Researchers launch a ‘Stop Diabetes’ campaign

Researchers have launched a national ‘Stop Diabetes’ campaign to recruit volunteers for their trial of a nasal vaccine to prevent type 1 diabetes in people at high risk of developing it.

Letters have been sent to more than 25,000 Australians with the disease, asking them to encourage their relatives to participate.

“To finish the study, the trial needs to identify about 60 more eligible volunteers,” says Professor Jenny Couper, trial supervisor at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Adelaide.

“While this might sound achievable, we have already screened more than 7000 Australians and New Zealanders over the past five years,” she said.

Trial centres are located in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, as well as in New Zealand and Germany. Investigators are testing the blood of people aged between four and 30 years, with a close relative who has type 1 diabetes. People who have two of three different antibodies are considered high-risk and eligible for the trial. The researchers say only 2% of relatives are found to be high risk.

For more information, go to www.stopdiabetes.com.au