JDRF New England Chapter Blog

JDRF New England Chapter's 12th Annual Spring Research Briefing

2011-04-11T08:02:00.000-04:00

JDRF's 12th Annual Spring Research Briefing was held on Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at the Sheraton Needham Hotel. The information we shared that night was an inspiration and surely proof that our quest for a cure is closer to reality than ever.

We heard from two excellent presenters: Dr. Julia Greenstein, Assistant Vice President of Cure Therapies at JDRF International, and Dr. Mark Atkinson, American Diabetes Association Eminent Scholar at the University of Florida. Dr. Greenstein provided an update on JDRF’s mission and research goals and our commitment to improve the lives of all people with type 1 diabetes today and tomorrow. Dr. Atkinson spoke about the myths that surround the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes and introduced nPOD, a Network for Pancreatic Organ Donors with Diabetes, which will help address key questions related to how type 1 diabetes develops.

Following you will find video and slides of the evening’s presentations, as well as video of the question and answer session with our presenters and moderator Marie Schiller of Health Advances, and closing remarks by Gary Savage, JDRF New England Chapter – Bay State Branch Board President. A special thank you to Bentley University students Linh Nguyen, Christiana Pulice, Chace Stewart, and Jillian Weiss, and to their professor Mark Frydenberg, for making this possible!

Julia L. Greenstein, Ph.D. is currently the Assistant Vice President for Cure Therapies at JDRF. The Cure Therapies group consists of the Beta Cell Therapies (replacing or regenerating the cells that produce insulin) and Immune Therapies (reversing or preventing the immune system attack) portfolio at JDRF. She has over 20 years of experience in the corporate biotechnology arena. She was the Chief Executive Officer and President of Immerge BioTherapeutics, Inc., a Novartis Pharma/BioTransplant joint venture, focused on the development of pig xenotransplantation for clinical practice. Prior to that, she has held the roles Chief Scientific Officer and Senior Vice President of Research at BioTransplant Incorporated and Vice President of Discovery Research at ImmuLogic Pharmaceutical Corp. Dr. Greenstein serves on the Board of Directors of the MGH Institute of Health Professions and the Mass BioEd Foundation and was on the Board of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council and the Massachusetts Society for Medical Research. She received her PhD in Microbiology from the University of Rochester Medical School based on work in the laboratory of Dr. Philippa Marrack. She did postdoctoral training at the University of Rochester Medical School and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute of Harvard Medical School. Dr. Greenstein was an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

