ACADI’s Partnering Summit Focuses On Diabetes Innovation, Inclusion and Impact

28 November 2023

Pictured: from left, MTPConnect’s Chair the Hon. Jaala Pulford introducing and facilitating the panel discussion on Impact at ACADI’s Annual Partnering Summit 2023; Dr Nicholas Hunt Endo Axiom and University of Sydney; Dr Jesse Toe IP Group Australia; Dr Elena Velkoska CSL; Mr John Wright Roche Diabetes Care Australia; and Ms Stephanie Morris Artesian Venture Partners.

Held on World Diabetes Day, MTPConnect was proud to co-host the Australian Centre for Accelerating Diabetes Innovations (ACADI) 2023 Annual Partnering Summit at Melbourne Connect recently.

Established in early 2022 by our Targeted Translation Research Accelerator (TTRA) program through the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), ACADI is a virtual collaborative diabetes research centre uniting a considerable number of partners and supporters covering all Australian States and Territories and four international sites.

The ACADI Partnering Summit highlighted innovation, inclusion and impact in this critical health field with presentations from renowned national and international speakers.

ACADI Director, Professor Elif Ekinci, kicked off the event and spoke about how good it felt to be opening the second annual Partnering Summit and to be working and collaborating with key researchers in Australia and internationally to transform the field of diabetes and its complications.

“ACADI was delighted to develop a program with MTPConnect that brought scientists, clinicians and people living with diabetes together to think ‘big’ about diabetes. There is a lot we can learn from each other as we go on the journey of improving outcomes for people with diabetes, particularly because the prevalence of diabetes is really going to increase. With 180 registrations (in person and online), the Summit was incredibly well received by those who attended,” Ekinci said.

Pictured: ACADI Director Professor Elif Ekinci at ACADI's Partnering Summit. Professor Ekinci said: "There is a lot we can learn from each other as we go on the journey of improving outcomes for people with diabetes, particularly because the prevalence of diabetes is really going to increase."

One of Australia's pre-eminent philanthropists and Chair of ACADI Council, Professor Susan Alberti AC, spoke about how she developed a passion for medical research when her only child, Danielle, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in the 1980s. She acknowledged the importance of ACADI’s efforts, and the research work being conducted throughout Australia and globally to benefit people living with diabetes. Her daughter, Danielle, tragically died from complications arising from diabetes.

Former Secretary and Chief Medical Officer, Australian Government Department of Health, Professor Brendan Murphy AC, said he was a huge fan of ACADI, the TTRA program and MTPConnect, and all the great and valuable work being done by these quality initiatives throughout Australia's medtech and pharma sector. Prior to his Australian Government role, Professor Murphy was the CEO of Austin Health in Victoria, and the CMO and Director of Nephrology at St Vincent’s Health, so has a long-standing interest in diabetes and its complications.

Professor Murphy spoke about his experience over the Covid-19 pandemic managing the public health measures put in place throughout Australia during that time.

Pictured: Professor Brendan Murphy AC said he was a huge fan of ACADI, the TTRA program and MTPConnect, and all the great and valuable work being done by these quality initiatives throughout Australia's medtech and pharma sector.

Following Professor Murphy, MTPConnect’s Chief Operating Officer Lisa Dubé said MTPConnect was proud to co-host the Partnering Summit with ACADI on World Diabetes Day. She said since the TTRA program kicked off just over three years ago, it has made significant progress towards seeing Australian research translated into patient outcomes, creating jobs, making economic outcomes and savings in our health system, and reducing the burden of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Ms Dubé said the TTRA program has taken a national and inclusive approach to working with clinicians, researchers, health administrators, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health groups, rural, remote, regional and urban Australians, and community members. It is a unique initiative funded by the MRFF and sets priorities for government health and medical research funding.

Summing up, Ms Dubé said the TTRA program has ambitious goals, but it also has this incredible sector behind it helping to change the way we approach research to really help improve the lives of people living with diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Pictured: MTPConnect's COO Ms Lisa Dubé said MTPConnect was proud to co-host the Partnering Summit with ACADI on World Diabetes Day. 

The first session – ‘Innovation: Diabetes Clinical Research – What’s the Next Big Thing?’ – focused on breakthrough innovations for diabetes and its complications and was facilitated by Renza Scibilia, Diabetes Advocate and Activist. Renza has lived with type 1 diabetes since 1998 and she reminded everyone to remember that there are real people behind the condition and its complications. Presenters included Professor David O'Neal, ACADI Deputy Director and professor and senior consultant endocrinologist, St Vincent's Hospital; Professor Allison Cowin, University of South Australia; and Professor Shane Grey, Garvan Institute of Medical Research and University of New South Wales.

Professor O’Neal has led multiple studies in novel diabetes technology and closed loop insulin delivery. He outlined how we can continue to improve the technology by putting the experience of people living with diabetes front and centre.

Professor Cowin, a world-leading authority in wound healing, shared her team's research into novel approaches for improving wound repair and personalised care strategies for patients with diabetic foot ulcers, through development of an antibody therapeutic and the use of stem cells.

