At a glance
- What’s happening: A new network called Australasian Pancreas and Islet Network (AUSPIN) is being set up in Australia to collect pancreatic cells from organ donors and share them with researchers across the country.
- Who’s funding it: Breakthrough T1D is investing $1.5 million AUD to get it off the ground.
- Why these cells matter: The pancreas contains clusters of cells called islets, which make insulin. In type 1 diabetes (T1D), the body destroys these cells – so studying them helps scientists figure out how to prevent, treat, or even cure T1D.
- The problem it solves: Australian researchers currently struggle to get hold of these cells. AUSPIN will create a reliable, organised system so researchers can plan their studies properly.
Breakthrough T1D is supporting the establishment of the Australasian Pancreas and Islet Network (AUSPIN), a national initiative led by Professor Peter Thorn from the University of Sydney.
AUSPIN will enable researchers to access pancreatic islets, clusters of cells that release hormones, including insulin. It is being funded via the Type 1 Diabetes Clinical Research Network (T1DCRN) and will coordinate the processing and distribution of human pancreatic islets from organ donation programs, making these precious cells available to researchers across Australia
Why do researchers need human islets?
Human pancreatic islets are an essential resource for type 1 diabetes (T1D) researchers because the insulin-making cells within them, called beta cells, are attacked and destroyed in T1D. Closely investigating the biology of islets can shed crucial light on how T1D develops, which can help scientists design new therapies that aim to protect, replace and regrow beta cells in people with T1D. Researchers can then test these potential treatments on human islets to assess whether they might be safe and effective for humans before giving them to people in clinical trials.
Why is AUSPIN needed?
Despite Australia’s strong T1D research community, scientists currently have very limited access to human pancreatic islets. Researchers often rely on occasional, sporadic and informal arrangements with clinical centres to obtain these cells, making it difficult to plan and run their studies.
In May 2024, the T1DCRN brought together Australian and international experts at a workshop focused on the future of beta cell research and therapy. One of the key priorities identified was the need for a coordinated system to provide researchers with reliable access to human islets.
Dr Dorota Pawlak, Chief Scientific Officer at Breakthrough T1D Australia, said:
Australian researchers are making important contributions to type 1 diabetes research, but their work has often been limited by the lack of reliable access to human pancreatic islets. By establishing a national system to collect and distribute these cells for research, we can support more ambitious studies and accelerate the development of new treatments. It’s vital we have this resource in Australia because the closer to home that T1D research takes place, the more accessible it is for people living with T1D in Australia.
While supporting Breakthrough T1D’s mission to cure, prevent, and treat T1D and its complications, the new network will benefit a broad range of research, including studies of metabolism, pancreatic biology and all forms of diabetes.
How will AUSPIN work?
The new AUSPIN initiative will create a coordinated national system that enables human pancreatic islets to be more widely shared with the research community. By linking isolation centres (which remove islets from the rest of the pancreas) with universities and research institutes across Australia, the network will help ensure that donated pancreases can be used more effectively and efficiently to advance scientific discovery.
AUSPIN will also develop a data resource that will provide researchers with key information about donated tissue and islet quality, helping scientists identify the most suitable samples for their studies.
Professor Peter Thorn’s comments
Professor Thorn said,
The research community is very grateful to Breakthrough T1D for supporting the AUSPIN program. It will give Australasian researchers reliable access to human pancreatic tissue and help advance diabetes research, leading to better treatments and potential cures.
Australasian researchers are working on critical challenges in diabetes, from early detection and prevention to developing new treatments. As well as providing access to human pancreatic tissue, AUSPIN will create a platform that brings researchers together to collaborate and share ideas.
Global collaboration
Professor Thorn and his team will work closely with international leaders in this field to establish AUSPIN, including Professor Patrick MacDonald from the University of Alberta, who leads the IsletCore distribution program in Canada.
Highlighting the importance of AUSPIN for Australian diabetes research, Professor Thorn said:
Canada developed a similar program several years ago, which helped build a strong research community that now leads the world in many areas of diabetes research. We hope AUSPIN will have a similar impact in Australia.
Due to Australia’s geographic distance from these international centres, live pancreatic islets can’t be easily transported here from these centres without losing quality. It’s vital to set up an islet distribution centre here, using these successful international centres as a blueprint.
Building on successful Australian initiatives
Australia already has internationally recognised expertise in islet isolation and transplantation through the national Islet Transplantation Program. Specialised islet isolation laboratories currently operate at Westmead Hospital in Sydney and St Vincent’s Institute in Melbourne, supporting clinical transplantation programs delivered in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. Connecting researchers to this thriving infrastructure is essential to support world-class research in Australia.
