TREAD Overview

Diabetes is common. There are approximately 250,000 people in Queensland diagnosed with diabetes. Currently about 60 people are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes each day, which is almost 19,000 new cases in Queensland each year. By 2031, there will be up to 700,000 people with type 2 diabetes, and 160 new cases diagnosed each day- that's one person diagnosed every nine minutes.

Australia has one of the highest rates of type 1 diabetes in the world and its incidence is increasing. It affects 10 to 15 per cent of people with diabetes and there are currently over 120,000 Australians living with type 1 diabetes. There are approximately 1,825 Australians diagnosed with type 1 diabetes every year.

With the alarming figures of diabetes as shown above, translational research in endocrinology and diabetes (TREAD) was formed to address impacts of disease in the region.

TREAD was established in 2012 as a collaboration between the endocrinologists at the Townsville University Hospital and James Cook University (JCU) researchers. Over the years TREAD received various local, national and international research grants including World Diabetes Foundation, BUPA Health Foundation and Australian Diabetes Society for research aimed at combating diabetic limb amputation as the region is judged to have the highest rate of amputation in Queensland. JCU  postgraduate students and Royal Australian College of Physicians’ endocrine trainees will not only be engaged with clinical practice but also able to build their career in research and academics in the unit.