Happy Monday everyone! I hope that you had a great weekend. The JDCA posts on Mondays over at the T1 Diabetes Cure Global Headquarters (a great resource for staying up to date on cure progress as well as joining the cure discussion). This Monday I wrote about the difference between a Practical Cure vs. an Idealized Cure. This is one of the JDCA’s founding beliefs so I thought it deserved a reiteration on the JDCA2025 blog. As we gear up for a more rapid release of reports (we’ve welcomed a few new faces to the JDCA team) I thought that it was a good idea to revisit the JDCA’s definition of a Practical Cure and Idealized Cure. Enjoy!
A term that the JDCA uses in almost all of our reports is “Practical Cure.” This is a term that we have specifically defined and is an integral part of our mission and strategy.
So what exactly is a Practical Cure?
The JDCA is guided by its mission to cure type 1 diabetes by 2025. To provide a framework for this mission, the JDCA’s definition for a cure is as follows:
• For at least 1 year, a cure must:
• Not require blood glucose monitoring beyond once a week
• Not require carb counting
• Not restrict a patient’s diet
• Allow patients to sleep care free
• Keep A1c levels between 6-7
• A cure must be delivered through a treatment that:
• If it is surgical, requires a full recovery of less than 72 hours
• If it is pharmacological, requires no more than a reasonable pill and/or injection regimen
• A cure, which may include a drug regimen, must not have side effects or pose longer term risks greater than current complications of type 1
The JDCA developed their definition of a Practical Cure after receiving input from the type 1 community regarding what is important to them. A Practical Cure does not return a person to a state as if they never had type 1 diabetes, but instead achieves a cure-like lifestyle. A Practical Cure would free type 1 diabetics from many of the routine and psychological burdens of the disease. It would allow type 1 diabetics and their loved ones to not constantly worry and minor their blood glucose, especially overnight.
Important Conclusion 1: A Practical Cure, as defined by the JDCA, outlines a specified goal for research to work towards in order to accelerate the development of a tangible, cure-like lifestyle for people now living with type 1 diabetes.
JDCA advocates the concept of a Practical Cure versus an Idealized Cure.
As stated above, a Practical Cure does not return the patient to a state as if he or she did not have diabetes. The JDCA defines an Idealized Cure as the complete absence of type 1 diabetes. While eradicating type 1 would be the optimal outcome of cure efforts, we believe this result is extremely unlikely in a time frame that is relevant to current type 1 diabetics and donors.
The JDCA classifies projects that are exploratory or theoretical in nature, do not have a precise definition or cure oriented goal and/or do not have immediate or practical applicability as Idealized Cure research.
The JDCA believes that Idealized Cure research diverts resources from Practical Cure efforts with the hope that a cure may be developed as an incidental outcome or by-product of those idealized initiatives.
Important Conclusion 2: The JDCA distinguishes between a Practical Cure and an Idealized Cure. A Practical Cure is a defined outcome that provides focus and accountability in research. Idealized Cure research rationalizes a substantial amount of funding as cure related when it would be practically judged idealized and exploratory by most donor’s standards.
Many cure projects, in addition to not having a relevant and stated timeline, are structured in a way that requires a combination of different research studies to potentially result in a cure. This means that a combination of therapies or treatments is needed to achieve a cure result, which prolongs the timeframe of a cure. The interdependence of one research project with another adds significant time to the whole effort such that the potential realization of a cure is beyond the horizon of current donors.
Important Conclusion 3: The JDCA believes that research initiatives that rely on a combination of studies to develop a cure are not Practical Cure research. We believe that donors who contribute for a cure prefer to see that result delivered in a time frame that will make a real difference to them and current type 1 diabetics, rather than several generations from now.
The JDCA is a unique nonprofit with a singular mission and goal- to focus donor contributions toward research opportunities that seek to achieve a practical cure for type 1 diabetes by 2025. We are working to achieve this mission by empowering donors and providing independent analysis and research of the diabetes charitable organizations.
We have a stated definition of a type 1 diabetes cure and focused strategy in order to accomplish our goal and be the voice of the donor contributing for a cure. Although it may seem like a very precise and definitive perspective, we believe that specificity and focus are needed to accelerate the development of a cure and deliver progress to people who are now donating their time and money and want to see a cure for their loved one(s).
For a more in depth discussion of a Practical Cure vs. Idealized Cure, please see our report “A Practical Cure vs. an Idealized Cure For Type 1”.
Stay tuned for our upcoming reports!
Cara
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