Category: type 1 diabetes

Wikramanayake Clinical Diabetes Research Award

Congratulations to Type1Screen’s lead doctor, Associate Professor John Wentworth, for being awarded the Ranji and Amara Wikramanayake Clinical Diabetes Research Award at the 2024 Australian Diabetes Society Congress (ADC).

Professor Tony Russell, President of the Australian Diabetes Society, presents A. Prof. John Wentworth with the inaugural Wikramanayake award for clinical diabetes research.

John was awarded this predominantly due to his tireless work in the type 1 diabetes research space, but especially the improvement of early detection, diagnosis and intervention.

One of the elements of this critical work, has been the development of an at home screening test which can detect islet autoantibodies (early markers of type 1 diabetes development) on a dried blood spot card. So much more convenient and accessible to families, especially those who don’t like needles in the arm for a blood test or living in more rural and remote areas.

With colleagues, Dr Wentworth has also pioneered the facilitation of immunotherapy trials in Australia. His aim is to have a trial available for people at all ages and stages of type 1 diabetes, to preserve beta cell production of insulin for those with a diagnosis of clinical type 1 diabetes, or to slow or stop the progression for those in the early stages.

John Wentworth giving his award presentation at the 2024 ADC in Perth

Thanks to JDRF!

Thanks to JDRF!

Sincere thanks to JDRF for funding an additional year of Type1Screen operations.

With this funding we aim to:

  • ensure 1000 family members of those diagnosed with type 1 diabetes are screened over the next 12 months, and
  • facilitate participation in the latest international monitoring guidelines for those identified to be in early stage type 1 diabetes (stage 1 – where islet autoantibodies signal an attack on the insulin producing cells of the pancreas; and stage 2 – blood glucose levels become erratic).

Click here to access the June 2024 “Consensus guidance for monitoring individuals with islet autontibody positive pre-stage 3 type 1 diabetes.” This consensus report was endorsed by JDRF International.

Type1Screen publication

Announcing a new publication from the Type1Screen Team! “Feasibility and Validity of In-Home Self-Collected Capillary Blood Spot Screening for Type 1 Diabetes Risk”

Exciting news for early type 1 diabetes detection!

Who knew that five drops of blood could revolutionize early detection of type 1 diabetes!?

In our study of 97 participants, self-collected blood spots proved convenient, less painful, and just as effective as traditional blood draws.

We found these blood spots accurately detected antibodies linked to type 1 diabetes, paving the way for simpler, more accessible and cost effective screening.

This breakthrough could mean earlier detection, better preparation, and improved health outcomes for those at risk.

Spread the word to those who have any family history of type 1 diabetes! Screening for type 1 diabetes risk has never been more accessible or easy.

Click this link to read the full published paper

World Diabetes Day 2023

World Diabetes Day is 14th November every year (marking Sir Frederick Banting’s birthday – the scientist who is most famously credited for discovering insulin).

On this day in 2023, Diabetes Australia launched a campaign “Diabetes Research Changes Lives”. Type1Screen’s Dr John Wentworth features in their promotional video talking about the home testing kit for type 1 diabetes screening.

You can watch the video here: https://youtu.be/K_L_Td3KW3g

You can also go to the Diabetes Research Changes Lives website for more information and to perhaps sign the petition calling for more funding for diabetes research.

Children diagnosed with presymptomatic type 1 diabetes through public health screening have milder diabetes at clinical manifestation

Children identified with type 1 diabetes through a public health screening program tend to have a less severe form of the disease when symptoms emerge.

The Fr1da study group, based in Germany, aimed to see if diagnosing type 1 diabetes in children before they showed symptoms, and providing education and monitoring, could make the condition less severe when symptoms eventuated. Researchers compared two groups: one previously diagnosed early with screening (the Fr1da group), with one diagnosed without screening (often in DKA or ketoacidosis meaning life threateningly high blood sugar levels due to a lack of insulin production).

