State of the Cure Part 2
Last Monday, the JDCA released the biggest report since its inception entitled STATE OF THE CURE. If you haven’t read it yet, I encourage you to do so, as it discusses progress made to a cure in 2012, and the various obstacles that are standing in the way of the results we desire.
Put simply, the situation is not good. Currently only 3 cents of every research dollar goes towards a Practical Cure, limiting the amount of funding projects can obtain, and therefore cutting down on the amount of promising research in human clinical trials. We all want a cure. And in order to make one happen as soon as possible, funding for Practical Cure projects needs to be increased. In our “What Can Donors Do?” section, we discuss several easy ways you can help change this trend. If you haven’t read it, please follow the above link and take the time to look it over. If you or someone you love has diabetes, you owe it to yourself and them to be aware of what’s happening.
If you have read the report, we’d love to hear your opinion on it. What surprised you? What would you like to know more about? This will be a yearly report, and your input would not only be appreciated in shaping next year’s edition, but also in giving us an idea of the topics and issues you find most important for our publications year-round. If you have any comments, please leave them below, on our facebook page, or send them to info@thejdca.org. Lastly, don’t forget to pass this report around to your friends. Only by people being aware of the challenges to a cure can we collectively work together to overcome them.
Until Next Time
–Nick
If so little is spent for a cure, where is all the money going?
The findings in this report are based on the JDCA’s definition of what is a “practical cure”, and so the results actually vary depending on how one sees that definition and what’s deemed “practical” or not as far as a cure. Also, the money spent by organizations on advocacy and awareness can directly lead to more funding from others, which then goes to “cure research” – so it’s not exactly solid to say “only 3 cents” goes to a cure. There are too many variables in this calculation and formula, and why I think it’s a skewed look. But it does have some very interesting nuggets that people should be aware of, as far as how these organizations are spending money (both good and bad). And that can’t be overlooked. So, thanks for this report, JDCA, even though I don’t agree with many of the conclusions personally.