Patients’ and carers’ perceptions on routine mental health screening in paediatric diabetes care

This research project is looking for teenagers living with diabetes or their carers. It will determine patients’ and carers’ perceptions regarding 1) their health care team’s role in screening psychological concerns; and 2) barriers and facilitators to implementing psychosocial screening in practice. It will ask questions like:

-How confident do you feel talking about mental health concerns with your diabetes providers?
-What would make it easier to talk about mental health with your diabetes providers? 

What is involved?  

You will be asked to complete an online survey. The survey is anonymous and will take approximately 15 minutes to complete.  

Want to know more? (link to contact info) 

Contact principal investigator Dr Steven James on +61 7 54302929, or sjames1@usc.edu.au to find out more  

HUMAN trial

This project is testing the safety of SAB-142 when given to healthy volunteers and patients with Type 1 diabetes (T1D). It is similar to an approved drug called Thymoglobulin. Thymoglobulin is being studied at doses up to 4.5 mg/kg for potential benefit in people who have T1D. As SAB-142 is a fully human antibody, SAB-142 may have similar benefits for people with T1D without the side effects associated with an animal antibody product.   

What are the benefits of participating?  

If you agree to take part in this study, there will be no direct benefit to you. However, your participation in this study may help develop important scientific knowledge that could contribute to the development of a potential new treatment for T1D. We hope the information learned from this study will benefit patients with T1D in the future. You will be compensated for your time and travel.  

Want to know more?  

To find out more please contact the following people: emiliegarside@veritusresearch.com; adelebarnard@veritusresearch.com or jacksonpetersen@veritusresearch.com 

JAKPOT T1D  

This trial will test two drugs, called abrocitinib and ritlecitanib. The trial will test whether these drugs can allow people newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) to keep producing their own insulin for longer. These two drugs are part of a drug family called ‘JAK inhibitors’.  

In 2024, a JDRF-funded trial showed that the use of a similar drug, called baricitinib, was able to delay progression of T1D and preserve the body’s ability to make its own insulin in those newly diagnosed with the condition. It’s hoped that abrocitinib and ritlecitanib can do the same.  

What’s involved? 

Participants will be randomly divided into three groups. Each group will receive a daily tablet of either abrocitinib or ritlecitanib or a placebo (inactive ingredient) for 12 months. Participants will be followed up for two years.  

What are the benefits of participating?  

Two in every three participants in this trial will receive active treatment, either abrocitinib or ritlecitanib. Current evidence suggests that these two medications can help suppress the immune attack that causes T1D, and can help the body continue to produce its own insulin.

Want to know more? 

This trial is being undertaken by the JDRF-funded Australasian Type 1 Diabetes Immunotherapy Collaborative (ATIC). 

To find out if you are eligible or if you have any questions contact the ATIC team. 

The ASITI-201 study

This study is examining the safety, tolerability and characteristics of a new drug called ASITI-201. This drug has the potential to stop or slow down the immune system’s attack of beta cells seen in type 1 diabetes.  

The trial aims to find out: 

• if ASITI-201 is safe
• if ASITI-201 helps stop the immune system from attacking insulin-producing cells in the pancreas
• what is the best dose to use. 

Study activities will be undertaken at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane and participants need to attend in person.

Funding is available for participants in Queensland to travel to recruitment centres and clinic visits. 

Want to know more?  

Email: fi.thomasresearch@uq.edu.au 

REducing Cardiometabolic Risk with SEmaglutide in Type 1 diabetes (RESET1)

People with type 1 diabetes are at increased risk of developing heart disease. Treatments are urgently needed to address risk factors including excess weight, insulin resistance, and high glucose levels. The RESET1 study is looking for adults to test whether semaglutide, a medication currently used to treat type 2 diabetes, can improve heart health in people with T1D. 

What’s involved?  

Participants will be given semaglutide or a placebo once a week for 26 weeks. The study will include blood and urine tests, body composition and liver scans. These will be done at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Darlinghurst, Sydney. 

What are the benefits of participating?  

By participating, you will learn about your metabolism and receive test results, including body composition and energy expenditure measurements. 

Want to know more?  

Email: RESET1@garvan.org.au or call Dr Ruth Frampton on 0491 731 769. 

Tirzepatide in type 1 diabetes: cardiometabolic effects (TIRTLE)

Cardiovascular disease and its risk factors are prominent issues in type 1 diabetes. There is a need to identify treatments that can address weight, blood sugar management and heart disease risk factors in type 1 diabetes. Tirzepatide is a medication usually used in type 2 diabetes. Whether tirzepatide improves health in type 1 diabetes has not been studied before. The TIRTLE study is a clinical trial studying the effect of tirzepatide on weight and metabolism in adults with type 1 diabetes.

Treatment

The study medication in this trial is given by injection into the skin once a week for 12 weeks. For every 2 participants, 1 will receive the study medication, and 1 will receive placebo. The allocation of medication is done randomly.

Benefits of participation

In addition to improving knowledge about weight management and metabolic health in type 1 diabetes, test results such as body composition measurements will be shared with you.

There is no cost to participate in the study.

