The Bukhman Foundation has announced a £100m pledge over the next 10 years to advance research and advocacy in Type 1 diabetes (T1D), underscoring the Foundation’s dedication to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by T1D.
The pledge will go towards supporting world-class scientific research at a range of organisations aimed at enhancing the understanding of T1D and accelerating the development of new treatments globally and, ultimately, finding a cure. By backing innovative projects and fostering collaboration among top researchers, the Bukhman Foundation’s aim is to spearhead efforts to address the unmet needs of millions of people living with T1D worldwide.
The first two gifts from the pledge will be allocated to:
- Diabetes UK: funding cutting-edge research at the University of Cambridge that will explore how common viral infections may trigger Type 1 diabetes in genetically at-risk children. As part of an international study tracking children with a high genetic predisposition to the condition, this three-year project will examine how children’s immune systems react at different stages of infection. The aim is to provide the most detailed insight yet into the immune responses to viruses that may spark autoimmunity in Type 1 diabetes and help to uncover why only certain children are affected, and hopefully leading to the development of new treatments to prevent the condition in future generations.
- The Breakthrough T1D Barbara Dewey Cammett Center of Excellence in New England: supporting innovative research into gene-edited, lab-grown islets, insulin-producing cells that can be transplanted into patients without the need for powerful immunosuppressive drugs. This work is central to making cell therapy cures both safer and more widely accessible. In people with T1D, the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the pancreas’s beta cells, which are responsible for producing insulin. Cell therapies aim to cure T1D by replacing these destroyed cells with healthy, insulin-producing ones and ensuring they are protected so they can survive and function long-term. The Center’s mission is to develop methods for growing these cells in the laboratory and finding ways to shield them inside the body without requiring lifelong immunosuppression.
Anastasia and Igor Bukhman, Co-Founders of the Bukhman Foundation, said: “At the Bukhman Foundation, we know firsthand the profound impact that Type 1 diabetes has on individuals and families. This pledge is deeply personal and reflects our determination to inspire hope and bring meaningful change to families everywhere. By funding innovative research and fostering collaboration, we aim to supercharge efforts to find new treatments and, ultimately, a cure. We hope this historic pledge will motivate others to join us in creating a future where Type 1 diabetes no longer defines or limits lives.”
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