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$25 million for diabetes research

by Brady Smith

WATERLOO (KWWL) - The Fraternal Order of Eagles showed their committment Tuesday, to finding a cure for diabetes.

On the lawn next to the University of Iowa's Medical Education and Research Facility, members of the Order gathered to announce their pledge of 5$ million a year for the next five years. That $25 million will be matched by the University, whose part will pay for construction costs.

The Eagles' Diabetes Research Center will be part of the University's new Institute for Biomedical Discovery. That building is a project that had to be put on hold, after flooding struck the campus this summer.

The announcement was especially exciting for Greg Martin, Vice President of the Eagles' Iowa State area. He was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes two years ago. "My mother's also type-2, and my brother's type-2," he told us.

Martin and 24 million other Americans live with diabetes, and researchers say it's reaching epidemic proportions. Known cases in the U.S. have risen by 4 million since last year alone, and the nation spent $174 billion on diabetes care in 2007, according to University statistics.

Dr. John Stokes, Professor of Medicine, called the numbers "astonishing," and says the Eagles' contribution will go a long way in finding a cure for diabetes, and furthermore, exploring how it starts.

"This will be a big, big help in our trying to understand why diabetes affects various organs, particularly the kidneys," Stokes said.

Lieutenant Governor Patty Judge also made an appearance at Tuesday's announcement ceremony, to show the state's support of the donation. "We can and we will do significant work here at the University of Iowa to change those statistics, and to begin to find a cure for this disease."

Stokes says once the facility is finally built, the state will blaze trails in new kids of diabetes research. "The idea for this building is to bring people together with fresh ideas, so we can try high-risk, high-payoff ideas and attack major diseases for people."

Online Reporter: Brady Smith bsmith@kwwl.com