Professor Grey spoke to his pioneering research into gene therapy approaches to cure type 1 diabetes. Funded by a TTRA Research Projects award, his work has so far resulted in treatment of three patients to demonstrate safety and efficacy.

Pictured: on stage from left, the discussion panel on Innovation: Diabetes Advocate and Activist, Ms Renza Scibilia; Professor David O'Neal, ACADI Deputy Director and professor and senior consultant endocrinologist, St Vincent's Hospital; Professor Allison Cowin, University of South Australia; and Professor Shane Grey, Garvan Institute of Medical Research and University of New South Wales.

The panel session on ‘Inclusion: Ensuring access for all Australians to clinical research through co-design’ was facilitated by Dr Cecilia Pham, an endocrinologist and PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne. The expert panel included Ray Kelly, a Gomeroi man and exercise physiologist who developed ‘Too Deadly for Diabetes’ – a program which has seen many participants reduce or eliminate medication for type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. Mr Kelly is a PhD candidate within ACADI and the Chair of the Indigenous Advisory Committee.

Also on the panel were Jennifer Halliday, a PhD candidate and Research Fellow at the Australian Centre for Behavioural Research in Diabetes, whose research focuses on the intersection of diabetes and mental health, and whose project HypoPAST is funded by a TTRA Research Projects award; Professor Chris Nolan, ANU, shared his involvement in the ‘Our Health in Our Hands’ project which brings together interdisciplinary teams of physicists, engineers, clinicians, students and people with lived health experience to transform healthcare; and Meaghan Read, Community Engagement Lead at Diabetes Victoria, who is part of the co-design platform within ACADI. Ms Read brought to the discussion 37 years of lived experience with type 1 diabetes, together with qualifications and experience in laboratory, clinical and pharmaceutical research.

Everyone on the panel emphasised the importance of including community and people with lived experience of diabetes and its complications in all aspects of research – from co-design, through to development, implementation and dissemination of results and project outcomes. This ensures innovators are developing products and solutions that are meeting the needs of patients and communities, to increase the likelihood of research and development success and uptake.

Pictured: from left, the discussion panel on Inclusion: Dr Cecilia Pham, endocrinologist and PhD candidate, University of Melbourne; Mr Ray Kelly, a Gomeroi man and exercise physiologist who developed ‘Too Deadly for Diabetes’; Ms Meaghan Read, Community Engagement Lead, Diabetes Victoria; Professor Chris Nolan, ANU; and Ms Jennifer Halliday, PhD candidate and Research Fellow, Australian Centre for Behavioural Research in Diabetes.

MTPConnect Chair the Hon. Jaala Pulford facilitated the panel on ‘Impact: Partnering for real world Impact – an industry and investment viewpoint'. In her introduction, she highlighted some alarming diabetes statistics – around the world one in 10 adults has diabetes and 11.5 per cent of all global health expenditure is for diabetes.

She said ACADI and the TTRA program are increasing the rate of innovation in the diabetes sector in Australia and the panel brought together “science, spin outs and investment” to discuss the research translation journey for diabetes products and services, and how to secure investment and make successful partnerships.

Panel member, TTRA Research Projects awardee Dr Nick Hunt, University of Sydney, spoke about his recent experience in raising series A capital through partnership with a venture capital fund which enabled him to spin-out a company, Endo Axiom. Joining Dr Hunt on the panel were Dr Elena Velkoska, CSL, Mr John Wright, Diabetes Care in Australia and New Zealand at Roche, Dr Jesse Toe, IP Group, and Ms Stephanie Morris, Artesian Venture Partners. The panel shared with the audience their different partnership models and provided practical advice in approaching investment and industry partnerships.

Pictured: one of Australia's pre-eminent philanthropists and Chair of ACADI Council, Professor Susan Alberti AC, spoke about how she developed a passion for medical research when her only child, Danielle, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in the 1980s. 

During the day there were also recorded presentations by key international speakers in the fields of peripheral neuropathy and diabetic foot syndrome, diabetic kidney disease and the short-term complications of hypoglycaemia, HHS and DKA – the areas of research that ACADI is striving towards making impact:
- Professor Andrew Boulton, University of Manchester, UK, on 'The global epidemic of type 2 diabetes and recent innovations in diabetic neuropathy and foot problems'
- Professor Katherine Tuttle, University of Washington, US, on 'The burden of complications in diabetes care'
- Professor Ohad Cohen, Tel Aviv University/Medtronic EMEA, Israel, on ' Innovations in the prevention of Hypoglycaemia and DKA'.

Senior Director, TTRA Program, MTPConnect, Lauren Kelly said the 2023 ACADI Partnering Summit proved to be an extremely productive day.

“The Summit was insightful and thought-provoking with many connections made. It also provided a comprehensive update on the status and progress of diabetes research in Australia.

“We look forward to supporting ACADI and its extensive network of partners over the coming years to deliver impactful change for those living with diabetes and their families,” Ms Kelly said.

Pictured: from left, Director TTRA program Ms Mana Liao, ACADI Director Professor Elif Ekinci, Associate Director TTRA program Dr Erin McAllum, MTPConnect's COO Ms Lisa Dubé, and Senior Director TTRA program Ms Lauren Kelly.