Diabetes Australia has announced the 2024 Diabetes Australia Research Program (DARP) grant recipients following World Diabetes Day (Nov 14). 

The recipients are undertaking research projects across a range of diabetes related areas including treatments for diabetic ketoacidosis, healing of foot ulcers, and kidney disease.  

Diabetes Australia Group CEO Justine Cain said the successful grant recipients were undertaking work that would change the lives of people with diabetes.  

“All 18 of these grant recipients are undertaking important diabetes research and I look forward to highlighting this work over the coming months,” Ms Cain said. 

Diabetes Australia has been funding diabetes research for more than 30 years through the Diabetes Australia Research Program. 

“Over the past 10 years alone, Diabetes Australia has invested more than $30 million in supporting more than 450 critical research initiatives across all types of diabetes,” Ms Cain said.  

This week, Diabetes Australia launched Diabetes Research Changes Lives – a campaign to highlight the impact that research has had on the lives of people living with diabetes, and call for more funding for diabetes research.  

“To change the trajectory of the diabetes epidemic, research must be at the forefront of our response.  

“We have world-class researchers, undertaking world-class research, but this can’t be sustained if funding continues to decline,” Ms Cain said.  Add your support to our petition to increase funding and share the ‘Diabetes Research Changes Lives’ campaign as it rolls out over the coming months.

Researcher	Institute	Project Title
Charles Campbell Coghlan OAM Emerging Researcher Award
Dr Steven James	University of the Sunshine Coast	The TREE study – Type 1 diabetes acRoss thE lifEspan
Millennium Type 1 Diabetes Award
Professor Anthony Russell	Monash University	A randomised controlled trial of plasmalyte versus normal saline as resuscitation and maintenance fluid therapy for patients presenting with diabetic ketoacidosis (BEST-DKA)BalancEd fluids vs Saline Trial in Diabetic KetoAcidosis
Millennium Type 2 Diabetes Award
Dr Chengxue (Helena) Qin	Monash University	A novel approach to treat diabetic kidney disease

General Grants
Professor Karen Jones	The University of Adelaide	Utilising novel molecular imaging to quantify portal glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor density in type 2 diabetes
Professor Glenn Wadley	Deakin University	Vitamin C treatment to aid the healing of foot ulcers in people with diabetes: a randomised, placebo-controlled double-blind trial
Distinguished Professor Tracy Levett-Jones	University of Technology Sydney	Enhancing healthcare professionals’ empathy skills in the provision of care for people living with or at risk of diabetes
Professor Toby Coates	The University of Adelaide	The Development of Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T regulatory Cells as a Novel Therapy for Type 1 Diabetes
Dr Sarah Turpin-Nolan	Monash University	Targeting gut ceramides – a new way to improve systemic insulin sensitivity
Dr Miles De Blasio	Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS), Monash University	Mitochondrial-targeted therapies to limit the structural and functional changes in diabetic cardiomyopathy
Associate Professor Jonathan Oakhill	St. Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research	A smart, muscle-targeted drug-delivery system to combat type 2 diabetes
Dr Andrew Fleetwood	Baker Heart & Diabetes Institute	Interferon-alpha links clonal haematopoiesis and atherosclerosis in diabetes
Dr Karen Alt	Monash University	Translational Kidney Fibrosis Imaging in Diabetes
Associate Professor Christina Bursill	South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute	Plaque-targeted Nrf2 activation to prevent diabetes-accellerated atherosclerosis using a novel switchable fumarate drug
Dr Mahesh Umapathysivam	University of Adelaide	Do carriers of type 2 diabetes risk alleles in PAM have accelerated gastric emptying?
Professor Leonie Heilbronn	The University of Adelaide	A randomised controlled trial comparing caloric restriction and meal timing on the circadian regulation of immune cells in individuals at high risk of type 2 diabetes.
Dr Cong Xie	The University of Adelaide	Development of a novel bile acid-based therapy to optimise postprandial glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes
Dr Patricia Rusu	Monash University	Deciphering the Nutritional and Neuronal Drivers of Protein Satiety
Dr Phillip Kantharidis	Monash University	Targeting kidney macrophages as a novel treatment for diabetic kidney disease