The screened group had better outcomes at the onset of clinical type 1 diabetes. This exhibited as lower blood sugar levels, lower doses of insulin, and fewer cases of severe diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). An important observation was the higher fasting C-peptide concentrations and reduced need for insulin therapy in the Fr1da cases, indicating a higher beta cell reserve. 

Their findings suggests that early diagnosis, with proactive education and monitoring, can make a significant difference in how children experience the onset of type 1 diabetes.

graphical abstract

The paper is available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-023-05953-0

Media coverage of blood spot testing

Media coverage of Type1Screen’s blood spot testing

The at home test kit for type 1 diabetes through Type1Screen has received significant attention this Diabetes Month! This was boosted substantially with thanks to the McCaughley Family.

Lila McCaughley was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 9 in DKA (ketoacidosis – a life threatening state where blood sugar levels are too high because the pancreas can no longer produce insulin). In response, her mother Ange Liston-McCaughley founded the Type1Foundation to raise awareness around the signs and symptoms of type 1 diabetes to prevent as many other children as possible experiencing the same horrible diagnosis.

Ange has said that Type1Screen aligns with the values of the Type1Foundation because we too want to identify children and young people at the earliest stages of type 1 diabetes. Screening has been shown to prevent DKA, improve longer term diabetes management, and offers the opportunity for any available clinical trials to delay or prevent type 1 diabetes.

Lila McCaughley and her little brothers

So when Ange decided to get herself, and the rest of her family screened for type 1 diabetes using the new at home blood spot test with Type1Screen, the type 1 diabetes community took notice! And so too did the media. Thanks to the McCaughley family for their ongoing support and their amazing media skills!

For all the media coverage you can click on these links:

Community Engagement Panel – ATIC

Community Engagement Panel Members sought for ATIC

The Australasian Type 1 Diabetes Immunotherapy Collaborative (ATIC) brings together researchers, clinicians and advocates to identify and create immunotherapy clinical trial opportunities for people at every age and every stage of type 1 diabetes (T1D).

Supported by JDRF Australia, ATIC is led by St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research (SVI) in Melbourne and involves multiple major type 1 diabetes centres across Australia and New Zealand.

Core to ATIC’s success is involvement of the broader type 1 diabetes community – people living with the condition, their families and advocates. People with first-hand experience of T1D are sought to join the ATIC Community Engagement Panel.

If you’re passionate about improving the lives of people with type 1 diabetes through immunotherapy research and ultimately treatments to delay and prevent T1D, don’t miss your chance to be a part of this exciting opportunity.

Applications are being accepted until COB Friday 2 December.

More information is available on the ATIC website:

Community Engagement Panel – calling for expressions of interest

Screening for Type 1 Diabetes decreases ketoacidosis and preserves beta cell function

Screening for Type 1 Diabetes decreases ketoacidosis and preserves beta cell function

A recent paper authored by our lead Type1Screen clinicians has demonstrated clearly that screening relatives for Type 1 Diabetes decreases ketoacidosis and preserves beta cell function for those in identified in the earliest stages of T1D.

You can read the full paper here and listen to John Wentworth being interviewed about it here.

Thanks to the amazing McCaughley Family for supporting the bloodspot screening program by getting their whole family tested and sharing the experience online and via the Herald Sun.

100 registrations!

Type1Screen registers 100 participants!

Type1Screen has registered its 100th participant via our new online portal.

The portal was launched on July 28th 2022. Our very first registrant joined August 18th 2022.

We are really pleased and thankful for the community uptake of this initiative.

If there is type 1 diabetes in your family, and you wish to get screened for your risk of the condition, you can register here.

Anyone aged 2 years or older with a family history of type 1 diabetes, and living in Australia or New Zealand, is eligible for this free screening test.

These two siblings participated in Type1Screen because their mum has Type 1 Diabetes.

How do I do a blood spot test?

How do I do a blood spot test?

So you have a family member diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and you’ve heard about the new and easy finger prick blood spot test you can do at home. This test will help to assess your, or your child’s, risk for type 1 diabetes.

OK, it sounds easy, but can I really do it myself at home?

Dr John Wentworth will show you how in this short video.