Our research projects

Immunotherapies work by retraining the immune system, and scientists hope they could stop or prevent the immune attack behind Type 1 diabetes. They’re testing different immunotherapies right now, but we need to speed up progress. Professor Colin Dayan will expand a network of immunotherapy research teams and improve the clinical trials process to help make these treatments available for people with Type 1 as soon as possible. 

Pregnant women with early-onset type 2 diabetes are 3-4 times more likely to have stillbirth and newborn death than women without diabetes. Currently, there are limited self-management programmes available to support people with early-onset type 2 diabetes - and even less for pregnant women with the condition. Professor Meek wants to design a new self-management programme for this group to provide vital support before, during, and after pregnancy to protect the health of mothers and their babies. 

Cilia are tiny, hair-like structures that help cells communicate. Dr Nalia Haq is studying whether cilia problems in insulin-making beta cells contribute to the development of type 1 diabetes,  or result from it. Her findings could help us better understand the root causes of type 1 diabetes, and point to targets for new treatments to slow or prevent it.

Type 1 diabetes develops when the immune system attacks and destroys insulin-making beta cells. Dr Mark Russell and his PhD student will test existing drugs that could help to hide and protect beta cells from attack. This could lead to a new way to slow down type 1 diabetes, giving people more time with their own insulin and protecting their future health. In the longer term, the drugs could also help to cure type 1 diabetes. 

Obesity and type 2 diabetes can both harm the kidneys. Dr Li Kang has discovered a group of molecules that may be involved in this process. She will now investigate whether blocking these molecules could help protect the kidneys from damage in people living with obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Diabetic foot ulcers can have a huge impact on people’s lives, and, in the most serious cases, infections can put people at risk of life-altering amputations. Dr Wilkinson wants to understand how bacteria cause infections and slow healing in foot ulcers in people with type 2 diabetes. This will help to develop new treatments that could protect people with diabetes against amputations.

Many people with type 2 diabetes also experience depression. But we don’t know which existing diabetes treatments could also treat depression in people living with both conditions. Dr Gao is providing much-needed evidence to fill this knowledge gap. Her work could help to shape more personalised care so people get treatments that help them manage both conditions, without needing extra medications.  

People with diabetes are three times more likely to go to hospital at some stage in life than people without diabetes. Of these, many will be very unwell in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). We know that continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) tech reduces low blood sugars in people with diabetes who aren’t in hospital. Dr Avari will explore whether CGM can prevent severely low blood sugars in critically ill people with diabetes in hospital. This research could make CGM use part of routine care to protect the health of this vulnerable group.

Transplants of insulin-producing beta cells from donors into people with type 1 diabetes, called ‘islet transplants’, have been shown to temporarily remove the need for insulin injections in many cases. However, there aren’t enough beta cells available for everyone who needs a transplant. Dr Elisa De Franco wants to find the genes that control the development of beta cells, by studying babies born with neonatal diabetes, to see if these genes could be used to make beta cells in the lab.

Diabetes can cause many complications including foot ulcers. These can lead to a significantly higher risk of heart attacks, strokes and a shortened lifespan. Professor Khunti and his team are researching the best way to reduce these so that people with diabetes and foot ulcers can have healthier and longer lives.