Project summary
In people living with type 2 diabetes, platelets in the blood are more likely to clot, putting them at a higher risk of heart attack than people without diabetes. Dr Allan is seeing whether an existing type 2 treatment, semaglutide, could also protect people against heart damage. This could improve people’s health and mean they need to take less medications, easing the day-to-day-burden of living with type 2 diabetes.
Background to research
Platelets are blood cells which usefully clot together to prevent blood loss from cuts. But they can also stick together in a way that blocks blood vessels in the body, increasing the risk of heart attack.
Platelets in people living with type 2 diabetes are 40% more likely to stick together than platelets in people without diabetes. This means people with type 2 are at a higher risk of complications like heart attack.
Semaglutide is a treatment for people who are living with type 2 diabetes. It works by increasing insulin production by the pancreas and lowering blood sugar levels. It’s also thought to be protective against heart damage.
The protein that semaglutide binds to, so that it brings about beneficial effects, is found throughout the body, including on the surface of platelets - and on the cells that produce platelets. This suggests that semaglutide interacts both with platelets and their parent cells - but we don’t know how. And we still aren’t clued up on the wider effects of semaglutide on the health of people with type 2 diabetes.
Research aims
Dr Allan is investigating whether semaglutide impacts how platelets and their parent cells work. She’ll study platelets taken from people without diabetes, and their parent cells.
Dr Allan will keep the platelets and their parent cells in conditions of normal and high blood sugar levels.
She’ll also monitor how semaglutide affects how well platelets stick together to form clots, and how it impacts the ability of the parent cells to make platelets. And she’ll look at which proteins, and how many of each, are found on the outside of platelets and their parent cells.
Potential benefit to people with diabetes
At the moment, semaglutide is most commonly prescribed to people living with type 2 diabetes and obesity. This research could show that semaglutide provides additional health benefits for people with type 2 diabetes, like protecting them against heart complications. This could help to expand eligibility, so that more people with type 2 can access it and its potential heart health benefits.
