On Nov. 14, the Breakthrough T1D Promise Gala raised more than $1.8 million to fund life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent, and treat T1D and its complications for the 1.4 million Americans who live with the disease.
Hosted by TODAY with Hoda & Jenna co-host Jenna Bush Hager at Cipriani South Street, the captivating night gathered tastemakers and celebrities who came together to help raise awareness and promote unity in doing so for people across the country. Grammy nominated musician Este Haim, who lives with T1D, was awarded with the Breakthrough T1D Voice of Influence award. Additionally, actress, filmmaker and T1D advocate Kelsey Bascom premiered an exclusive trailer of her film “Quarter,” a coming-of-age comedy about a young woman living with T1D.
Kelsey Bascom (Diane Bondareff/AP Content Services for Breakthrough T1D Greater New York Metro)
The film stars Bascom along with Ali Wentworth and features Brooke Shields and Raven-Symoné, with Shields also serving as executive producer.
“It is really special to share the trailer for the first time on World Diabetes Day here with a room full of people who all understand Type One Diabetes,” said Bascom. “They either have it or have a close connection to it. It felt very, very meaningful.”
Bascom explained further to Knockturnal about the development of the movie: “It was important to me first to make it as a comedy but not make fun of diabetes. I wanted to to show a normal person with this relatable character. I feel like I could educate the audience more through comedy where they don’t know they’re being educated about type one diabetes.”
The gala also was a special moment as the launch of Project ACT (Accelerate Cell Therapies), a flagship initiative to advance breakthroughs in T1D cell therapies, was announced. For more than 50 years, Breakthrough T1D has been the galvanizing force behind nearly every major T1D innovation, including the artificial pancreas and Tzield, the first disease modifying therapy approved to delay the clinical onset of T1D. T
Three early, transformational gifts, totaling $75 million have allowed Breakthrough T1D to launch Project ACT. Project ACT is poised to achieve the next step toward cures through stem cell-based islet cell therapies, enabling people with T1D to produce their own insulin again, without the need for broad immunosuppression.
T1D, an autoimmune disease that causes the pancreas to make very little insulin or none at all, was once viewed as a condition that could only be diagnosed in childhood. However, it is now known that T1D can develop at any age, regardless of family history. Curing and preventing T1D will require disease modifying and cell therapies that disrupt or reset the immune system’s attack on insulin-producing beta cells. Unlike insulin therapy, which saves lives but does not impact the progression of T1D or prevent complications, cell therapies aim to stop the immune attack on insulin-producing cells and keep them healthy. Significant advances in technology mean that these cell therapies are now within reach.
“As a scientist who lives with type 1 diabetes, I firmly believe that cell therapies will allow us to take off our devices and return to the lives that we led before this disease,” said Aaron J. Kowalski, Ph.D., CEO of Breakthrough T1D.
Project ACT will leverage Breakthrough T1D’s world class research and advocacy teams to advance the most promising cell therapy research conducted by leading academics, medical experts and companies in the industry. This transformational project would not be possible without foundational investments from John Cammett, The Tullman Family and an anonymous donor, who each contributed $25 million toward what is poised to be a life changing venture. These generous gifts and future philanthropic commitments are essential to Project ACT’s progress and success.
