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Alex Brown BMed, MPH, PhD, FRACP (hon.), FCSANZ, FAAHMS Professor of Indigenous Genomics +61421278314 alex.brown@anu.edu.au Professor of Indigenous

Indigenous populations globally have significantly high rates of type 2 diabetes compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts. This study aims to implement and evaluate the effectiveness of a culturally and contextually informed Aboriginal Diabetes Workforce Training Program on Aboriginal primary health care workforce knowledge, attitude, confidence, skill and practice relating to diabetes care.

While advancements in the treatment of diabetes continue to rapidly evolve, many of the newer technologies have financial barriers to care, opposing the egalitarian ethos of Banting who sold his patent on insulin for a nominal cost to allow it to be made widely available. Inequity in access to new therapies drives disparity in diabetes burden with potential for these gaps to widen in the future.

Islet autoantibodies herald early type 1 diabetes. However, less is known of the evolution of autoantibodies to the islet autoantigen ZnT8. Our primary aim was to characterise the development of islet autoantibodies in a pregnancy-birth at-risk cohort and to provide new knowledge about ZnT8A.

We aimed to synthesise global prevalence estimates of type 2 diabetes among Indigenous youth aged under 25 years, and examine age- and gender-specific differences and secular trends.

Youth-onset type 2 diabetes is an emerging condition impacting Indigenous populations worldwide. Schools have an important role in supporting students to manage their health. We undertook a qualitative study to (i) explore the lived experience of type 2 diabetes, diabetes management and support in school environments and (ii) co-design recommendations for age-appropriate, culturally safe school-based strategies and supports. Interviews and focus groups were undertaken with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth, caregivers, health professionals and school-based staff. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth were involved in determining the research topic.

Type-2 diabetes is a systemic condition with rising global prevalence, disproportionately affecting Indigenous communities worldwide. Recent advances in epigenomics methods, particularly in DNA methylation detection, have enabled the discovery of associations between epigenetic changes and Type-2 diabetes. In this review, we summarise DNA methylation profiling methods, and discuss how these technologies can facilitate the discovery of epigenomic biomarkers for Type-2 diabetes. 

High protein high fat meals are considered “difficult” foods because they can cause prolonged hyperglycemia after ingestion. The potential of hybrid closed loop therapy in managing postprandial glucose excursions with these difficult foods remains unknown. This pilot study aimed to explore the impact of manual mode in standard insulin pump therapy and auto mode with hybrid closed loop pump therapy in managing glucose excursions caused by HPHF foods and to obtain feedback from families about each mode.

To investigate epigenomic indices of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) susceptibility among high-risk populations with type 2 diabetes mellitus. 

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is highly prevalent within the Indigenous Australian community. Novel glucose monitoring technology offers an accurate approach to glycaemic management, providing real-time information on glucose levels and trends. The acceptability and feasibilility of this technology in Indigenous Australians with T2DM has not been investigated.