Team Type 1 Diabetes Sports Research Institute to Launch First of Its Kind Clinical Study at Amgen Tour of California May 15-22

Study First Step in Filling Research Void for Athletes With Diabetes

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a first step to fill a major void in diabetes sports research, global sports organization Team Type 1, the official parent company of the Team Type 1-sanofi aventis professional men’s cycling team, will launch a clinical study at the Amgen Tour of California. The pioneering study conducted by the TT1 Diabetes Sports Research Institute, will assess blood glucose levels of elite cyclists - both with and without diabetes - with a goal of identifying optimal levels for peak athletic performance. The study will be led by Institute Medical Director, Juan P. Frias, M.D. Dr. Frias is affiliated with the University of California San Diego Department of Medicine, and is the former Chief Medical Officer of Johnson & Johnson, Diabetes Care.

“Not Dead Yet: My Race Against Disease From Diagnosis to Dominance”

“While there have been several athletes with type 1 diabetes who have competed and succeeded at the professional and Olympic levels, there is very little published clinical data related to optimization of athletic performance in persons with type 1 diabetes,” says Dr. Frias. “We strongly believe our efforts will play an important role in expanding research in this field and in helping other athletes with diabetes manage their glucose to perform safely and optimally.”

Throughout the eight stages of the Tour, which includes grueling climbs and hundreds of miles of racing from Lake Tahoe to Thousand Oaks, Team Type 1-sanofi-aventis athletes who have volunteered to take part in the study will wear continuous glucose monitors, while meters on their bikes measure parameters such as speed, power and energy expenditure.

The study will continue at other cycling events throughout the racing season including the USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Colorado from August 22-28. Additionally, a controlled laboratory component is planned in collaboration with the San Diego State University School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences.

For Team Type 1 CEO and Founder, Phil Southerland, the study represents a monumental leap forward in the organization’s mission to instill hope and inspiration for people around the world affected by diabetes.

“Diabetes has never held us back,” says Southerland, “We’re paving the road and establishing guidelines for diabetes and exercise so that parents of diabetic kids never have to worry about their children’s safety, and athletes with diabetes have a blueprint for success. We want to be the #1 resource in the world for diabetes and sports.”

Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at seven months old, Southerland’s mother was told he would either be blind or dead by the age of 25. At 29, he is alive and thriving, and is a global diabetes ambassador educating patients and medical professionals throughout the world on what is possible with good control.

His memoir, “Not Dead Yet: My Race Against Disease From Diagnosis to Dominance” hits bookshelves on Tuesday, May 10^th. The first two chapters can be previewed at: www.teamtype1.org/book.

Based in Atlanta, GA, Team Type 1 began as a grassroots initiative to motivate people to take control of their diabetes using cycling as a platform. It grew to become a world-class athletic program for athletes with diabetes, including a professional men's cycling team, poised to compete at the 2012 Tour de France. Today, it is a global sports organization changing the lives of people with diabetes around the world through racing, groundbreaking research, international outreach and philanthropic initiatives in developing countries.