About Us

Supporters prepare to walk in the 2003 Walkathon.

Founded by Paul and Diane Manning, the Focus to Cure Diabetes Foundation has played an integral role in establishing an islet cell transplant program at the University of Virginia. Islet cell transplantation has been hailed as a cutting edge answer to providing diabetes patients with insulin independence.

Formerly known as the Islet Replacement Research Foundation, the nonprofit, volunteer organization was instrumental in helping UVa perform the state's first islet cell transplant and continues to raise money to support diabetes research.

When it comes to diabetes, the Mannings have long put their money where their hearts are. The couple, parents of two children with type 1 diabetes, has donated several million dollars to diabetes research efforts with the aim of curing the disease.

The Mannings plan to continue to fund diabetes research at UVa and have leveraged their companies to make progress on the diabetes research front:

• GigaCyte LLC, is conducting cutting edge research on diabetes and drug discovery to help further efforts towards a cure for diabetes.