By Esther Lauaki
A high-tech diabetes research facility will open in Hoppers Crossing.
The new Clinical Trial and Research Centre, run by researchers and clinicians from Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, opens this month and will trial lifestyle interventions to reduce soaring rates of diabetes, obesity and heart disease.
One trial under consideration will include the use of avatars to assist people with heart failure and cognitive deficits to care for themselves in their home and avoid hospital.
New devices, apps and technology will also be on trial in a bid to better prevent and manage the condition.
Baker Institute director Tom Marwick said Wyndham had one of the highest rates of diabetes and obesity in the state and the country with 57.9 per cent of residents overweight compared to the Victorian average of 50.8 per cent.
Health figures also show that only 38.6 percent of Wyndham residents meet recommended physical activity guidelines compared to the state average of 59 per cent.
“If we can support people to avoid a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes or help them to manage their heart disease so that they don’t suffer another heart attack or stroke, then this approach could become a model for high-risk communities across the country,” Professor Marwick said.
“We want to harness new technology and the brain power of our clinicians and researchers to prevent disease or complications before people end up in hospital.”
Professor Marwick said the centre would build important links with industry, universities and the biotechnology sector, serving as a test beacon in disease prevention and progression.
The clinical trial and research centre will be located on the first floor of the new HeartWest cardiology facility in Heaths Road, Hoppers Crossing, which operates cardiology services across the western and northern corridors of Melbourne.
