JDRF invited UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center Director Anath Shalev, M.D., to the Global T1D Cures Strategy Workshop: Genetic Engineering Approaches for T1D Workshop in October.

The JDRF, as well as the Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology at UVA, organized the workshop which was held in Charlottesville, NC.

The goal of the workshop was to advance knowledge and assess preclinical/clinical landscape of genetic engineering-based approaches to identify potential therapeutic opportunities for T1D.

The workshop brought together experts from academia and industry, and from T1D and other disease areas to discuss strategies to deliver/edit genes, to target cells/tissues, review current technology, and exchange ideas and experiences related to preclinical development paths and clinical trials. 

As a speaker, Shalev gave a talk in a session on Islet Targeting and Beta Cell Regeneration/ Survival, discussed her team’s work on targeting TXNIP for T1D and drug development progress with the oral drug candidate TIX100, and participated in the following Roundtable Discussion.

“I was pleased to attend and speak at the JDRF T1D workshop and meet members of the Manning Family,” said Shalev. “The JDRF and the Manning Family Foundation did a wonderful job of bringing together several key players in Type 1 diabetes research to learn from one another and help collaborate with each other. The workshop was inspirational and the smaller meeting size and setting highly conducive to meaningful interactions. I also got a lot of very positive feedback on our work. Obviously, the ultimate shared goal is to improve the lives of those with diabetes.”