Melbourne scores $10 million Diabetes Vaccine Centre

Melbourne has been chosen as the site for the world's first Diabetes Vaccine Development Centre, a joint initiative of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) International.

The University of Melbourne-based centre, opened today by Federal Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator Kay Patterson, is intended to spearhead a global research program into the discovery of a vaccine for juvenile diabetes.

The centre was chosen after a number of applications were analysed by its new board. Dr Bob Goldstein, chief scientist at the office of the JDRF, said it was always intended the centre should be established in Australia, mainly due to the excellent reputation of our researchers.

"The idea was to take advantage of the local talent here; there is a great deal of immunology talent in Australia, and a huge amount of clinical expertise too. Our ultimate aim is that this will be a truly international project, but that it will be managed from here in Melbourne," he said.

Describing the initiative as a "virtual structure", Goldstein said the centre would have its own CEO -- as yet unnamed -- and a senior board of volunteers who would ensure quality when it came to assessing submissions.

"We will have between eight and 10 people on the oversighting committee, and call on others as required. We are reviewing projects right now from international submissions, and hope to start on work through the centre in two to three months. We are definitely in the final phases of selection now," he added.

The centre, which will be funded for three years with the option to continue for another two, will be funded "approximately 50/50" by the JDRF and NHMRC, confirmed Ellis. The University of Melbourne would provide the infrastructure, support including administrative services, and vital links to regulatory groups.

Co-chair of the board of the new centre, Dr Ronald Ellis, said the JDRF had chosen Australia -- and the NHMRC in particular -- because it wanted to work with a government agency with an awareness of diabetes research and with trials expertise; areas where he said NHMRC already had experience.

"We found the NHMRC and ourselves had a very strong mutual interest in these areas," he said.

Goldstein pointed to the successful establishment of previous NHMRC Industry Development Grants, noting that such academic-to-commercial links were exactly what the JDRF was looking for.

"This approach looked good to us -- we just want to produce a vaccine," he said. "We will give grants to good ideas -- this is not just an academic exercise."

This was backed up by Ellis, who confirmed that rather than promoting the research end of the spectrum, money will be granted to projects which offer "the proof of principle leading to a product".

"We are looking for a concrete product, a vaccine. Our funding is aimed at promoting something with a very small R and a very large D," he said.