Diabetes Research

[avandonk]

As some of you know I used to work for CSIRO and am now retired. One of the last projects I was a part of was the elucidation of the atomic structure of the Human Insulin Receptor. We have now solved it and it will be published in Nature.
I went to the celebration on Tueday last week. It is only now I can bring myself to tell you all.
The ramifications are immense. We may be able to produce a simple molecule to do the same job as Insulin. Time will tell. This may get rid of all the side effects of a sudden rise in Insulin in the system that leads to all the long term use complications of injection.

I studied science for a long time and practiced it for a long time and I hope the bit of good I and many others have done lasts.

Bert

By the way me and and a few other people also invented Relenza, the anti flu drug!

If you don't believe me, just put my full name in parenthesis into google.


Albert Van Donkelaar

Or try
just
A Van Donkelaar

[danielsun]

Thats fantasic news Bert!! Diabetes has had an impact on my family(my uncle) and i know a few friends with kids who need thier daily injections.
This is great news. Do you know how long before this method of treatment may be available to the public?

[avandonk]

I can't answer that danielsun. It will take time and money.
Bert

[acropolite (Phil)]

That's fantastic news Bert, must be very satisfying to have contributed to something which will benefit so many.

[matt]

We believe you, Bert!

Congratulations to you and everyone involved with this work.

A significant breakthrough indeed, and one which will potentially help so many people.

I get such a thrill when human beings use their potential and abilities to help other human beings. It's truly wonderful.

Who knows if we'll ever fully realise our potential?

How exciting.

Again... great stuff

Proof also of what a rich and diverse community IIS is.

[avandonk]

A very smart man called Colin used up about ten million dollars and the skills of many dedicated people to get this result. I was only a small cog, I had to collect the xray data that led to the structure. I had to go to many synchrotrons overseas to get the data. We started this work in 1990!

Bert

[danielsun]

I know it will probably be quite a few years off but congratulations on this major breakthrough and the tireless work you and your work colleagues have put in!!

[johnno]

Hi BERT,

As an Insulin dependant diabetic for the last 25 years,or so.
May I offer you my heartfelt thanks,for your contribution to this work.

I well remember the head nurses comment during my stay at the hospital,when I was first Diagnosed.

"YOU HAVE A LIFE SHORTENING DISEASE,REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOU DO".

So,I have a beer,A Bourbon,a chocolate,a cake,Whatever."WITHIN MODERATION"
And have done so ever since,

I thought,Heck,it Doesn't Matter WHAT,I do I am gone anyway,earlier in life than I expected.

I am nearly 58 years old now,got Diabetes at 32,
Drink my 3,or 4 Middies a night,as well as 5,or 6 Bourbon's,and Diet Coke,
Have done so,long before I got Diabetes,and Yes I am a Smoker.

I know,1 day I will Pay the price,
BUT, until then I will live my life as "I LIKE IT"

I have Known MANY,Friends,and Family,with no hint of Diabetes,who Have now Passed on,after Dramatically,changing their lifestyle to INCREASE their life span.

Bottom Line.
There are NO Guarantees,in Life,Regardless of what you do,to increase it.

All the Best.
John

So Far,So good.

[avandonk]

I am not a Medico johnno (just a lowly physicist) but if what you are doing works thats fine. It is not the length of life but the quality that is important and the quality can only be defined by the person living it.

Our approach was to look at the fundamental molecular processes of disease with a view of full understanding that would hopefully lead to some better therapies. This takes a long time and a lot of skilled people but in the long run maybe better than just treating symtoms.

We do not have a 'cure' yet. All we can do is get a better understanding that may lead to less damaging therapies.

I only brought this up as there are a lot of fantastic people doing this sort of work in Australia and they need the support (money) to keep this work going.

We can find billions of dollars for weapons to protect us from lots of future imaginary foes, why not defend ourselves from the real enemies ie diseases that are claiming far more lives right now.

Sorry better stop now.

Bert

[ving (David)]

thats brilliant news bert. my mother-in-law is diabetic and this is great news for her

does this also effect insulin resistance in any way?

[ving (David)]

i googled ya bert... medical jargonised stuff i didnt understand
congrats anyhow

[Dujon]

Don't downgrade your contribution, Bert. It takes many skills to produce a result, particularly in medicine. I could trot out banalities such as "cogs and wheels", "weakest link" and their like - but I won't.

