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\u201cThe project will bring us closer to achieving the goal of drug-free immunosuppression, which may benefit the recipients of other types of transplants,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The grant has been given by the Type 1 Diabetes Clinical Research Network (T1DCRN), an innovative clinical research program led by JDRF Australia, which brings together researchers, patients, industry and international networks to share a strong focus on patient benefit.<\/p>\n
Professor O\u2019Connell, who is also director of the Australian Clinical Islet Transplant Consortium, and led the Australian Islet Transplantation Program from 2005-2011, said clinical trials underway at Westmead Hospital and elsewhere since 2006 have proven the technique to be highly successful.<\/p>\n
But so far its use has been limited to a small number of patients with so-called \u201cbrittle\u201d diabetes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe current need for transplant recipients to take powerful drugs for the rest of their lives to prevent islet rejection means the technique has been reserved for people with life-threatening undetected hypoglycaemia and is not suitable for children or younger patients,\u201d said Professor O\u2019Connell.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe average age of patients when they suffer the onset of type 1 diabetes is just 11 years, so if we could successfully use pancreatic islet transplantation in the young it would solve a significant problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
The T1DCRN is supported by the Australian Government through the Special Research Initiative for Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes, a $35 million grant funded by the Australian Research Council.<\/p>\n
The funding is designed to plug an acknowledged gap between lab-based research and expensive clinical trials that prevents new type 1 diabetes treatments entering widespread use.<\/p>\n
Type 1 diabetes is a chronic auto-immune disease affecting 120,000 Australians. It destroys the body\u2019s insulin-producing cells, which normally prevent blood-sugar levels from becoming dangerously high.<\/p>\n
For unknown reasons, the rate of type 1 diabetes is rising in advanced developed countries.<\/p>\n
For further information or to arrange an interview, contact:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mark Mathot<\/p>\n
Marketing and Communications Manager<\/p>\n
Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research<\/p>\n
0403 052 522<\/p>\n