“Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right”
– Robert Hunter
The mission of Diabetes Research Connection (DRC) is to connect donors with early-career scientists enabling them to perform peer-reviewed, innovative research to prevent and cure type 1 diabetes (T1D), minimize its complications, and improve the quality of life for those living with the disease. As a UCSD scientist dedicated to curing T1D, C.C. King, Ph.D. saw the need to build a bridge between the science happening in the lab and people who want to accelerate efforts to find a cure for T1D. Together with his co-founders of DRC, Dr. King has spent the past 15 years identifying novel projects with the potential to be transformative in the field.
#1 I grew up in Memphis, Tennessee.
#2 I love Paris France, Las Vegas Nevada, and Marathon Florida (the Keys). But my new favorite travel destination will be Richmond, Virginia where my daughter will be attending college this fall.
#3 Best way for me to decompress: music and playing with the dogs.
#4 Book recommendations: “The Jealousy Man and Other Stories” by Jo Nesbø. Actually, all Jo Nesbø is worth reading for fans of fictional murder/mystery.
#5 Favorite movie: “The Big Lebowski”.
#6 Pets: Sadie, Sunny, Maverick, Remi, and Maisy.
#7 I am a composite of everyone with whom I have interacted with and learned from. One particular hero was my friend Lorraine Krauss. She was an unsung hero in Sickle Cell Disease research, embodied perseverance, and a trailblazer for women in science.
#8 I give back because we are only as strong as our most vulnerable people.
#9 The Diabetes Research Connection Board is comprised of highly respected T1D scientists and lay members impacted by this chronic disease. Together, we empower the next generation of the most promising young scientists by providing seed funding to launch their groundbreaking approaches to curing T1D. DRC-funded research projects are thoroughly vetted for scientific merit by our 50-member Scientific Review Committee of senior diabetes researchers from across
the country, ensuring a high probability of successful outcomes. Many of our researchers have received follow-on funding of $1 million or more for a 6x return on our grants.
#10 Despite the rising number of new diabetes diagnoses, funding for diabetes research has seen a decline. Of the available funding, only 3% is allocated to those early in their careers. Scientific breakthroughs often result from the creativity of early career scientists. Albert Einstein was only 26 when he unveiled his theory of general relativity. Banting & Best were both under 33 when they discovered insulin. “Dance for Diabetes” will help raise funds needed for the next round of T1D investigators in their pioneering research to cure T1D.
Diabetes Research Connection
“Dance for Diabetes”
Saturday, September 7, 2024
5:00 PM
Green Acre
10300 Campus Point Dr, San Diego, CA 92121
www.DiabetesResearchConnection.org/events
