A longtime Cresskill, New Jersey, executive, David Kushner serves as president of Paradigm Capital Group, where he directs bridge financing transactions across the country. Active in his Cresskill community, David Kushner supports the Juvenile Research Diabetes Foundation, or JDRF.
Focused on ending type 1 diabetes (T1D), JDRF is a nonprofit with a strong research focus. In July, several JDRF-funded researchers presented at the American Diabetes Association’s 77th Scientific Sessions conference, which stands as the largest such event in the world. Among the JDRF projects highlighted was a landmark trial of imatinib (Gleevec) that explored the cancer drug’s potential against newly diagnosed T1D progression.
Undertaken by University of California, San Francisco, researchers, the phase 2 trial showed the drug to be effective in slowing T1D progression and in working to counter insulin production deficiencies among adults. On average, those who took the medication enjoyed improved beta cell function and required fewer insulin treatments, which points toward new treatment pathways for a challenging disease.
