Australian Type 1 Diabetes Research Agenda: Partnering science, government and the community

Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong autoimmune disease with complex origin, dramatic onset and a strong association with serious long term health complications. The disease imposes a considerable medical, financial and emotional burden on individuals and families in Australia. It also incurs substantial costs to the Australian health system. A large proportion of the costs can be attributed to the cost of medication and hospitalisation for ongoing health complications, although indirect costs such as loss of productivity and carer support are also significant.

The last two decades have seen extraordinary advances made in type 1 diabetes research but there is as yet no cure and no proven method of disease prevention. Despite significant progress, over 2000 new cases are diagnosed each year in Australia. With incidence rising, particularly in children, Australia is estimated to have the sixth highest incidence rate in the world. There is an urgent need to support research efforts by consolidating existing knowledge, defining priorities and supporting the most promising research avenues available.