BIG WIN FOR TYPE 1 DIABETES RESEARCH – RECORD FUNDING BOOST

Research into Type 1 diabetes will receive a record boost in funding under a Shorten Labor government.

Member for Macquarie, Susan Templeman said the $50 million boost would be used for clinical trials and supporting researchers in their quest for a cure for Australian children.

“More than 120,000 children and adults live with Type 1 diabetes in Australia,” she said. “Labor has a proud record of supporting them and this announcement is all about helping kids living with diabetes and finding a cure to protect them in the future.

“Last year I met with a group of amazing young people living with Type 1 diabetes, and their families, from the Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury,” Ms Templeman said. “They were part of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) quest to help increase community understanding of this chronic disease, how it impacts everyday life and the importance of local research in combatting this disease.

“This announcement is a huge win for them and their wonderful Government Advocates, like Regan Nolan, who not only met with me but also came to Parliament House to lobby for more funding.

“Under a Shorten Labor Government, funding will be extended for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's Clinical Research Network, an initiative Labor established in 2010, which takes research where it's needed most - directly to the people living with this chronic disease.”
  

Ms Templeman said the Network's funding is due to expire in June 2019, less than six months away.

“In its first Budget, a Shorten Labor Government will extend and increase that funding for a further five years to 2024.  This is fantastic news and meets the request of JDRF and its advocates.
 
Labor’s extra funding would allow the CRN to enter phase three of its mission, which would involve:

• Increasing the volume and impact of type 1 diabetes clinical trials;
• Translating research findings into new technologies and treatments; and
• Supporting Australia's world-class type 1 diabetes researchers in their bid to find a cure.

So far the Network – a collaboration between researchers, patients and industry – has enrolled 13,000 Australians in clinical trials of new drugs and devices, as well as prevention and early detection projects.
 
In addition to establishing the JDRF CRN in 2010, Labor went to the last election with a major commitment to expand support for Continuous Glucose Monitoring devices so that pregnant women and high-risk adults could get access to this life-changing technology. The Liberals have re