JDRF - Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

US-based clinical trials have demonstrated the effectiveness of two new therapies for Diabetic Macular Edema.

Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) is a common health complication of type 1 diabetes and involves swelling in the centre of the retina (otherwise known as the macula). The swelling is caused by leaking blood vessels, damaged by periods of high blood glucose. People with macular edema lose their detailed vision and as such the ability to perform common daily activities. Severe damage results in legal blindness.

Laser therapy, the standard treatment for DME, has been used for almost 25 years. While it’s effective in early stage disease, new treatments are urgently needed for people with more aggressive forms of the condition. JDRF have been supporting a number of trials in this area, and in the last few months, results from two of these trials have shown promising results.

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Thousands of advocates from across Australia have stepped up to help secure $35 million for a Clinical Trial Network.

Thanks to all the letters, emails, phone calls and media releases, the campaign for a Clinical Trial Network is having a big impact.

Unfortunately, no government commitment has been made, so funding for the clinical trials in Australia is still uncertain.

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Thousands of advocates have made their voice heard for a Clinical Trial Network, with new supporters signing up every day. The message is clear; Australians cannot accept that our country is falling behind the US and the UK in access to the latest treatments and therapies for type 1 diabetes. A Government commitment of $35 million for a Clinical Trials Network will take research to where it is needed most – directly to people living with this difficult disease.

So far, advocates have not received the answer they are desperately hoping for but it is not too late to get involved.

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An open letter to the Prime Minister and the Minister for Health in National Diabetes Week 2010 from the President of JDRF Australia, Susan Alberti AO.

Dear Prime Minister Gillard and Minister Roxon,

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JDRF welcomes today’s $35 million commitment from the Opposition Leader, the Hon. Tony Abbott MP, to fund the Clinical Trial Network (CTN) that will improve the health of Australians with type 1 diabetes.

JDRF is seeking $40m in Federal Government funding to establish the CTN, with a contribution from JDRF of $10m. The Government’s recent initial commitment of $5m for the CTN was a positive first step.

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Put simply, a clinical trial is a scientific study of a new medical therapy in humans.

Clinical trials are usually the last stage of the research process, capping off years of laboratory and animal research. Their ultimate aim is to obtain a realistic picture of what would happen if a medical treatment was available to the Australian public. Read more...

In an exciting step forward for Australian type 1 diabetes research, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has confirmed that the Australian Government will provide $5 million funding to support the establishment of an Australian Clinical Trial Network for Type 1 Diabetes.

This announcement stems from the Prime Minister’s initial commitment to match the generous $500,000 pledge made by JDRF President Dr Sue Alberti AO at the recent Federal Kids in the House event in Canberra.

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What is xenotransplantation?

For type 1 diabetes, xenotransplantation involves taking insulin-producing islets from animals —in this case, pigs—and transplanting them into people. Pigs are considered the best species for xenotransplantation because pig organs are similar in size and physiology to human organs and pig insulin has been shown to work effectively in humans.

Earlier this year, the Australian government’s National Health and Medical Research Council lifted a moratorium on the clinical use of xenotransplantation. The ruling came after five years of research into the possible side effects of the technique, particularly the potential transmission of disease from animals to humans. It concluded that xenotransplantation research can proceed, given that researchers adhere to strict guidelines, and that the associated risks with xenotransplantation are minimal and acceptable given the potential benefits.

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JDRF has announced a one year industry partnership with an Australian company to support a clinical trial into the use of encapsulated pig islets to treat type 1 diabetes.

The trial, being conducted in New Zealand by Living Cell Technologies, involves eight adult patients with established type 1 diabetes and hypoglycemia unawareness – a constant inability to sense when blood glucose levels are dropping dangerously low.

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JDRF researchers from Canada show that a new vaccine can cure type 1 diabetes in mice and slow the onset of the condition in mice at risk of the disease.

Type 1 diabetes is caused when a persons own immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Whilst the precise trigger of this attack is still unproven, researchers do know that there are certain immune cells that play a more important role than others. The challenge is to target the “bad” cells without harming the good cells that protect us from day-to-day infections.

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