For Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute researcher Dr Bianca Bernardo diabetes is personal.

“I’ve got relatives with diabetes and my grandparents passed away from heart disease and the drive to improve health outcomes for people with these conditions is definitely a motivator,” Dr Bernardo says.

With the help of a grant from the Diabetes Australia Research Trust Dr Bernardo has been researching a new treatment in heart disease for people with type 1 diabetes.

“Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death in people with all types of diabetes and that’s why we need to focus on new treatments.

“People with type 1 diabetes often develop a specific type of heart disease that leaves them with scarring.

“In my study I’ll be looking at how effectively a drug, Tilorone, can be used to reduce scarring which should translate into better outcomes for people with diabetes.

“Tilorone has a history of clinical use for other diseases, so I’m hopeful that it could be effective for people with type 1 diabetes.”

Find out how you can help support research projects like Dr Bernardo’s here.