Contact

Email: TIRTLE@garvan.org.au

Phone: 0491 731 769

T1D RELAY – Rituximab-pvvr and Abatacept Newly Diagnosed Study

The medicines Rituximab-pvvr and abatacept have both been shown to protect insulin-producing beta cells from immune attack, allowing people with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes (T1D) to continue producing their own insulin for longer. This trial will look at whether combining these two medicines is better at protecting beta cells from immune attack than rituximab-pvvr alone.

Who can get involved

• Aged between 8 and 45 years.
• Evidence of insulin production, determined by one or more diabetes-related antibodies and detectable C-peptide during a mixed-meal tolerance test (MMTT).
• Up to date with immunisation schedule, including COVID-19 and flu boosters.

Treatment

Participants in this study will receive weekly rituximab-pvvr by intravenous infusion (into a vein in the arm) for four weeks. Participants will then receive weekly injections of abatacept OR placebo (inactive equivalent). Two in every three participants will receive active treatment (abatacept), while one in three will receive placebo. The allocation of medication will be done randomly.

Benefits of participation

All participants in this study will receive active treatment in the form of rituximab-pvvr. Two in every three participants will then receive a second active treatment called abatacept. In addition to the potential for these study medications to delay the progression of T1D, participants will be closely monitored and blood glucose levels managed intensively. This may reduce the risk of long-term complications of T1D, as well as helping remaining beta cells in the pancreas to continue making insulin on their own.

This trial is being undertaken by the JDRF-funded Australasian Type 1 Diabetes Immunotherapy Collaborative (ATIC).

To find out if you are eligible or if you have any questions contact the ATIC team.

Type1Screen: Screening for early-stage type 1 diabetes in family members

Family members of people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) are at an increased risk of developing the condition themselves.

Type1Screen is a free, JDRF-funded program available to any family members of a person diagnosed with T1D. Testing through Type1Screen can identify the early stages of T1D. Detecting T1D early, before symptoms develop, combined with monitoring, can lead to better long-term health for those with the condition.

Those who test positive for early-stage T1D will be connected to their closest diabetes centre, and offered the opportunity to enrol in trials of new therapies that can potentially slow or stop the progression of the condition.

For more information, visit the Type1Screen website, or contact the team by phoning (03) 9342 7063 or emailing Type1Screen@mh.org.au

Psychosocial wellbeing and support needs of siblings of children with type 1 diabetes 

This study will explore the experiences and support needs of siblings of children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in Australia. 

What is involved?  

Online interviews will be conducted with both parents and siblings of children with T1D. Interviews will be scheduled according to the participants’ preferences. 

What are the benefits of participating?  

By participating, families will provide valuable insights that will inform the development of future support programs tailored to the needs and preferences of families and siblings of children with T1D.  

Want to know more?  

For more information about the study, please contact Dr Helen Petsky at h.petsky@griffith.edu.au.

Click the button below to learn if you’re eligible and to register your interest.

Investigating the psychological needs of children with chronic conditions

Researchers from the University of Sydney are interested in understanding the psychosocial impact of juvenile idiopathic arthritis or type 1 diabetes (T1D) in children.

What is involved?

You will answer a series of online questionnaires about yourself and your child.

What are the benefits of participating?

Your help will ensure we can begin to better understand the challenges faced by children with T1D, as well as to identify the factors which may worsen or improve these outcomes.

Want to know more?

Email bethany.richmond@sydney.edu.au.

The legal context of collecting, storing and using electronic data obtained from active implanted medical devices used for diabetes in Australia: The consumer experience

There are now many health devices that can be implanted into consumers’ bodies to help with the monitoring their health condition. These devices can communicate health data back to data storage devices where clinicians can review and act accordingly to help maintain consumers’ health. Such advances have raised questions about privacy and consent for the use of consumers health data.

We would like to talk to people who have consented to an implanted active medical device for the management of their diabetes, or have consented to such a device on behalf of another person. The types of implants we are interested in are those that are medically implanted into the user and rely on wireless or Bluetooth connectivity to communicate patient information, such as blood glucose monitors (either connected to an insulin pump or not) that transmit information or data from the implant to an external source (such as the clinical team, the manufacturer or an external app on your phone or computer).

We want to talk with people about their experiences in providing consent to explore whether the existing laws about this topic are sufficient in ensuring informed consent for the collection, storage and future use of the data that is sent and received from those devices.

Interviews will be undertaken using Microsoft Teams, so participants can be located anywhere in Australia.

For more information about the study, please contact the student researcher, Rebecca Millar, via email at rmillar@swin.edu.au.

Fenofibrate and microvascular events in type 1 diabetic retinopathy (FAME-1-EYE) study

This clinical trial is investigating whether fenofibrate, a drug used to lower cholesterol, can slow or reverse eye damage in adults with type 1 diabetes. Fenofibrate has been shown to slow eye damage in type 2 diabetes, and researchers are now investigating whether the same effect will be seen in T1D.

This study has been approved by the Northern Sydney Local Health District Human Research Ethics Committee.

ANZCTR listing: ACTRN12611000249954

Cord reinfusion in diabetes (CORD) pilot study

Cell Care is partnering with The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, New South Wales, in a world–first study investigating the potential of cord blood to prevent or delay the onset of type 1 diabetes in children at high risk of developing the disease.

The CORD study has been approved by the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network Human Research Ethics Committee.

ANZCTR listing: ACTRN12613000186752