Current research projects in diabetes
Project 1: Preventing cardiovascular disease in children with diabetes and obesity
Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in adults with diabetes or obesity. Since the origins of cardiovascular disease lie in childhood, we are trying to innovate ways to stop its development before the damage is irreversible. To do this we are evaluating the early markers of cardiovascular disease in three groups of children during puberty: those with type 1 diabetes, those with obesity, and those who are disease-free.
The markers that have proved most effective include an increased thickness of the aorta wall and changes in lipids, weight and blood glucose levels. We have also produced evidence that supplementary folate and vitamin B6 restores blood vessel health in children with type 1 diabetes in the short-term, and that by delivering insulin via an insulin pump, blood vessel function is improved.
Started in 2008, our research is being carried out at the Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide, in collaboration with other children's diabetes centres around Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada. It is funded by a $400, 000 project grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council and other grants from Diabetes Australia. This project involves seven researchers led by Professor Jennifer Couper, Head of the Children's Research Centre, and Dr Alexia Peña from the Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes at the Women's and Children's Hospital.
Project 2: Identifying environmental contributors to type 1 diabetes in children
The incidence of type 1 diabetes has doubled in Australian children over the last 20 years. The purpose of this project is to determine the environmental factors that are contributing to this rise in incidence by monitoring the lives of children who fall into a high-risk category of developing the disease.
To date we have proven that above average weight gain in the first two years of life increases the risk of type 1 diabetes in children who have an immediate relative with the disease. Previously scientists believed that weight gain was only a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, but we have now produced evidence that weight gain is a risk factor for both forms of the disease. We hope to use these findings to inform primary prevention strategies for diabetes among children.
Our research is being carried out at the Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide, in collaboration with the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne. The project involves seven researchers led by Professor Jennifer Couper, Head of the Children's Research Centre and Discipline of Paediatrics at the University of Adelaide.