The only known aquaintance of mine afflicted by this curse is a good friend who was diagnosed but a year or so ago. I don't think he's a 'serious' case - in that he doesn't need to take injections, just watch his diet and blood counts - but he did require a quadruple bypass a month ago. He's 67 years of age. This may or may not be associated with his condition. I don't know, like most blokes he's somewhat reticent when it comes to this sort of stuff.

Do you feel like going back to full-time work, Bert? ... Hmm, thought not.

[seeker372011 (Narayan)]

as a diabetic myself, this is indeed good news
and it must be truly satisfying to have contributed to something worth while

thank you for your efforts..

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

I have been informed by Bert about his work in this Diabetes area (and other areas) for a while now and couldn't say anything as it had to be kept under wraps.

I'm glad that it can now be made public and the people who devoted so many years to the research and developement can now 'come out of the cupboard'.

Listening to Bert explain the amazing details involved had me fascinated, and I looked forward to hearing updates each time I visited him. But I couldn't tell anyone else. I can only imagine the frustration of all those who spent years on the project wanting to tell the world about it. And now they finally can.

Congratulations to Bert and all the CSIRO people who devoted time, energy and enthusiasm for so long and never gave up, so we the people can have a better life.

Cheers Bert, and thank you.

[fringe_dweller]

Congrats Bert, that must be a good feeling to have helped your fellow human beings who may be suffering in some way, even if you say it was in a modest way!!?
I have a very close old friend who has had type I diabetes since he was a lad, and it is a horrible horrible disease to watch up close over a long period.
Not that he ever complained (he has always made me feel pathetic and inadequate with the cheerful upbeat uncomplaining way he has lived his life in the face of many difficulties related to the disease. like going half blind ect. at a relatively young age)
So as a kinda spinoff of our friendship I have sort of casually followed ( in a laymans way) the advances in treatment ect as much as I could in this area (which i might add have been HUGE over the last 10-20 years) for a while.
A few years ago he became very ill and nearly died due to the long term affects of this disease, and needed a kidney transplant desperately. I am deeply ashamed to say I felt nervous and scared and thought he was eyeing off my kidneys, and I paniced a bit, as I have a mortal fear of major surgery, but I also I didnt want him to die or live through dialysis either.
Anyway his brother was a match straight away, and didnt hesitate to give him one of his, in one of the most beautiful selfless acts a human being can do for another I think.
The improvement in his life and EVERYTHING since the kidney transplant has been nothing short of astounding, he is a different person, and has a completely new lease on life. Indeed he feels 20 years younger too.
One of the developments in recents years that gives hope to diabetes sufferers and researchers a lot has been the cadaver pancreas transplants (trial still?) that takes place in Sydney atm.
The advances over the last decade all the way from hypodermics needles (they were a pretty fat painful gauge 30 years ago apparently) to the latest very recent news that they can filter the blood out of non-compatible blood type kidneys and successfully use them in transplants without rejection (thats a biggie!)
Also my mum, and my partners mum (as a temporary spinoff of recent chemo) has mild type II,
All I am saying is you dont have to be a nobel prize winning scientists to help a diabetes sufferer, you can also become a kidney (preferably while alive) or an organ donor, if you are serious! So until research like Berts and his colleagues are in everyday use, you can make a BIG difference to someones life!

[h0ughy (David)]

Well done Bert, that is what i would call a lifetime achievement! my mum is a diabetic, and I could probably be one in later years, so thanks for a brighter future.

[xstream (John)]

Being a diabetic Bert may I say thankyou, to you and your colleagues.

[johnno]

Hi all,

I agree with everyone else here Bert,

Thats a Fantastic achievement.
I am sure You are being very modest,in your description of your involvement.

Whatever it was,you are partly responsible for making peoples lives a lot Better.

How many people can lay claim to that type of Achievement.

As everyone else here,I Thank You.

Best Regards.
John

[avandonk]

It's taken me a while to respond because I was overwhelmed by your encouragement. I did not need it. My major motive was to use my limited talents to make the world a slightly better place.
I only brought this up as I have spent nearly forty years working in science. Now I just want to take pictures of where I live before I die. Maybe I can get back home if I know the way. If I have enough pictures it may show me the way. Detail is important!
Death is the reality we all face eventually. I do not fear death.I fear the death of my mind or capabilities. I want to be found with a can in my hand under my telescope with a finger on the controls.
Allright two cans no finger on the controls.

Bert

[avandonk]

For what its worth here is PNAS paper. The Nature Paper will follow soon.
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~trlee8/pap.pdf
Don't worry if it is complicated or incomprehensible. This is real heavy science.

Bert