Sanofi-aventis and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) announced a unique partnership to develop therapeutic treatments for people with type 1 diabetes at different stages of the disease – both those living with the disease and the newly diagnosed – as well as preventing diabetes in those at risk. Toward those goals, the partnership will focus on therapeutics such as immune therapies and beta cell regeneration.

Under the newly announced partnership, sanofi-aventis and JDRF will jointly provide academic investigators and non-profit medical research organizations with funding to conduct research projects in regeneration and immune therapy. This partnership will provide sanofi-aventis with options to the intellectual property developed by researchers who receive funding through the programme.

“Sanofi-aventis is committed to providing healthcare solutions that meet the needs of people with diabetes and their families,” said Pierre Chancel, senior vice-president, global diabetes, sanofi-aventis. “Our long-acting insulin is one of the leading insulin products for patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and we continue to invest in research for additional therapies and solutions to meet the unmet needs of patients. Our partnership with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is an opportunity to help fund innovative research that will improve therapies and perhaps even find a cure for type 1 diabetes.”

The partnership will capitalize on the JDRF’s network of academicians, institutions and biotech partners, while also leveraging sanofi-aventis’ drug development experience to help bring products and technologies to the clinic and eventually to patients.

“JDRF is focused on immune therapies and regeneration as two key areas to develop better treatments and cures for diabetes,” said Jeffrey Brewer, president and chief executive officer of JDRF. “Partnering with businesses such as sanofi-aventis, with their tremendous experience in bringing research to market to benefit patients, is an important way we can accelerate the pace of science leading to a cure.”

Founded by parents of children with diabetes in 1970, JDRF is a leader in setting the agenda for diabetes research worldwide, and is the largest charitable funder and advocate of type 1 diabetes research. The mission of JDRF is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. JDRF is the largest charitable funder of diabetes research in the world, funding more than $1.4 billion since its inception, including more than $107 million worldwide in the last year.

Sanofi-aventis, a leading global pharmaceutical company, discovers, develops and distributes therapeutic solutions to improve the lives of everyone.