“Each year, the most outstanding projects covering a range of basic, clinical, psychosocial and translational diabetes-related research are selected on merit, following peer review,” Diabetes Victoria chief executive Craig Bennett said.
“Each general grant recipient receives funding of around $70,000.
“Every dollar directed towards diabetes research is critical. Each funded project may hold a vital key to the next development or breakthrough, potentially helping to make a real difference to many lives.”
Diabetes research continues to bring hope to people living with all types of diabetes, which is now the fastest-growing chronic condition in Victoria.
“Almost 370,000 Victorians live with diabetes and we estimate that some 125,000 more live with undiagnosed type 2 diabetes,” he said.
The Victorian recipients of the 2022 Diabetes Australia Research Program general grants come from many of Melbourne’s most well-known institutions including Monash University, the University of Melbourne, Deakin University, St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, the Centre for Eye Research Australia, La Trobe University, the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, the Royal Melbourne Hospital and the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research.
“Each of the supported research projects is important and will throw light on the causes and consequences of the different types of diabetes,” Mr Bennett said.
“There are three projects in particular that are fascinating.
“The first is a home-based vascular therapy for improving exercise tolerance and glycaemia in type 2 diabetes, to be undertaken by Associate Professor Michelle Keske at Deakin University and in collaboration with Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition,” he said.
Exercise intolerance means a decreased ability to perform physical exercise. This is common in people with type 2 diabetes and significantly reduces quality of life, making independent living difficult.
“The other is led by Associate Professor John Wentworth who is researching an in-home islet autoantibody test for detecting type 1 diabetes,” Mr Bennett said.
“John works with the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research and collaborates with Melbourne Health/the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Lions Diabetes Foundation and JDRF.
“Similar to COVID-19 rapid antigen tests, this could mean a new way to identify type 1 diabetes in children and young adults who are at high risk quickly, easily, and at a lower cost.
“The third project has the potential to identify a new drug therapy to improve the lives of people living with diabetes with hard-to-treat hypertension and heart failure, by Dr Arpeeta Sharma.”
