Our research projects

People living with diabetes are invited to attend routine eye screening appointments to protect their eye health. However, eye drops used during these visits can be uncomfortable and irritating and put people off attending. Professor Scanlon is testing whether a new camera can avoid the need for eye drops in Asian and African-Caribbean people. This research could protect more people from different ethnicities against diabetes-related eye damage. 

Diabetic retinopathy is a common complication of diabetes that can lead to vision loss. People who have had this condition for more than five years may be at higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Dr Karis Little aims to better understand the connection between these two conditions by studying the systems in the brain and eye that remove waste. Better understanding what retinopathy and Alzheimer’s disease have in common could provide insights into how retinopathy develops and help identify new treatments.

Obesity is linked with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. But to better understand the complex biological mechanisms that link to the two conditions, scientists need better ways of studying them in the lab. Dr Nicola Contessi Negrini is testing a new specialised material that she hopes will better recreate human body fat. This could open doors to new avenues of research that lead to new understanding about the root causes of type 2 diabetes and how to treat it. 

The current test for gestational diabetes can be inaccurate, expensive, inconvenient, and unappealing for many women. Professor Claire Meek wants to develop a new test that could tackle these problems. A better test could help more women with gestational diabetes to get an easier diagnosis, as well as the support they need as they go through pregnancy. 

Insulin-making beta cells respond differently to stress in women and men. Dr Aileen King wants to understand why this is, and if treatments tailored to men and women could treat both type 1 and type 2 diabetes more effectively. 

Weight gain is an important risk factor for type 2 diabetes. A lot of research studies focus on what’s happening inside fat cells to try and explain why insulin no longer works properly. Dr Kang now plans to study what’s happening just outside fat cells to find more answers and a better understanding about the link between weight gain and type 2 diabetes. 

Scientists think that gestational diabetes could be split into two main subtypes. Dr Sara White will find out if measurements of babies from ultrasound scans could be used to identify which subtype of gestational diabetes a woman has. This could help doctors to tailor and improve care, potentially reducing the risk of pregnancy complications for hundreds of thousands of women in the UK every year.

A rare type of diabetes, known as syndromic diabetes, is caused by changes in certain genes. But so far only half of the genetic changes behind the condition have been found. Dr Patel aims to find more of the genes that could be causing syndromic diabetes. This would mean more people get the right diabetes diagnosis and care.  

Women who develop type 2 diabetes under the age of 40 have a greater risk of complications during pregnancy, including stillbirth. Professor Claire Meek will explore if and how continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) can help these women to have safer pregnancies. This research could reshape future care for women with early-onset type 2 diabetes, helping to make sure they have access to the tools they need.

Beta cells have the job of making insulin, but when they’re overworked in people living with type 2 diabetes, they start to burn out. Professor Nigel Irwin is exploring a new treatment that hopes to help beta cells recharge, so they carry on making enough insulin to keep blood sugar levels on an even keel.