/Diabetes2_0 . "When you have patients dying every five seconds, it is criminal to not use every resource available regardless of location. Going global is essential to fast tracking research for a cure."

Those who want to help put an end to diabetes, can be part of the cure - literally - by participating in the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation's online campaign at www.BePartoftheCure.org. The centerpiece of the campaign, which runs from November 1 - December 31, 2010, is a virtual mosaic that spells the word C-U-R-E, populated by the images of those affected by diabetes. With a minimum $10.00 donation, participants can upload a photo of their choice and submit a short story about how diabetes touches their life. The campaign sponsors, Animas and LifeScan, will match the first $25,000 in donations.

Diabetes currently affects more than 300 million people worldwide. A further 350 million are at high risk of developing diabetes and it is predicted that by 2030, close to half a billion people will live with diabetes worldwide. In December of 2006, the United Nations passed a landmark Resolution recognizing diabetes as a chronic, debilitating and costly disease. The Resolution designates World Diabetes Day as a United Nations Day to be observed every year starting in 2007.  The discovery of a universal cure for diabetes will save billions of dollars and, much more importantly, spare millions of people from immeasurable pain and suffering.

About the Diabetes Research Institute

The Diabetes Research Institute, a center of excellence at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, is a recognized world leader in cure-focused research. Since its inception in the early 1970s, the DRI has made significant contributions to the field of diabetes research, pioneering many of the techniques used in islet transplantation. The DRI is now bridging cell-based therapies with emerging technologies to restore insulin production. For the millions of families already affected by diabetes who are looking to the world of science for answers, the Diabetes Research Institute is the best hope for a cure. To learn more, visit www.DiabetesResearch.org or call 800-321-3437.

SOURCE Diabetes Research Institute Foundation