The sweet science
$20 million gift bolsters fight against diabetes
Diabetes is a disease that steals. It can rob eyesight; it amputates legs. It takes away grandmothers, sons and fathers. The disease does this at an alarming rate, growing rapidly across the world, even among children. Challenges are real, and they are seen in doctors’ clinics, where patients are diagnosed every day.
ILLUSTRATIONS: MARCO MARELLAKey to stopping this trend are those who are supporting critical advances against the disease. The Leslie and Susan Gonda (Goldschmied) Foundation has provided a $20 million gift to support construction of an expansion of the 41,000-square-foot Leslie & Susan Gonda (Goldschmied) Diabetes & Genetic Research Center, which houses City of Hope’s comprehensive diabetes research and treatment programs. The new, four-story addition will house areas for programs that integrate research into diabetes, metabolic disease and other related conditions.
“City of Hope has played a seminal role in the research and treatment of diabetes, a disease that affects millions of Americans,” said Michael A. Friedman, M.D., president and chief executive officer of City of Hope. “This visionary gift from the Leslie and Susan Gonda (Goldschmied) Foundation will accelerate City of Hope’s efforts to advance diabetes treatment through innovative clinical and basic science research and explore promising scientific approaches that could potentially lead to a cure.”
About 20.8 million children and adults in the United States, or 7 percent of the population, have diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. While about 14.6 million of those have been diagnosed, another 6.2 million people are unaware that they have the disease.
Leslie and Susan Gonda
“We are deeply grateful to the Leslie and Susan Gonda (Goldschmied) Foundation for its generous and longstanding support of the diabetes program at City of Hope,” said Fouad R. Kandeel, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Department of Diabetes, Endocrinology & Metabolism at City of Hope. “Establishment of the islet transplant program would not have been possible without the initial support provided by Leslie and Susan Gonda.
“This most recent contribution from the Gonda (Goldschmied) Foundation will provide a critical clean-room facility and laboratory space needed to speed the translation of islet and stem cell research advances from the lab to the patient,” he added. “This gift is certain to have a significant impact on the future of diabetes care.”
City of Hope scientists have made profound strides in diabetes research and treatment. In the 1940s, the late Rachmiel Levine, Ph.D., described insulin’s role in stimulating the movement of glucose into cells and discovered that type 2 diabetes is related to a defect in this mechanism, a condition called ”insulin resistance.” In the late 1960s, Samuel Rahbar, M.D., Ph.D., recognized the usefulness of hemoglobin-A1c measurement as a marker for blood glucose control in those with diabetes. In 1995, Barry Forman, M.D., Ph.D., discovered how certain molecules can regulate receptors involved in glucose metabolism, leading to the development of important drugs that are now Food and Drug Administration approved to treat type 2 diabetes. And, perhaps most significantly, in 1978, Arthur Riggs, Ph.D., and Keiichi Itakura, Ph.D., genetically engineered bacteria to effectively produce unlimited quantities of synthetic human insulin, which today is used by millions worldwide with diabetes.
Riggs, professor of biology and director emeritus of Beckman Research Institute, believes City of Hope will continue making discoveries that will influence diabetes care. “This gift will help us maintain momentum toward becoming the top center in Southern California and among the national leaders for research in diabetes and metabolic disease,” he said.
Today, City of Hope researchers are investigating islet cell transplantation, a treatment in which insulin-producing cells called islet cells are transplanted from a donor pancreas into patients with diabetes to produce insulin. City of Hope is one of only seven islet cell resource centers funded by the National Institutes of Health. The institution hosts the Southern California Islet Cell Consortium, an integrated effort of multiple academic and transplant institutions that coordinate efforts in islet cell transplantation. In 2006, City of Hope was designated as a Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation islet cell transplant center.
Since 2004, City of Hope has performed 27 islet cell transplants. In fact, in 2004 and 2005, City of Hope performed the most islet cell transplants in the nation.
“City of Hope’s diabetes research program is an outstanding example of visionary work in a truly collaborative atmosphere,” said Leslie Gonda. “I consider this an investment for future generations to benefit from this terrible disease that so many people suffer from.”
SUPPORT THAT PROVIDES SECOND CHANCES AT LIFE
Shelly Stevens’ new islet cells, transplanted at City of Hope, gave her a new lease on life.
Since the 41-year-old Chula Vista, Calif., resident was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 2, she has faced many challenges. Because her body lacked “diabetic awareness,” she could not tell if her blood sugar was soaring or plunging. “The first time I’d know it was low was when I’d be on the floor having convulsions,” she said. At 21, she lost most of her vision due to diabetes complications.
Shelly Stevens
She shared her struggles with her older sister, Kim, who also had diabetes and died at age 35. “She had all the horror stories,” Stevens said. “Strokes, amputation.”
After a friend told her about the institution’s islet cell transplant program, supported through the Leslie and Susan Gonda (Goldschmied) Foundation, Stevens could not wait to sign up. “I came out of convulsions one day and literally crawled to the phone. My husband said, ‘What on earth are you doing?’ I said, ‘I’m calling City of Hope.’”
“I was desperate to get in,” she recalled. “Fortunately, they said I was perfect for the program.”
In February 2006, Stevens received her final transplant of donated cells, and four months later, she gave herself her last insulin injection. Since then, the woman who used to require 14 shots a day has not needed insulin at all.
“This is the miracle I’ve always dreamed of,” she said.
Now, Stevens tells everyone she meets with diabetes about City of Hope, including her brother, Matthew, who recently was diagnosed with the disease. “Everyone knows someone who has diabetes,” she said. “That’s why I’m so excited about this research.”