DICCI
from 01/06/2023 until 30/11/2024
The DICCI project (Diabetes Cells Citizens, in Italian DICCI means “tell us”) is the first Citizen Science project by Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele and IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, conceived and co-created thanks to the collaboration between researchers of the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) and Diabete Italia, the network that gathers associations representing people with diabetes (type 1, pediatric type 1, and type 2) as well as other key stakeholders in the diabetes community. The team also includes diabetes type 1 researchers, diabetologists, experts in science communication and public engagement, psychologists and statisticians.
Aim
The main goal of DICCI is to involve people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and their caregivers in collecting data and opinions about cell therapies. Even though cell therapy looks promising for treating T1D, there are still some worries and open questions regarding its effectiveness, safety, and ethics. To tackle these issues, we need to understand what patients and caregiver community think and need. This will allow us to tailor our research to better align with the requirements of people with T1D, making it a true crowdsourcing of research topics. Moreover, before launching it, we tested the questionnaire at one of our public events, where researchers met hundreds of people with T1D and collected their impressions of the questionnaire.
In T1D cellular therapies, we exploit pancreatic islets contain beta cells that produce insulin, the hormone needed to regulate blood sugar. These cells can be extracted from a donor pancreas and transplanted into patients with type 1 diabetes in a minimally invasive procedure. Pancreatic islet transplantation can reduce or eliminate insulin dependence and improve glycaemic control in patients. However, it has certain limitations, including the need for a large number of beta cells to be transplanted and the need to protect the cells from rejection with drugs that switch off the immune system.
Participating in the DICCI project is simple: if you are a person with type 1 diabetes or a caregiver just fill out a short, anonymous questionnaire (available in Italian) that takes only 10 minutes. The survey results will be made public and used to inform future decisions regarding in cell therapy for type 1 diabetes. We will keep the community informed about the project's progress through regular updates and reposts. The study results will be published on the websites of the Diabetes Research Institute and of Diabete Italia.
About branding
Logo design by: IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele
Created Aug. 9, 2024, 10:10 a.m.
Updated Aug. 9, 2024, 11:54 a.m.
