Health Department to fund $38M for diabetes and heart disease research

• The federal government is investing $38 million into major research projects to help Australians suffering from diabetes and heart disease
• The Department of Health will spend $20 million on two major research centres, with the remaining $18 million to fund several translations research projects
• The funding will come from the government’s Targeted Transaction Research Accelerator (TTRA) initiative, managed by independent non-profit organisation MTPConnect
• Six research priorities have been highlighted by Health Minister Greg Hunt and MTPConnect — three for diabetes and three for heart disease
• Minister Hunt says the priorities were chosen to address both the physical and mental health of Australians suffering from heart disease and diabetes

The federal government is investing $38 million into major research projects to help Australians suffering from diabetes and heart disease.

The Department of Health announced the funding this week, with $20 million to go towards two major research centres which will be dedicated to preventing, treating, and curing diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

The remaining $18 million will be dedicated to several translational research projects — a term which, in this context, refers to translating important information from labs and doctors’ offices to real-world cures and treatments.

The funding comes from the Federal Government’s Targeted Transaction Research Accelerator (TTRA) initiative, which is managed by independent meditech organisation MTPConnect.

Easing burdens

MTPConnect Managing Director and CEO Dr Dan Grant said the purpose of the funding is not just to work on cures and treatments for these important conditions but to ease the burden of disease on patients and their families.

“This is a substantial and targeted injection of funding which will support whole-of-sector coordination to maximise the development and translation of specific, highly promising research projects,” Dr Grant said.

MTPConnect highlighted a number of research priorities to be focussed on by the two research facilities and accompanying research projects.

There priority areas include diabetic kidney disease, peripheral neuropathy and diabetic foot syndrome, and short-term complications of hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemic hypersmolar syndrome (HHS) — complications arising from low blood sugar and high blood sugar in diabetics, respectively.

For heart disease, the priority research areas include coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy and heart failure, and transient ischaemic attack (TIA) and strokes.

TTRA Expert Advisory Board Chair Professor Ian Frazer said diabetes and cardiovascular disease and their related complications are “significant chronic health conditions” across the world.

“Through investment in projects as well as the establishment of two unique Research Centres in Australia, MTPConnect’s TTRA Program will support and accelerate the translation of innovative preventative, diagnostic and therapeutic approaches and products towards clinical impact and to those who need it most,” Professor Frazer said.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said the funding priorities were identified in consultation with doctors and patients and were chosen to address both the physical and mental health of Australians suffering from heart disease and diabetes.

“Investing in health and medical research is a priority for the Morrison Government,” Minister Hunt said.

“Research is a key pillar of our plan to make Australia’s health system stronger, more equitable, and more sustainable,” he said.