[Recorded Webinar and Slides Are Available Now!] dkNET Webinar: "The Mission and Progress of the(sugar)science: Helping Scientists Who Study Type 1 Diabetes Connect"

*Watch recorded webinar here: https://youtu.be/g54yxvHjeh4

*Webinar slides: https://www.slideshare.net/dkNET/dknet-webinar-the-mission-and-progress-of-thesugarscience-helping-scientists-who-study-type-1-diabetes-connect-12092022

Join dkNET Webinar on Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, 11 am - 12 pm PST

Presenters:

Monica Westley, PhD, Founder, the(sugar)science

Tiffany Richardson

Neha Majety

Abstract

   The(sugar)science was launched two years ago with the aim of helping scientists who study type 1 diabetes (T1D) and related interdisciplinary fields connect globally. We also wanted to create a digital space where trainees in the field can be supported, celebrated and connected to future positions. As part of our mission, our all volunteer team created the State of the Science series (2021. 2022), connecting global thought leaders around T1D research topics for discussion with a larger scientific audience. The second State of Science series was led by women scientists following the ADA publication which highlighted the paucity of women scientists in the leadership positions in the field.

   To encourage the scientific community at large to dive into pre-existing data and pull out novel hypotheses that pertain to T1D, we created and together with dkNET, hosted D-Challenge 2021 and 2022. These competitions awarded $40K and $50K respectively to those who mined data and developed the most creative and testable hypothesis as judged by scientific experts in the field. These teams were also able to have an audience with the JDRFT1D Fund as part of a "pitch polish" which facilitated their interaction with venture capital.

   To date, we have hosted over 200 interviews with T1D focused scientists in academia and industry and have an audience of 35K. Our reach on social media continues to grow and our metrics indicate a robust following. We share opportunities for positions in the field, engage and support trainees and together, our young scientific team published a paper, Similarities between bacterial GAD and human GAD65: Implications in gut mediated autoimmune type 1 diabetes, PLOS, February 2022.

   We are currently engaged in the build of a T1D TCR Repository. We connected the AIRR data commons community with top TCR scientists in the field to begin this community based venture. It has the possibility to be incredibly instructive in defining the prodrome , which will further inform the field as it pertains to understanding the etiology of T1D.

   Current team members that will join the discussion today will be Neha Mejety, Johns Hopkins University undergraduate and Tiffany Richardson, doctoral degree candidate at VUMC Diabetes.

The top 3 key  questions that the(sugar)science can answer:

1. How can I find scientists to collaborate with in Type 1 diabetes research?

2. Where can I learn about Type 1 diabetes trending topics?

3. Where can I find forums to discuss novel ideas with scientists or key opinion leaders and find opportunities for Type 1 diabetes research 

Dial-in Information: https://uchealth.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0sce2rqj0uGtEbhiij8Wpdf_uAHnbYfufp

Date/Time: Friday, December 9, 2022, 11 am - 12 pm PST

Upcoming webinars schedule: https://dknet.org/about/webinar