Posted 9 December 2024
In the fight against type 1 diabetes, funding research alone is not enough. For breakthroughs to reach people living with type 1 diabetes, concerted and strategic effort is needed so that research discoveries are moved to the next stages of development.
Head of SVI’s Human Immunology Lab Associate Professor Stuart Mannering has received $150k grant from JDRF for the commercialisation of his research under their new program called SPARC.
A/Professor Mannering’s project is developing a clinical test for people who are at risk or in the early stages of type 1 diabetes. This test focuses on measuring the activity of one of the body’s keyimmune cells – T cells. Particularly, the T cells that are responsible for the autoimmune attack on the pancreas which occurs in T1D. This test has been long-sought after by clinicians and people with T1D.
“It will be invaluable in clinical trials seeking to halt the immune system from attacking the pancreas and to improve the diagnosis of T1D. We thank Breakthrough T1D for their support of this project,” says A/Professor Mannering.
Human Immunology
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SPARC: JDRF’s latest boost for T1D research
Under a new Strategic Program for Advancing Research Commercialisation (SPARC), JDRF has announced funding for six high-impact T1D projects to improve T1D diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and management.
The SPARC program strategically builds long-term capacity by providing commercialisation training for researchers, bespoke mentorship to address the unique challenges of each projectand to bridge the gaps between the early stages of research and commercial readiness.
The SPARC aims to:
1. Support high-potential projects to improve T1D outcomes.2. Foster multidisciplinary collaboration and engagement among research teams, funding bodies, investors, industry partners, and the T1D community.3. Provide funding and tailored mentorship, guiding high-potential projects to progress to commercial viability.