Could NASA bring the Diabetes Community the next big research breakthrough?

About a week ago, I read an article about NASA coming up with something called  a Biocapsules. These Biocapsules basically will be able to help keep astronauts potentially  healthier while they are travelling in space, by being able to diagnose and treat a variety of illnesses... while they are still in outer space!

Alternatively, they are also looking into the possibility of how this could be a huge breakthrough for the rest of us here on Earth... including those living with Diabetes, Cancer, and other medical conditions!

Here's a quote from a section of the article about how Biocapsules can potentially help hundreds of thousands of people living with diabetes...

On our home planet, the NASA Biocapsule's primary target is diabetes—specifically, patients who need insulin. Says Dr. Loftus:

The capsule would contain pancreatic islet cells (from animals) or would contain engineered cells designed to behave like pancreatic islet cells, with both glucose-sensing and insulin secretion function. Patients with low-insulin requirement might benefit from implantation of a single capsule (containing perhaps a million to 10 million cells); patients with higher insulin requirement might require implantation of more than one capsule.

In other words, diabetes patients might never need to give themselves another shot. They wouldn't have to worry about remembering to bring medicine everywhere, and they might even be free of having to constantly monitor their blood-sugar levels. Plus, many diabetes patients lapse into comas or die during sleep because that's eight hours every day when they can't monitor their levels. The NASA Biocapsules would work automatically, regardless of whether you're awake or not. As of 2010 there were an estimated 285 million people living with diabetes, so saying that this invention could potentially save millions of lives is not an exaggeration.

How incredible is this?!

Read more about NASA's Biocapsules then tell me what you think about it?

Do you think it could be the "next major advancement" in Diabetes Research history?

I think it has a lot of potential... that's for sure! Hope I hear more about the advancements of this in the near future!

So, what do you think?

Recent DRI Publications..

Have I ever told you all how much I love the fact that the DRI is so open about information? I love that I can go to their website and find various information about them, get fundraising ideas, reach out to someone there when I have a question, need advice, etc. They have helped my family (and many other families I know) on a multitude of levels.

If you haven't ever heard about the DRI Foundation (Diabetes Research Institute Foundation), I'd like to encourage you to visit their website and learn about them.

Last summer, after meeting another local mom who has a child around Lenny's age who also has Type 1 Diabetes, and talking with her about the organization she supports, the DRI, I decided to read more about this organization. I had never heard of the DRI prior, and I was curious to learn more about them, their mission, and the type of people "working behind the microscope" so to speak.

I spent a good month reading, re-reading, and reading again, various pages on their website. After reading and talking to various local supporters, as well as people from the DRI Foundation organization, I knew this organization was the right choice for my family, for my son. They are "The Best Hope for A Cure!"

I wanted to share a recent publication they have on their website with you.

DRI Foundation 2010 Annual Report

Please, feel free to visit their website www.diabetesresearch.org to learn more about the DRI, their cure-focused mission on finding a cure for our children, how you can help, and more. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me (T1DTeamLenny@gmail.com) or contact them directly.

We all want a cure for our children, and I strongly believe that the DRI Foundation is "The Best Hope for a CURE!"

Help Us Stop the Senate from Passing This Bill!

Many of you already know, I am a supporter of the Diabetes Research Institute and a strong believer that they are "The Best Hope for a Cure".

However, I do also love to get the emails, newsletters, etc from other organizations as well, such as the ADA and JDRF, as they also often times have some great information regarding things happening in the ways of diabetes management, the government regarding diabetes, etc.

This afternoon, I checked my email and saw that I had an email from the ADA. It was one that was kind of disturbing to me honestly. Kind of gut-wrenching.

It stated that our Senate is considering a proposal that will cut funds to federal health programs, including diabetes research funding.

Don't let this happen!

For those who may not be directly affected by diabetes, or know the statistics, according to the Diabetes Research Institute & Foundation:

• In the last decade, the cases of people living with diabetes jumped more than 40 percent – to almost 24 million Americans.  
•  Diabetes takes more lives than AIDS and breast cancer combined -- claiming the life of 1 American every 3 minutes. 
•  It is a leading cause of blindness, kidney failure, amputations, heart failure and stroke.
• Annually, diabetes costs the American public more than $218 billion.

