Melbourne family benefits from world-first diabetes screening test

A Melbourne family has benefited from a world-first in-home screening test which helps diagnose type 1 diabetes in children.

The innovative test uses a finger prick sample that is taken at home and mailed to a lab.

Geelong brothers Leo, 14, Paddy, 11, and Ollie, eight, were all tested using the technique after their sister Lila was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

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Their mother, Ange Liston-McCaughley, told 9News she was relieved to be part of the new study, which found her sons were unlikely to have the condition.

"Having Type 1 Diabetes in the family definitely makes you on edge as a mum," she said.

"That's peace of mind as a mum to know that the boys are not at risk of developing type 1 diabetes like their sister."

The study, led by Royal Melbourne Hospital endocrinologist and Associate Professor John Wentworth, is the first to use the blood spot assay to screen diabetes in Australia.

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Early detection of type 1 diabetes can be difficult in children and Wentworth has warned late diagnoses can be dangerous.

He told 9News the new test allows results to get back to families sooner.

"The finger prick test will allow us to start treatment before kids get really sick and will give us time to ensure families have enough time to learn how to manage type 1 diabetes, and the complexity of diet and insulin therapy," Wentworth said.

The study focused on families who already have a diagnosed case of diabetes, due to the risk of the disease being 15 times greater there than in the general population.

"The aim of this study is to be able to diagnose type 1 diabetes early in as many children as we can," Wentworth said.

"Early diagnosis prevents serious illness and affords opportunities to use immunotherapy to delay progression to insulin injections."