Joslin's Diabetes Research Center program secures $8.5 million grant from NIH/NIDDK

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Apr 25 2022

Joslin Diabetes Center, the preeminent institution for diabetes research and care, affiliated with Harvard Medical School and a part of Beth Israel Lahey Health, has again been awarded $8.5 million from the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIH/NIDDK) in continued support for Joslin's Diabetes Research Center (DRC) program. The grant, which officially began April 1, 2022, marks the 36^th continuous year of NIH investment in Joslin's DRC.

Roberta Herman, MD, Joslin's President said, "I am so proud to lead an organization which is recognized and rewarded by NIH for its high caliber scientists and research. The work our researchers do at Joslin directly improves the lives of people living with diabetes in the United States and around the world. That work only happens with funding of our Joslin Diabetes Research Center from NIH and donor support. Joslin has continuously received NIH funding for more than three decades, and we are deeply honored to be recipients of this 5-year grant which will carry us into our fourth decade as a DRC."

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders (NIDDK), part of the NIH, describes the role of the DRC as "intended to improve the quality and multidisciplinary nature of research on diabetes and related endocrinology and metabolism research by providing shared access to specialized technical resources and expertise and by creating an environment that supports important and innovative research." The mission of research at Joslin is to conduct research to provide new knowledge about diabetes and its complications that will lead to new treatments, prevention and/or cure for these disorders.

We are very honored to again be awarded this foundational grant from NIH/NIDDK to support our DRC program. Our DRC mission is to create an environment to support world-class investigation in diabetes and metabolism; sustain and strengthen diabetes research collaboration through core laboratories; catalyze new diabetes research and multidisciplinary approaches to transform the field of diabetes research through support of early-stage research (Pilot and Feasibility Program) and offer a comprehensive program of seminars and symposia (Enrichment Program); and translate new knowledge to improved care and prevention. This funding will assure our work continues at the highest level over the next five years."

George L. King, MD, Principal Investigator of the DRC, Chief Scientific Officer and Thomas J. Beatson, Jr. Professor of Medicine in the Field of Diabetes at Harvard Medical School

Joslin Diabetes Center is one of only 18 NIH-designated Diabetes Research Centers in the United States.