We can not allow our Senate to vote in favor of this bill! Without the financial help of our federal government, the American public's diabetes care costs will skyrocket even higher!

Without the financial help of our federal government, organizations like the DRI, ADA, and JDRF will be greatly hindered in finding better treatment plans, possible preventions, and CURES for diabetes.

The ADA estimates that without this federal funding help, 1 in 3 children will face a future with diabetes; 105 million Americans with diabetes or prediabetes will continue to wait in vain for a cure.

Let's band together, and fight back against this bill! Let's show our federal government why we NEED this federal funding! Let's do it for our children!

Please click here to tell your Senator to vote against this proposal.

When I filled out the above link, I also added a little personal touch to the already typed up letter. I would like to also encourage all of you to take a few moments to do the same.

Here is what I wrote:

My 5 year old son was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in November 2008. This disease has changed our lives! It is a constant, daily and nightly battle to ward off life-threatening hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) and hyperglycemic (high blood sugar) reactions, finding a balance between food, exercise, and appropriate amount of insulin needed. Parents of children with Type 1 Diabetes go to bed at night, afraid for the lives of our children; afraid that when they wake up the next morning, their child may not.. due to an unknown hypoglycemic event that took our precious children from this earth. Many parents, including myself, are unable to sleep most nights because of this very reason. Instead, we take "cat naps" during the day, if we are lucky enough. We pray every single night for a better treatment options, and especially, for a cure of this disease. Parents, children, and adults living with diabetes are warriors... warriors fighting a battle against an invisible, unpredictable enemy. If you approve this proposal, you are taking the much needed ammunition away from these warriors! Hundreds of innocent children die every year at the "hands" of diabetes, often due to something called Dead In Bed Syndrome (a diabetes complication with an unknown cause, but is believed to be due to unknown hypoglycemic events). The odds are against these children. Even with "perfect" managment care, a child can die at any moment due to the Dead In Bed Syndrome! If this was your child, I am certain you would feel as strongly as I do, as the rest of the Diabetes Community does, about this. I am putting my child's life, and future, in your hands, to make the right decision, and vote against this proposal.

We can make a difference in the lives of people living with diabetes! It only takes our voices, and a little effort!

Type 1 Diabetes and Environmental Factors--Connection?

We all know that experts believe that there may be a link between Type 1 Diabetes, and environmental factors.

When Lenny was diagnosed, the doctors told us that, while the cause of Type 1 Diabetes is still unknown, it is believed that things in the environment could be a trigger. Things like the common cold.

Tonight I read a blog post on Diabetes1 Blogs: Anna's Blog regarding an article she came across about an association with Type 1 Diabetes, the common cold, and "the second leading cause of viral colds in children", Enteroviruses.

A "meta-analysis of 26 studies", has appearently found that children with Type 1 are about 10 times more likely to show signs of this enerovirus infection, than children without diabetes.

Hmm. Interesting.

I know when Lenny was first diagnosed, prior to his diagnosis, he did in fact have a cold that just did not seem to go away. Coink-e-dink? Maybe!... maybe not. Maybe that cold is what triggered his diabetes to be set off? Who knows. I've given up on trying to "figure it out" lol.

Anywho, this article also stated that there was a review of studies prior to the recent findings that had found no link to type 1, however, those prior studies had only searched for the antibodies to enteroviruses in the blood, where the more recent study tested for the viral protein, which is more sensitive than blood testing.

While they still can not say that this is difinitively the "cause" of diabetes, they do plan to dig a little deeper into this new research.

For more information on this study, please read the article. It is a rather interesting article. Who knows, maybe one day we will know what causes our kids to have to live the way they do, and they will have a vaccine made in the future to ward off this condition for future generations!

What are your thoughts? Do you think there is an environmental link? Do you think its solely due to genetics? What are your theories?