Diabetes UK supports a range of research funding schemes including project grants, funding to purchase laboratory equipment and research training opportunities, ranging from PhD Studentships to research fellowships aimed at clinicians and scientists at different stages in their careers.
Please see below for summaries of ongoing Diabetes-UK funded research.
Building on exciting advances in the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of gene sequencing technology, Dr Weedon’s team will screen the human genome for mutations that cause Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY), potentially helping to improve the diagnosis and treatment of people with this condition.
Professor Wong aims to comprehensively analyse the role of B cells in the autoimmune response that causes Type 1 diabetes. An improved understanding of the ways that B cells change over the course of the condition will enhance the monitoring and treatment of the condition and could inform the design of novel therapies for Type 1 diabetes that target B cells.
Professor Shanta Persaud and her team at King’s College London will explore the role of GPR55, a G-protein coupled receptor, in the regulation of glucose-induced insulin secretion and beta cell proliferation. Their results could improve our understanding of islet cells and facilitate the design of novel treatments for Type 2 diabetes.
Researchers at the University of Glasgow will investigate the function of two proteins involved in insulin-mediated glucose uptake by fat cells. This will improve our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying this process and potentially contribute to the design of targeted therapies for people with Type 2 diabetes.
Building on studies that suggest, mesenchymal stem cells from the kidney improve the effectiveness of islet transplants in mice, Professor Peter Jones will investigate the mechanisms by which this improvement occurs and look for the conditions necessary for optimal transplantation outcomes. This could help to improve transplantation techniques and ensure the efficient use of donor islets that are in short supply.
An improved understanding of the complex interaction of T cells, B cells and HLA molecules from the body’s immune system with proteins from islet beta cells could advance the development of therapies to prevent Type 1 diabetes. Dr Michael Christie will explore this interaction in relation to the protein IA-2, a major target of the immune response that destroys these cells.
Dr Salt and his team at the University of Glasgow are working on several projects that aim to enhance our knowledge of the cellular signalling mechanisms involved in insulin resistance and the cardiovascular complications associated with Type 2 diabetes. Diabetes UK will fund the purchase of a new imaging system that will dramatically improve the speed, accuracy and efficiency of their experiments.
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. Professor 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.