About the Webinar:
While JDRF keeps focusing on improving the outcomes of people living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) with automated insulin delivery devices, continuous glucose monitors and close loop systems, finding a cure remains a priority.
Close loop systems – delivering insulin through a pump in response to changes in glucose levels detected by continuous glucose monitors (CGM) – try to mimic what pancreatic insulin-producing (beta) cells do. The goal of beta cell replacement therapies involves implanting highly functional insulin-producing cells inside the body and protecting them from autoimmunity and allograft rejection, so they can fully restore glucose control and eliminate the need for insulin injections. However, broad immune suppression remains the only clinically validated strategy to protect donor islets after transplantation. Generating an unlimited number of insulin-producing cells and designing alternative strategies for immune protection will expand the clinical benefits of islet transplantation to all people living with T1D.
The talk will capture JDRF research priorities in this area, recent advancements, and efforts to deliver effective therapeutic concepts into the clinic – including the facilitation of multidisciplinary collaborations that can address gaps in research, complete clinical translation, and solve technical and operational challenges to accelerate life-changing therapies for T1D.
About the Speaker:
Esther Latres, Ph.D., is Associate Vice President of Research at JDRF. In this role, Esther leads the strategic development of curative therapies for type 1 diabetes. Her work centers on enabling the translation of scientific discoveries into disease modifying and cell therapies for restoring glucose and overall metabolic control, which will contribute to better treatments and a cure for T1D. Prior to joining JDRF in 2015, Esther developed her scientific career at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, where she led discovery and research of therapeutic candidates to treat skeletal muscle and metabolic diseases, some of which have advanced into clinical trials. She is the author on numerous publications and co-inventor on several patents. Esther received a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Barcelona and has received postdoctoral training and held research positions at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Bristol-Myers Squibb Institute and New York University Medical Center.