Celebrating A/Prof Garron Dodd’s research this World Diabetes Day

This World Diabetes Day we highlight the ground breaking research of A/Prof Garron Dodd, Dept Anatomy & Physiology, in uncovering the critical role of the brain in the development of Type 2 Diabetes, offering new treatment possibilities.

Image: A/Prof Garron Dodd

World Diabetes Day, held annually on 14 November, is an awareness campaign founded by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organisation.

Diabetes is a chronic condition marked by high levels of glucose in the blood. It occurs when the body can’t make insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas that controls blood glucose levels, or is not effectively using the insulin it does make.

In Australia, Diabetes Australia describes diabetes as an “epidemic of the 21st century” and the biggest challenge confronting our health system, as 5.5% of the population or 2 million Australians are known and registered on the National Diabetes Services Scheme.

Diabetes is serious -- it is the leading cause of blindness in working age adults, is a leading cause of kidney failure, increases the risk of heart attack and stroke by up to four times, is a major cause of limb amputations and affects mental health and well-being.

With no effective long-term treatments currently available, diabetes continues to cost Australian's $AU3.4 billion annually and growing.

A breakthrough in Type 2 Diabetes Research

A/Prof Garron Dodd is a neuroscientist and Head, Metabolic Neuroscience Research Laboratory. His research focuses on understanding how the brain controls the development of metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes.

His lab is committed to delivering transformative treatments for incurable metabolic diseases, which are projected to be the leading cause of death by 2030.

Recieving Diabetes Australia Research Program funding in 2023, A/Prof Dodd’s research discovered that the brain plays a really important role in diabetes, that had not been examined in detail before.

We have found neurons in the brain that control how blood glucose is regulated – an amazing find.

We now understand there is a matrix that covers neurons in the brain of a person with type 2 diabetes. This is like a glue that surrounds them, and blocks hormones like insulin signalling to them.

His latest research, published in Nature, details the discovery that brain cells (neurons) can become trapped in a dense, glue-like substance known as the extracellular matrix (ECM) when a person is obese or has type 2 diabetes.

When these neurons are encapsulated in the matrix, it prevents them from functioning properly, affecting their ability to control body weight, hunger and blood sugar levels.

Until now, the process was considered irreversible. But, for the first time, A/Prof Dodd’s precise targeting research has shown that the function of these cells can be restored – providing new possibilities for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

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