D.T.R.G student Lucas Agnoletto receives Breakthrough T1D PhD Top-Up Scholarship
We would like to congratulate our PhD student Lucas Agnoletto for receiving a PhD Top-Up Scholarship from JDRF Australia. This scholarship is designed to support and encourage PhD students pursuing research in the field of T1D in line with JDRF’s mission – to treat, prevent and cure T1D. The scholarship will provides additional funding, on top of their PhD stipend, for students involved in diabetes related projects.
Lucas’s project “Management of Metabolic Control and Diabetic Ketoacidosis in Type 1 Diabetic Individuals During Exercise” aims to improve diabetes control during exercise for people with type 1 diabetes. The benefits of regular exercise are well documented for those with type 1 diabetes (T1D), with recommendations prescribing 150 minutes of weekly exercise. Despite this, many people with T1D do not meet these guidelines. There are a multitude of reasons for this trend, however, fear of hypoglycaemia and fears of diabetes related consequences such as diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) acts as significant barriers to individuals with T1D who are willing to exercise. Even with advanced automated insulin delivery (AID), risk of hypoglycaemia is still high. This is due to a combination of factors including post-exercise insulin sensitization and inadequate glucagon secretion. Current recommendations suggest ingestion of simple carbohydrates during exercise to help mitigate hypoglycaemia, however the ingestion of ‘unhealthy’ foods during physical activity can be met with reluctance. Lack of physical activity in this population has contributed to high levels of cardiovascular disease, which further hinders health outcomes. The outcomes of Lucas’ PhD projects will hopefully inform future clinical practice and exercise guidelines by addressing the barriers to exercise for individuals with T1D.
D.T.R.G student Lucas Agnoletto receives Breakthrough T1D PhD Top-Up Scholarship
We would like to congratulate our PhD student Lucas Agnoletto for receiving a PhD Top-Up Scholarship from JDRF Australia. This scholarship is designed to support and encourage PhD students pursuing research in the field of T1D in line with JDRF’s mission – to treat, prevent and cure T1D. The scholarship will provides additional funding, on top of their PhD stipend, for students involved in diabetes related projects.
Lucas’s project “Management of Metabolic Control and Diabetic Ketoacidosis in Type 1 Diabetic Individuals During Exercise” aims to improve diabetes control during exercise for people with type 1 diabetes. The benefits of regular exercise are well documented for those with type 1 diabetes (T1D), with recommendations prescribing 150 minutes of weekly exercise. Despite this, many people with T1D do not meet these guidelines. There are a multitude of reasons for this trend, however, fear of hypoglycaemia and fears of diabetes related consequences such as diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) acts as significant barriers to individuals with T1D who are willing to exercise. Even with advanced automated insulin delivery (AID), risk of hypoglycaemia is still high. This is due to a combination of factors including post-exercise insulin sensitization and inadequate glucagon secretion. Current recommendations suggest ingestion of simple carbohydrates during exercise to help mitigate hypoglycaemia, however the ingestion of ‘unhealthy’ foods during physical activity can be met with reluctance. Lack of physical activity in this population has contributed to high levels of cardiovascular disease, which further hinders health outcomes. The outcomes of Lucas’ PhD projects will hopefully inform future clinical practice and exercise guidelines by addressing the barriers to exercise for individuals with T1D.