JDRF Launches First Mass Public Screening Program for Early Stage Type 1 Diabetes

JDRF Launches First Mass Public Screening Program for Early Stage Type 1 Diabetes

Thanks to JDRF (jdrf.org), anyone who wants to get tested for type 1 diabetes now can do so at an affordable price. On the heels of National Diabetes Awareness Month, JDRF—the leading global funder of type 1 diabetes (T1D)—launched a groundbreaking screening initiative for T1D called T1Detect. Designed to make early detection of type 1 diabetes easier and more accessible to a broad population, the cost is just $50 for the test, but financial assistance is available to bring that cost down to $10. The T1Detect initiative is supported by founding sponsor Provention Bio, a biopharmaceutical company focused on intercepting and preventing autoimmune disease.

Detecting T1D before symptoms occur is possible through a blood test when people have two or more diabetes-related autoantibodies and blood-sugar levels have become abnormal. Research has proven that 75% of people at this stage will become insulin-dependent within five years, and their lifetime risk of clinical disease approaches 100%. Approximately 95% of people with T1D have no family history, underscoring the necessity for an all-population screening. T1Detect will be available to people of all ages, whether or not they have a family member with type 1 diabetes.

JDRF is the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes research. JDRF was founded in 1970, and the local chapter currently serves Nebraska and Iowa. For more information about the T1Detect initiative and how to obtain an at-home testing kit, visit jdrf.org/t1detect.