Illinois taxpayers may once again contribute to diabetes research through the Diabetes Research Checkoff Fund

Springfield - Illinoisans can help fund research for diabetes through contributions on their 2006 Illinois income tax returns.  This is the second year for the Diabetes Research Checkoff Fund, signed into law by  Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich in 2005.  The fund is administered by the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), which makes grants to public or private entities in Illinois for research.    

"Illinoisans have an excellent opportunity to support research and improve the lives of people who have diabetes," said IDHS Secretary Carol L. Adams, Ph.D. "The additional money will greatly enhance the current research efforts and provide hope for the future for those who have diabetes and their families."  

Taxpayers may write in a contribution of $1 or more to the fund on the Illinois Individual Income Tax form or the 1040EZ form. Taxpayers filing electronically or by phone may also make tax checkoff contributions.  Contributions to these funds are either deducted from a tax refund or added to the taxes owed.

Money contributed to the Diabetes Research Checkoff Fund will be distributed equally by IDHS to the American Diabetes Association (ADA) for research to develop a cure for all types of diabetes and to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) to support type 1 or juvenile diabetes research. 
   
The fund received more than $100,000 for diabetes research as a result of contributions to the 2005 check off.

An estimated 700,000 adults living in Illinois have been diagnosed with diabetes.  Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which a person's pancreas stops producing insulin, the hormone that enables people to use energy from food.  Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder in which a person's body still produces insulin but is unable to use it effectively.

The IDHS Diabetes Prevention and Control Program supports and promotes prevention and intervention activities to reduce the burden of diabetes in Illinois.

Working in partnership with public and private service organizations, the Diabetes Prevention and Control Program focuses on controlling diabetes through: improving diabetes standards of clinical practice and education; improving access to quality care; improving referral and follow-up services for those with diagnosed diabetes; increasing public awareness of recommended care; and identifying people at risk for developing diabetes and referring them for appropriate prevention activities.

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) Research Program supports basic and clinical diabetes research aimed at preventing, treating, and curing all types of diabetes. The diabetes research projects cover the spectrum from islet cell biology and transplantation techniques, to studies in education and behavioral issues. 

The ADA Research Funding program is designed to complement the National Institutes of Health (NIH) diabetes research program by supporting new investigators and new research ideas. With support from ADA, investigators are often able to prove that their ideas are solid enough to get more substantial funding from the United States federal government. 

Founded by parents of children with type 1 diabetes, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) has always focused on a single goal—accelerating research progress to cure diabetes and its complications.  Through a unique peer review and lay review program, JDRF funds the most innovative, cutting-edge research worldwide.  Funding and leadership are associated with most of the scientific breakthroughs in type 1 research, including islet cell transplantation and stem cell research. 

JDRF supports multidisciplinary programs that bring together researchers from many institutions and varied disciplines such as molecular biology and genetics, immunology, transplantation, vascular biology, and stem cell research.

In a typical year, more than 80 cents of every dollar of JDRF expenditures are directly allocated to research and research-related education.  JDRF's mission includes three goals: restoring normal blood glucose levels; preventing and reversing complications; preventing type 1 diabetes.  Within these broad goals are specific research pathways to a cure for type 1 diabetes and treatments with the potential for having the greatest impact on all people with type 1 diabetes.