The Centre has
- Led clinical care and research nationally and is recognised internationally for its work.
- Contributed to new knowledge about hypoglycaemia, particularly during sleep and with exercise, which has resulted in a reduction in the frequency of this complication and made the lives of children with diabetes safer.
- Found that pump technology that suspends insulin delivery when blood glucose levels fall and are predicted to fall can halve the incidence of hypoglycaemia compared with traditional treatments.
- Quantified the glucose requirements for different exercise intensities and different insulin levels, as well as the impact of hyperglycaemia on performance, which will inform guidelines to assist people with type 1 diabetes to exercise safely.
- Developed new school-based interventions and guidelines for blood glucose management and exercise.
- Determined precisely how much insulin is required for additional fat and protein in a meal using a novel insulin clamp technique.
- Showed that children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes are twice as likely to develop mental health conditions during early adulthood compared with their non‐diabetic peers.
- Successfully advocated for children to have access to new technology such as continuous glucose monitoring.
Our future program involves
- Refining engineering hardware and software algorithms and conducting well-designed clinical trials of diabetes technology.
- Developing more resources for schools to better support students with diabetes.
- Looking closely at the relationship between the amount of carbohydrate and insulin required to maintain healthy blood glucose levels.
- Developing and trialling guidelines for people with type 1 diabetes on how to manage exercise and their blood glucose levels.
- Further understanding the risk factors and determinants of type 1 diabetes through our epidemiological studies. This includes the Centre’s involvement with the national ENDIA study that involves recruiting pregnant women who either have type 1 diabetes or who have a partner with the condition to investigate the environmental determinants of the disease.
- Working to better understand the link between stress, anxiety and blood glucose levels in young people.
- Working to identify and trial interventions that improve the mental health and wellbeing of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes and their families.
- Continuing to promote positive school experiences for children and young people with type 1 diabetes and to gain a deeper understanding of school experiences and how these help or hinder psychosocial wellbeing.