Another amazing fundraising effort from the Type 1 Foundation
We are extremely proud and humbled to be the recipients of over $2500 raised by the Type 1 Foundation during November 2021.
CEO, Ange McCaughley, led the “Big Thirst? Think First! ” campaign to raise awareness of the common symptoms of type 1 diabetes.
The 4 Ts are: thirst; thinner; tired; and toilet!
During this initiative, they sold drink bottles to remind people of one of the very common symptoms, thirst.
The drink bottle campaign was a huge success; not only in terms of the fundraising but also the awareness it created around the wider community knowing symptoms of type 1 diabetes to look out for.
Sincere thanks to Ange and her amazing team at Type 1 Foundation for their funding, advocacy and support for our research. We will put all proceeds towards our current effort to make in-home type 1 diabetes risk testing a reality.
Ultimately, we’re all working towards the same goal to make type one type none!
Type1Screen is working hard to accurately identify if the early markers of type 1 diabetes are present (or not) from a finger prick blood spot sample.
Many Type1Screen participants have provided both finger prick test (capillary blood) and needle in the arm (venous blood) samples. Thank you all soooooo much! These samples are helping us to validate a new test or “assay” to accurately determine someone’s risk of type 1 diabetes.
We are still in the process of validating the finger prick assay. This means that we are testing to make sure that the assay reliably finds early markers of type 1 diabetes (islet auto-antibodies – IAs) if there are any IAs in the blood. Equally, we want to make sure that the test does not find IAs when there are no antibodies present in the blood.
The finger prick assay is more complex than the regular assay that uses a venous blood sample. A spot of blood is put on a card, but the sample tends to degrade (breakdown) a little in the post. This makes it more difficult to extract any antibodies from the sample to do the test.
Our recent results comparing both methods tell us that might will miss some children who actually do have islet autoantibodies using the blood spot sample method. We are working hard to make the assay more reliable.
The aim is to be ready to launch the new do-it-yourself in the home assay in 2022. Stay tuned!
Type1Screen’s ultimate goal is to develop cheap and accurate screening for every Australian child to ensure early diagnosis, prevent hospitalisation and develop immune therapies that turn type one into type none.
We are currently working up a blood spot assay that can be collected in the home. We missed out on a grant in 2021 to progress this work and must now reach out directly to our supporters to develop this test.
Could you help us keep helping others by making a tax-deductible donation at:
You can help us play a critical role in convincing Government that universal type 1 diabetes screening both improves health and decreases health costs.
To those extremely observant people who have noticed a change in our participant information and consent forms (PICFs)… you are extremely observant!!!
It is true that we have uploaded version 3 of our PICFs to the “Home” and “What’s Involved” web pages.
The update was to ensure that participants and their families are prepared for the fact that news of a positive islet autoantibody screen can be very stressful.
The new PICF also includes exciting developments in our antibody assays, which will allow for home finger prick sample collection. This will be up and running in the near future. Stay tuned.
You can also download the PICF for minors aged 2-18 years by clicking on this link, and for adults aged 18-30 at this link.
Nicole is a Phlebotomist (a person who takes blood).
We had a chat to her recently about what a blood test involves and what safety procedures pathology collection centres have in place during the pandemic.
Ange and The Type1 Foundation have very generously offered to donate proceeds from some beanie sales to Type1Screen.
These funds will be used towards improving access for those wanting to find out their risk for developing type 1 diabetes, as well as help with transport costs for antibody positive children and adults to attend preventative trials.
You can buy your beanies by clicking here. Please make sure to check the Type1Screen box at the time of purchase.
Feel free to support The Foundation by continuing to browse their online shop and purchasing some of their other excellent goodies.
Thank you for supporting type 1 diabetes awareness raising and research. #typeonetypenone
Magnification of the SARS-CoV2 virus (aka COVID-19 or The Coronavirus)
Can I still participate in Type1Screen?
Yes, you can! Registrations of interest to Type1Screen can be made online: www.type1screen.org, by email: type1screen@mh.org.au, or over the phone by calling our Melbourne-based team (03) 9342 7063.
I have already registered my interest and emailed my signed consent form; what happens now?
Our team will email you a health screen questionnaire that you can complete online. If this shows you are eligible for a blood test with Type1Screen, we will send you a pathology request form that will enable you to get a free blood test.
Do I have to have a blood test?
To determine the risk for developing type 1 diabetes, the early markers known as islet auto-antibodies can only be detected in the blood. So to determine if you or your child is at risk, a blood test is required.
Is it safe to have a blood test at this time?
We understand some people may be anxious about leaving the home or accessing a health care facility at this time. However, many pathology centres have new processes in place to minimise contact, including booking in a specific time for your blood collection and isolating patients from each other.
Some pathology centres offer in-home services. However, there are eligibility criteria around this. There is also a significant waiting time. Contact your local pathology provider to see if you are able to take advantage of this service.
Ideally, we recommend attending your local pathology collection centre. However, if you are attending your GP or other health practitioner for a blood test, you could take your pathology request form for them to collect the Type1Screen sample at the same time to avoid a second needle.
What should I do if I think I have COVID-19?
If you have concerns that you have COVID-19 it is important to go and get tested at your nearest testing centre or make contact with your usual GP clinic by telephone. Our staff are not trained in assessing COVID-19 symptoms.
Your safety is of the utmost importance to us during this time. Don’t hesitate to contact us so we can assist you with your options. Take care and stay safe. We thank you for your interest and support in this type 1 diabetes research program.
