Latest research
In February 2012 we dedicated £1,477,654 to ten new research projects, as outlined below.
Following a review of immediate research priorities, five new research grants with a total value of £1,037,603 were awarded from our targeted research fund. These grants will make a difference to people with diabetes by overcoming barriers to good diabetes care and supported self-management.
In addition, we allocated £440,051 to five new PhD studentships. Each project will last for three years and enable outstanding science graduates to study for their doctorates in a particular aspect of diabetes research under the guidance of current experts.
For further information on any of the projects, please contact the Diabetes UK Research team on research@diabetes.org.uk.
Support our research
We rely on donations to enable us to support ground-breaking research into all forms of diabetes and diabetes-related complications. If you would like to support any of the projects below, please call 0845 123 2399 or make a donation today.
Adopt a Project
Groups or individuals who give £1000 or more can participate in our Adopt a Project scheme. Contact your regional Diabetes UK office to find more.
Further information
For further information about other research projects funded by Diabetes UK please consult our Research project directory.
School leavers with Type 1 diabetes who go on to attend university often find it difficult to control their condition or engage effectively with health services. Researchers led by Dr Khin Swe Myint will survey patients and health professionals at universities across the UK to establish the obstacles to improving diabetes care during this challenging and stressful period.
Young people with diabetes can struggle to manage their condition and may find healthcare consultations unhelpful or irrelevant. Dr Jonathan Pinkney and his team will run a competition to help young people with diabetes to design and test internet and mobile phone applications (apps) that will enable them to plan and get the most out of care appointments.
Ensuring that diabetes care is based on the latest research evidence is a challenge for GPs and nurses, as it requires them to modify their existing behaviours. Professor Martin Eccles is running a national study of factors that influence diabetes care. His team will now test methods of modifying the key behaviours of health professionals in an effort to enhance the quality of care on offer.
Structured diabetes education is regarded as the cornerstone of effective self-management, but people with diabetes often choose not to participate. Researchers led by Professor Vivien Coates will explore in greater detail the reasons why many young people with Type 1 diabetes do not engage with structured education with the aim of improving the reach of future courses.
People with learning disabilities are more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes and are often excluded from structured diabetes education that benefits those without learning disabilities. Researchers led by Dr Laurence Taggart will develop a revised version of the DESMOND education programme and evaluate it with input from people with learning disabilities and Type 2. This could help to improve their blood glucose control and overall quality of life.
A PhD student at the University of Glasgow will investigate an enzyme (AMPK) that appears to protect blood vessels from harmful changes caused by Type 2 diabetes. Further information about AMPK could help enable the development of new treatments to limit Type 2 complications.
A student supervised by Dr Felino Cagampang will use experiments in mice to study the effects of the anti-diabetes drug metformin on obese pregnant mothers and their children. This could influence future treatment strategies to improve the health of obese mothers and their children.
Dr Mark Turner will supervise this study of specific molecules that trigger beta cell damage or reduce insulin secretion in people with Type 2 diabetes. These molecules might inform the development of new therapies to control or prevent Type 2.
A student at Queen’s University Belfast will draw on five years' worth of information collected by clinics across Northern Ireland to determine whether measuring blood vessels at the back of the eye can help detect the early signs of diabetes-related complications. If so, this practice could become a routine part of UK retinopathy screening.
A PhD student supervised by Professor Guy Rutter will use genetic and cellular experiments to explore the role of a zinc transporter protein in the production of the hormone glucagon. Findings could help inform the development of therapies to control glucagon release in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.