Mark A. Atkinson, Ph.D. is currently the American Diabetes Association Eminent Scholar for Diabetes Research at The University of Florida. He also is a member of the Departments of Pathology and Pediatrics at that institution. The author of over 250 publications, Dr. Atkinson is beginning his 27th year of investigation into the field of type 1 (insulin dependent) diabetes. Dr. Atkinson has been the recipient of multiple scientific and humanitarian based awards for these efforts. Those include the three most prestigious awards from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). The first was the Gerold and Gayla Grodsky award (2001) provided to the outstanding Ph.D. investigating type 1 diabetes. He is also a two-time recipient of the Mary Tyler Moore & S. Robert Levine M.D. award for translational research on type 1 diabetes (2004 and 2008). Finally, he was the recipient of the JDRF’s Rumbough award for service-based contributions to diabetes research (2005). Dr. Atkinson was also a recipient of the highly prestigious Eli Lilly Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement from the American Diabetes Association (2004), and was recently provided the “Cure Award” by that organization (2009). Throughout his career, he has been active in a leadership service to the type 1 diabetes community, with administrative or advisory service to the JDRF, the ADA, The National Institutes of Health, The Immunology of Diabetes Society, and a variety of other organizations seeking to identify a cure for this disease. Dr. Atkinson is also a past Chair for Medical Science Research at the JDRF wherein he oversaw professional research review of nearly $100M in annual funding (FY 2003-2005). He has served on the state, regional, as well as the national Board of Directors for the ADA, as well as past-memberships on their publications, scientific sessions planning, research review committees. He is currently an Associate Editor of the ADA’s Journal Diabetes, and Chairs two national expert panels seeking renewal of the congressionally awarded, special funding for type 1 diabetes research. Dr. Atkinson is an internationally recognized authority on multiple aspects pertaining to type 1 diabetes, with particular interests in disease prediction and prevention, the role for environment in the initiation of the disease, stem cells and pancreatic regeneration, and the identification of markers of tolerance and immunoregulation. Indeed, from the period of 1991-2002, Thompson Scientific (an organization that tracks scientific citations of researchers) noted that Dr. Atkinson was the fifth most cited authority of over 65,000 investigators in the word in all categories of diabetes, both type 1 and type 2. Dr. Atkinson has been the recipient of numerous funding awards, with his program the current recipient of approximately $6.0M in annual extramural funding, and contributes to a total of nearly $15M per year in diabetes-related research funding at his home institution. He is a Charter member of the NIH’s Immune Tolerance Network Scientific Advisory Board as well as TrialNet. Beyond his research accomplishments, Dr. Atkinson is know by many for his spending untold amounts of time with persons either having or caring for those with type 1 diabetes; addressing their questions and sharing his passion and desire to see a cure for the disease. His humanitarian based efforts extend well beyond diabetes; examples of which include his repeated organization of medical/dental mission trips to Haiti (since 1999) and other third world countries, formation of disaster relief teams (e.g., hurricane Katrina), as well as attempts to increase awareness and provide support for international based efforts designed to bring food/medications/education to impoverished nations.

Julia L. Greenstein, Ph.D., Assistant Vice President of Cure Therapies, JDRF International

2011-04-10T15:20:00.000-04:00

Mark A. Atkinson, Ph.D., American Diabetes Association Eminent Scholar, Department of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine, Univ. of Florida

2011-04-10T15:15:00.001-04:00

Presentation from Dr. Mark A. Atkinson

View more presentations from Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) New England Chapter - Bay State Branch.

Questions for the Presenters from the Audience

2011-04-10T15:00:00.000-04:00

JDRF New England Chapter's 11th Annual Spring Research Briefing

2010-04-13T09:20:00.006-04:00

The 11th Annual Spring Research Briefing was held on Tuesday, April 6, 2010 at the Sheraton Needham Hotel. The information we shared that night was an inspiration and surely proof that our quest for a cure is closer to reality than ever.

We heard from two excellent presenters: Dr. Karin Hehenberger, JDRF’s new Senior Vice President for Strategic Alliances, and Dr. Douglas A. Melton, Co-Director of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. Dr. Hehenberger introduced herself to the JDRF family in the New England area and shared her perspective of diabetes research currently and her vision of how JDRF can help expedite progress toward a cure through our strategic alliances. Dr. Melton updated the group on the advances being made in stem cell research along with progress in the area of islet regeneration and reprogramming.

Following you will find video and slides of the evening’s presentations, as well as video of the question and answer session with our presenters and closing remarks by Sean Doherty, JDRF New England Chapter – Bay State Branch Board Member and 2010 Hearts & Heroes Gala Honoree. A special thank you to Bentley University students Kevin Bell, Christina Gangi, Eileen Mullan, Taylor Murphy, and Julie Pomponi, and to their professor, Mark Frydenberg, for making this possible!

