I wanted to invite you to join JDRF’s President
& CEO, Jeffrey Brewer, and Assistant Vice President of Treatment
Therapies, Aaron Kowalski, Ph.D., on November 14 at 3:30 p.m. ET for a special live webcast on World Diabetes Day!

This is an exciting time for type 1 diabetes (T1D) research
across the spectrum of curing, treating, and preventing the disease. In
particular, there have been several important and promising developments just
in the last few weeks in artificial pancreas research. The first outpatient
trials testing these systems are now underway in Europe and more outpatient
trials are expected to begin in the next year, furthering the prospect of
bringing this innovative and potentially life-saving device to market. But how
do we ensure that these innovative trials are also conducted in the United
States? Furthermore, how do we ensure this progress will continue, and
ultimately benefit people with diabetes?

In a few weeks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
will release draft guidance on artificial pancreas systems, a life-saving
technology that could potentially benefit as many as 3 million Americans with
T1D and would be transformational in the treatment of the disease. These
recommendations from the FDA must be properly drafted or the research,
development, and delivery of this innovative and potentially life-saving device
will be delayed.

A growing body of evidence, based on JDRF and
federally-funded studies of artificial pancreas systems conducted in inpatient
or hospital settings, demonstrates the potential of an automated system in
improving and maintaining glucose control. Based on this data, a safe and
effective system can and should be made with today’s knowledge and technology,
even as we continue to encourage the development of improved technology. Thus,
JDRF has been working to ensure that this development is not delayed by
unnecessary regulatory roadblocks.

Leading
diabetes researchers and clinicians in the United States, Members of Congress,
and the public have joined JDRF in urging the FDA to advance, not delay, the
artificial pancreas. Already, over 100,000 people have signed JDRF’s
artificial pancreas petition to urge the FDA to follow the expert
recommendations, and the list continues to grow. Last week,
Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), who serve as co-chairs
of the Senate Diabetes Caucus, Dr. Eric Orzeck of the American Association of
Clinical Endocrinologists, and Caitlyn Ryan, a JDRF Children’s Congress
delegate, urged the FDA to provide a clear and reasonable pathway for
researchers and industry toward the development of these systems at a press
conference on Capitol Hill. Check out the highlights from the event here. 

So this World
Diabetes Day, come join Jeffrey Brewer, JDRF’s president & CEO, and Aaron
Kowalski, Ph.D., assistant vice president of treatment therapies at JDRF, for
the latest developments on the artificial pancreas and next steps on what we
can all do to ensure that the FDA does not delay patient access to this important
technology.

The webcast will be moderated by JDRF volunteer and International Board of Directors member Douglas
Lowenstein. Some topics that will be addressed include:

• How does an artificial pancreas work, and how
  would it benefit people with T1D?
• What is the current status of artificial
  pancreas development?
• What is the basis for concern among clinicians
  and JDRF scientists with respect to prior guidance in this field?
• What are the most important items for the FDA to
  include in the guidance for the artificial pancreas?
• What can I do to help the FDA understand that
  the artificial pancreas is a top priority for the T1D community?

Tune in and submit your questions via live chat at www.jdrf.org/livewebcasts on Monday, November 14 at 3:30 p.m. ET.
You may also submit questions via email by sending them to webcast@jdrf.org, or log on to Twitter or Facebook. The program is
scheduled to last one hour.

Hasan