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New Diabetes Research Chair for Central Florida  A new research chair for Central Florida is being funded by a 250-thousand dollar donation from a Winter Park family. [TRI Scientific Director Dr. Steven Smith with von Weller family] Butch and Karen von Weller are the donors for the chair at the Florida Hospital Sanford-Burnham Translational Research Institute for Metabolism and Diabetes, or T-R-I. Butch von Weller said he felt moved to make the donation because his adult daughter has been living with Type 1 diabetes from an early age. The family's involvement with the American Diabetes Association was also influential. “When this opportunity came up to get involved with the TRI, as they call it, it just seemed like a good thing to do, I think they’re going to make a difference,” he said. Type 1 or juvenile diabetes is a condition in which the body doesn’t produce enough insulin. von Weller says as diabetes research progresses, he’d like to see more work in the area of gene therapy as a potential cure.
A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the donation amount. The correct amount is $250,000. |
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