Karin Hehenberger, M.D., Ph.D., is the Senior Vice President, Strategic Alliances, for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, where she manages JDRF's scientific, financial and commercial partners.Most recently, Dr. Hehenberger served as Vice President, Metabolics Strategy and Business Development for Johnson & Johnson. In this capacity, Dr. Hehenberger developed the strategic framework for Johnson & Johnson's global metabolic disease efforts. Previously, Dr. Hehenberger was a consultant at McKinsey & Co., where she focused on projects related to diabetes. She has experience in the financial sector, both as a buy-side analyst covering healthcare equities, and as a partner at a global venture capital firm focusing on healthcare. Dr. Hehenberger worked for Eyetech Pharmaceuticals prior to and during its IPO, and on the approval and launch of its product for age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Dr. Hehenberger holds M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. She continued her research as a post-doctoral fellow at the Joslin Diabetes Center at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Hehenberger is on the Board of The Rolf Luft Foundation for Diabetes Research and The Core Sight Council associated with the Lighthouse foundation.

Douglas A. Melton, Ph.D. is an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Thomas Dudley Cabot Professor in the Natural Sciences at Harvard University. He is also a co-director of Harvard's Stem Cell Institute. Research in Dr. Melton’s laboratory focuses on the developmental biology of the pancreas. Dr. Melton is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine and recent awards include the George Ledlie Prize from Harvard University, the Richard Lounsbery Award from the National Academy of Sciences, and the Eliot P. Joslin Medal. Dr. Melton earned a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Illinois and then went to Cambridge University in England as a Marshall Scholar. He earned a B.A. in history and philosophy of science at Cambridge and remained there to earn a Ph.D. in molecular biology at Trinity College and the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology.

Karin Hehenberger, M.D., Ph.D., Senior Vice President for Strategic Alliances, JDRF International

2010-04-13T09:19:00.000-04:00

April 6, 2010

Presentation from Dr. Hehenberger

View more presentations from Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) New England Chapter - Bay State Branch.

Douglas A. Melton, Ph.D., Co-Director, Harvard Stem Cell Institute

2010-04-13T09:18:00.000-04:00

April 6, 2010

Presentation from Dr. Melton

View more presentations from Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) New England Chapter - Bay State Branch.

Questions for the Presenters from the Audience

2010-04-13T09:17:00.001-04:00

April 6, 2010

Closing Remarks by Sean Doherty, JDRF New England Chapter – Bay State Branch Board Member, 2010 Hearts & Heroes Gala Honoree

2010-04-13T09:16:00.001-04:00

April 6, 2010

JDRF New England Chapter's Tenth Annual Spring Research Briefing

2009-04-22T11:14:00.005-04:00

The Tenth Annual Spring Research Briefing was held on Monday, April 6, 2009 at the Boston Marriott Newton. The information we shared that night was an inspiration and surely proof that our quest for a cure is closer to reality than ever.

We heard from two excellent presenters: Dr. Alan Lewis, JDRF’s new President & CEO, and Dr. Todd Zion, Co-founder, President & CEO of SmartCells, Inc. Dr. Lewis introduced himself to the JDRF family in the New England area and shared his perspective of diabetes research currently and his vision of where JDRF can help expedite progress toward a cure. Dr. Zion focused on research being done on a product being developed at his company, SmartInsulin, a once-a-day, glucose-regulated, injectable formulation for treating diabetes.

Following you’ll find video and slides of the evening’s presentations, as well as video of the question and answer session with our presenters. A special thank you to Victoria Bergantino, Greg Ford, Geoffrey McLaughlin, and April Watkins of Bentley University, and to their professor, Mark Frydenberg, for making this possible!

Dr. Alan Lewis, President & CEO, JDRF

2009-04-21T20:46:00.006-04:00

Presentation from Dr. Alan Lewis

View more presentations from BringingTheCureHome.

Dr. Todd Zion, Co-founder, President & CEO, SmartCells, Inc.

2009-04-21T20:34:00.006-04:00

Presentation from Dr. Todd Zion

View more presentations from BringingTheCureHome.

Question and Answer Session

2009-04-21T20:33:00.004-04:00

9th Annual Spring Research Briefing

2008-03-24T20:48:00.006-04:00

The JDRF New England Chapter's 9th Annual Spring Research Briefing and Reception was held on Monday, March 3, 2008 at the Boston Newton Marriott Hotel.

