Newborn babies the focus of new type 1 diabetes study

Newborn babies with relatives who have type 1 diabetes will be monitored as part of a new Australian study into the causes of type 1 diabetes.
Researchers at The Royal Melbourne Hospital will monitor 1,600 babies over three years in a bid to examine whether type 1 diabetes can be caused by a virus or even diet, and how it can be prevented
The study will look at genetic and environmental factors involved in the onset of the lifelong disease, which affects more than a 122,000 Australians, and could lead to the development of new preventative medicines.
One of the babies participating in the trial is 10-month-old brother Zach Bush, whose mother Kim was diagnosed with type 1 when she was 14.
Zach’s parents are determined to use their experiences of living with type 1 diabetes to help scientists understand exactly what triggers the autoimmune condition.
“For us it is not just about our boys, but also their children’s children, and also about knowing ahead of time if the boys will develop it,” Kim said.