How a Major Diabetes Research Funder Aims to Connect Patients to Specialists, Virtually

Since beginning its active grantmaking in 2008, the Helmsley Charitable Trust has made Type 1 diabetes a top priority within the $2.5 billion it’s given overall in the U.S. and internationally. The foundation backs a mix of health and other interests, but it has emerged as one of the largest private funders of research and related work on diabetes in particular, even driving the development of some of the cutting-edge technology that’s improving health and quality of life for millions.

Helmsley's research and technology funding made the news again, this time with a $5 million grant to the Jaeb Center for Health Research Foundation to study a virtual specialty clinic model for improving clinical and psychosocial outcomes for people with diabetes.

The study centers on the technology of continuous glucose monitoring, now being combined with the kind of virtual communication that is increasingly mediating human interaction these days. The goal is to create a new way for doctors to manage diabetes care more accurately and conveniently, while also tending to the patient’s state of mind.

In addition to the remote continuous glucose monitoring, the Jaeb study will add remote support for insulin dosing and mental health. The new study builds atop a smaller Helmsley-funded pilot study last year showing that a virtual or remote specialty diabetes clinic could work.

“Geography shouldn't dictate outcomes, and the Virtual Specialty Clinic is an innovation that can improve outcomes for people with diabetes no matter where they live,” said Helmsley Trustee David Panzirer in a news announcement. “We're hopeful that the data from this larger study will prove the value of VDiSC to commercial entities and health insurance companies in improving clinical and psychosocial outcomes for people with T1D.”

For people with diabetes, either Type 1 or Type 2, careful management by a specialist can mean the difference between better and worse health, even life and death.

But not everyone has ready and regular access to a diabetes specialist, either because of geography or other challenges. Managing diabetes is a careful balancing act, and every little bit helps, but those who don’t have a specialist guiding their care may not have access to the latest devices and medicine.

You’ve likely seen people with diabetes check their blood glucose levels with a finger pinprick. Continuous glucose monitoring ups the accuracy—a tiny sensor wire inserted under the skin tracks glucose and wirelessly sends the data to a monitor. With that real-time data, a patient and doctor can potentially manage insulin pumps or injections with greater responsiveness, and doctors are now saying continuous glucose monitoring should be considered a standard of care.

The Helmsley-funded study at Jaeb Center will also include psychologists and behavioral health coaches to address the mental health issues that are common among patients living with diabetes. The study will involve people with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. More than 34 million Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes, making it a leading cause of death and illness; one estimate put the total cost of diagnosed diabetes in the U.S. at $327 billion in 2017.

If successful on a broad scale, this Helmsley-funded model of virtual monitoring and virtual care could not only close a major gap in access for people with hard-to-control diabetes, but could also reduce burdens on everyone dealing with the condition through more accurate and convenient technology.

Inside Philanthropy has been tracking diabetes funding out of the Helmsley Charitable Trust for several years, including various multimillion-dollar grants. Another grantee, for example, is the T1D Exchange, a nonprofit that started in 2009 to accelerate therapies and improve care, with an emphasis on data collection. The trust also directs some of its diabetes giving to children, for summer camps and other needs.

Novel technology-based solutions have long been part of Helmsley’s strategy to help diabetes patients stay healthier and live with fewer restrictions. It has given tens of millions to the Jaeb Center for research. And Helmsley’s Future Technologies Initiative, launched in 2018, sought to incubate disruptive, high-risk, early-stage tech solutions for needs like glucose sensing technologies and insulin delivery. In fact, through its giving, the trust has accelerated the development of continuous glucose monitoring, the technology used in the virtual diabetes clinic model.