Dr. Douglas Ringler and Dr. Paul Strumph discussed the latest research and medical breakthroughs in diabetes treatment. Dr. Ringler focused on current advances to treat autoimmunity through current anti-CD3 trials at Tolerx, a study that could very soon mean the autoimmunity puzzle to type 1 diabetes will be solved, while Dr. Strumph’s presentation gave us an update on JDRF Clinical Development and the current 33 human clinical trials being funded by JDRF.

Dr. Douglas Ringler

Douglas J. Ringler, V.M.D., is a co-founder of Tolerx, and has served as its President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director since inception in July 2000. Dr. Ringler has over 20 years of experience as an academician, scientist, and executive in biomedical research focusing on the research and development of therapies designed to alter immunological responses. Tolerx is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel immunotherapies designed to reprogram the immune system and provide a long-term, durable remission after a short course of therapy. Tolerx has a development pipeline which includes two humanized antibodies that are in clinical trials for new-onset type 1 diabetes, psoriasis, and cutaneous lupus erythematosus.

2008-03-24T20:14:00.005-04:00

Dr. Paul Strumph

Paul Strumph, M.D., is Vice President of Research and Chief Medical Officer at JDRF. With a long track record of clinical care in the pharmaceutical industry and academia, he oversees clinical trials of JDRF-supported research and represents the Foundation’s interests in the clinical components of the National Institutes of Health’s diabetes activities. Dr. Strumph has seven years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry in all stages of clinical trials, most recently with Bristol-Myers Squibb & Co., where he served as Executive Director of Metabolics. He has extensive experience in the programs that advanced drug candidates in diabetes and metabolism from basic research into clinical settings, then on to the marketplace.

8th Annual Spring Research Briefing Podcast

2007-04-06T15:00:00.001-04:00

The New England Chapter's 8th Annual Spring Research Briefing was held on Tuesday, March 27, 2007 at the Westin Waltham-Boston Hotel in Waltham, MA.

The information we shared that night was an inspiration and surely proof that our quest for a cure is closer to reality than ever. We are happy to share with you a Podcast of the evening's program.

A special thank you to Paul Kekejian and Brandon Smith of Bentley College, and to their professor, Mark Frydenberg, for helping to make this Podcast possible!

Welcome Address from David Bennett, JDRF Bay State Branch Board President

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Dr. William Tamborlane's Presentation

2007-04-06T14:58:00.000-04:00

Presentation from Dr. William Tamborlane, Yale University School of Medicine

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Dr. William Tamborlane is Professor and Chief of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, CT, as well as Deputy Program Director of the Yale General Clinical Research Center. The focus of Dr. Tamborlane’s research has been to advance the treatment of diabetes through patient-oriented research. His current research effort is directed at applying recent advance in insulin pump and glucose sensor technology towards the development of an artificial pancreas and he serves as the Steering Committee Chair of the Diabetes Research in Children’s Network (DirectNet), a NIH multicenter group that is testing glucose sensing systems in children.

Dr. Kevan Herold's Presentation

2007-04-06T14:56:00.000-04:00

Presentation from Dr. Kevan Herold, Yale University School of Medicine

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Dr. Kevan Herold is Professor of Immunobiology and Medicine at Yale University. He is the Director of the TrialNet Center at Yale and was the Medical Director of the Columbia University Islet Transplant center. The focus of his investigative work is on developing new ways to prevent and treat type 1 diabetes. He has studied and is developing novel immunologic and metabolic approaches that have been able to prevent the progression of type 1 diabetes and is involved in a number of national and international clinical studies of new treatments. He initially reported on the use of anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody to treat patients with new onset type 1 diabetes that is now in development for treatment. His clinical interests are in management of diabetes, complications of diabetes, and complications as well as other endocrine diseases.

Welcome!

2007-03-20T13:06:00.001-04:00

Welcome to the JDRF New England Chapter Blog! Please check back regularly for updates.