In 2005 Illinois Institute of Technology established a unique diabetes research and education center. The objective of the Engineering Center for Diabetes Research and Education (ECDRE) is to use engineering and scientific techniques to develop treatment modalities for diabetes and its many complications.

ECDRE is the first engineering center in the U.S. to focus on the treatment and cure of diabetes. IIT faculty members, in collaboration with faculty, medical investigators, and clinicians at the University of Chicago, University of Illinois, Rush University, and Argonne National Laboratory, are working on a variety of diabetes-related research projects. ECDRE is a component of the Pritzker Institute of Biomedical Science and Engineering, which is developing a biomedical research thrust on the IIT campus. ECDRE recently received settlement funds for $5 million from a cy pres action related to a diabetes drug. This settlement provides significant funds for enhancing the activities and visibility of the Center.