FOR RELEASE: July 12, 2006

GALVESTON, Texas — Galveston residents Tina and Allen LeCornu recently established a diabetes research fund in their granddaughter’s name to support University of Texas Medical Branch researchers who are seeking a cure for type 1 diabetes.

The Ruby Christine Morgan Fund for Type 1 Diabetes Research benefits innovative studies involving the transformation of stem cells — early cells that divide and form different kinds of cells — into cells that produce insulin, the hormone needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy.

Diabetes is an incurable but treatable health condition that prevents the body from producing or properly using insulin. While the cause of diabetes is still unknown, researchers have found that genetics and environmental factors play significant roles. There are two types of diabetes: People with type 1 cannot produce insulin, while type 2 hinders the body from properly using the hormone.

UTMB researchers are conducting type 1 diabetes studies with stem cells taken from the umbilical cord blood of human placentas that are normally discarded after birth. While not currently available to the public, stem cell treatments have great potential to significantly improve the lives of people with type 1 diabetes. Currently, insulin-producing cells can be transplanted, but recipients must undergo a lifetime of immune suppression therapy to prevent rejection of the new cells. Stem cells are less likely to be seen as “foreign” by the body and are therefore less likely to be rejected.

The American Diabetes Association reports that approximately 17 million people in the United States have either type 1 or type 2 diabetes, and the Texas Diabetes Council estimates that 1.2 million adults in the state have been diagnosed with the disease. The total yearly economic cost of diabetes in the U.S. approximated $132 billion in 2002, or one of every 10 health care dollars spent, according to the ADA. Diabetes-related complications include heart attacks, nerve damage, blindness and kidney failure. It is the sixth-leading cause of death in Texas, directly attributed to the loss of more than 5,600 lives in 2003.

The LeCornus’ granddaughter, Ruby Morgan, was 3 years old when she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2004. Wendy Morgan, Ruby’s mother and the LeCornus’ daughter, has lived with type 1 since she was a teenager. Ruby’s father, Marshall, was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes the same day doctors discovered the disease in Ruby.

The LeCornus, who own and operate two shops on Galveston’s historic Strand, Tina’s and The Admiralty, are looking forward to the day when a cure ends their daughter’s and granddaughter’s constant vigilance to control their blood sugar levels and use of insulin pumps to survive. “We established this research fund at UTMB to help ensure that a cure will be found in Wendy and Ruby’s lifetimes,” Allen LeCornu said. “Children and families everywhere are struggling with this disease, and we want that to stop.”

While type 1 diabetes is treatable, Tina LeCornu said the care regimen is arduous. Her granddaughter must have her finger pricked about eight times a day for blood-sugar monitoring, and the Morgans count carbohydrates before every meal and snack to calibrate the proper dosage given by Ruby’s pager-sized insulin pump. “There’s so much you have to do; unless you’ve been through it, you wouldn’t understand,” LeCornu said. “It’s constant and every day. It’s not something you can take a vacation from.”

Ruby Morgan’s insulin pump, which she wears 24 hours a day, transmits insulin via a small tube inserted beneath the skin. This tube is removed every two to three days to clean the surrounding skin area to fight infection, an activity Ruby dreads, according to Wendy Morgan. “She will ask, ‘Is it OK if I cry, Mommy?’ and I’ll say, ‘Sure, that’s fine.’”

With Ruby, who turns 6 this August, her husband and herself diagnosed with diabetes, Wendy Morgan said her family encounters daily struggles dealing with the disease. But through such adversity, all three have become closer. “Ruby has a good attitude about it all,” she said. “These are the cards we were dealt. I personally want to educate people about all aspects of the disease. We need to find a cure, so we won’t bankrupt our country and so everyone with diabetes can eventually lead normal lives.”

Those who are interested in contributing to the Ruby Christine Morgan Fund may make checks payable to the University of Texas Medical Branch, noting the fund’s name on the memo line, and mail them to Sandy Sheehy, UTMB Office of University Advancement, 301 University Blvd., Galveston, Texas 77555-0148. Please include the last four digits of the ZIP code to ensure faster delivery. Anyone interested in establishing funds that support research for other diseases may also contact Sheehy at (409) 772-9304.

The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
Public Affairs Office
301 University Boulevard, Suite 3.102
Galveston, Texas 77555-0144
www.utmb.edu