Joslin Diabetes Center - History

History

Joslin Diabetes was founded in 1898 in Boston by famed diabetes specialist Elliott P. Joslin on the belief that the key to managing diabetes is with patient involvement, education and empowerment.

Joslin Clinic has helped revolutionize the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diabetes, most notably

• Improving survival rate of babies born to women with diabetes

• Developing sight-saving laser surgery

• Devising treatments to reduce amputation

• Uncovering ways to predict who will develop diabetes

Some notable historic milestones include:

• 1949: Priscilla White, M.D., a founding member of Joslin Clinic, introduces the White Classification of Diabetic Pregnancies. This pioneering concept classifies patients according to their level of risk and tailors their treatment protocol accordingly. When Dr. Priscilla White joined Joslin’s practice in 1924, only 56 percent of babies born to diabetic mothers survived; 50 years later when she retired, that rate had jumped to more than 90 percent.
• 1967: A laser treatment (Ruby laser photocoagulation) is developed by William Beetham, M.D., and Lloyd M. Aiello, M.D., which within the next five years revolutionizes the care of diabetic retinopathy, a potentially blinding complication of diabetes.
• 1976: Joslin researchers perfect the A1C test, paving the way for this blood test to assess blood glucose control over a two- to three-month period.
• 1980s: Basic research at Joslin shows that type 1 diabetes evolves over a period of years, presenting hope that a means may be found to prevent autoimmune destruction of the pancreas’ beta cells before they stop producing insulin.
• 1980s: Joslin researchers also find that people with early signs of insulin resistance were likely to develop type 2 diabetes—unless they lose weight.
• 1989: George King, M.D., and colleagues demonstrate that high blood glucose levels activate protein kinase C (PKC), part of a major signaling pathway that causes cellular changes in the eye, kidney and arteries that lead to diabetic complications.
• 1996: A molecular pathway (called NF-κB) is identified in fat and the liver that is activated by obesity (and a fatty diet) and causes the insulin resistance that can lead to type 2 diabetes (Steven E. Shoelson, M.D., Ph.D.).
• 1998: Joslin Vision Network—a telemedicine technology developed at Joslin—found to produce images of the retina just as accurately as standard equipment, but without having to dilate the pupil. Remote sites across the United States can now access Joslin’s expertise in diabetic eye disease diagnosis and treatment.
• 2002: The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) study shows people with elevated blood glucose levels who are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes can reduce their risk by 58 percent through sustained modest weight loss and increased moderate-intensity exercise, such as walking 30 minutes daily.
• 2003: Researchers discover that early signs of kidney disease (microalbuminuria) can be reversed back to normal with proper medical screening and diabetes control.
• 2006: Joslin researchers find that specific genes can determine both obesity and body-fat distribution in humans.
• 2009: Researchers discover that brown fat is present in some adults, providing a new target for the treatment of obesity.