We talk to Perth endocrinologist Bu Yeap about his work on a new medication for diabetes, and why he is hoping to hear from people living with type 2 diabetes to help him with his research.  

You’re working with ProGenis Pharmaceuticals on a new treatment for people with type 2 diabetes. What can you tell us about it? 

ProGenis is a Western Australian company that works on developing new medicines to improve health and wellbeing. 

We are developing a new treatment for insulin resistance, which will be most useful for people with type 2 diabetes who need fairly large insulin doses.  

It’s going to be an injectable drug, and it will be taken weekly or even monthly or three-monthly. Basically, we think it will be given much less frequently than daily. 

How does this medication work?  

When insulin gets into the body, it sits on an insulin receptor and the receptor activates signalling proteins within the cell. We think this treatment will make that process more effective by improving insulin signalling. 

 This will help with type 2 diabetes because your blood glucose levels will improve and you might need less insulin. We hope that if it works well there might be some people currently on insulin who will no longer need it.  

Has this treatment been tested in humans yet? 

We’ve proven the concept in mice and we are now planning to do studies in humans.  

We think it will be helpful, but we want to hear from people with diabetes so we can find out what is important to them – would a weekly or monthly injection be better, what kind of cost would they be willing to pay for this treatment?  

We really want to know what people want from their treatment, rather than just doing clinical trials and presenting the drug to people. 

Could this new therapy eventually replace insulin for people with type 2 diabetes? 

It could for those people whose pancreas is still able to function and produce a reasonable amount of insulin.  

What happens with insulin resistance is that when beta cells in the pancreas can’t produce enough insulin, blood glucose levels rise. If we intervene early enough and reduce the insulin resistance, then those people wouldn’t need as much insulin.

People might be able to manage their diabetes with this injection, a couple of tablets and their body’s own insulin production.  

If the person’s beta cells are not producing enough insulin, even with this new therapy, then they would need insulin, but it’s possible that they might need less. This could mean fewer injections in a day or smaller doses with meals.  

What is the ProGenis Diabetes Consumer Advisory Group?

As part of our research, we are inviting people living with type 2 diabetes to join our advisory group. We will have regular meetings, maybe once every three months, at our office in Bentley. 

We want to find out more about people’s experiences and what matters to them when it comes to diabetes medication, so we’re inviting them to take part. We will of course reimburse people for their time according to the current guidelines.  

We need to understand what people living with diabetes might think about possible  side effects and trade-offs, hence this advisory group. 

What will I gain from being part of this advisory group?

Your views are valuable, and this is a chance to be heard. I think it will be a really interesting experience and a learning opportunity. 

And of course, if and when we get to the point of doing clinical trials, you’ll have a front row seat.  

Right now, though, we want to hear from you.

Will I learn about the latest research and treatment options for diabetes?

Yes, that will certainly be part of it. You’ll have the opportunity to learn a lot, ask questions and we’ll provide answers. We can’t offer personal medical advice, but we can answer general questions, and we really want to hear about people’s experiences with their insulin regime.  

Of course, all your medical information is kept private, and we only want to hear what people are willing to share.  

If this works, it may make a difference to many people living with diabetes.  

Where: ProGenis Pharmaceuticals, Unit 7&10 / 3 Brodie-Hall Drive, Bentley, WA 6102.

To join the advisory group, or for any questions about the research, email: info@progenispharma.com

Professor Bu Yeap is a clinician and researcher specialising in endocrinology. He is a Professor in the Medical School at The University of Western Australia and a Consultant Endocrinologist at  Stanley Hospital in Perth, where he provides expert care to patients with diabetes.