Our research projects

Type 2 diabetes can come with an increased risk of cardiovascular problems affecting the heart and blood vessels. Professor Stephen Wheatcroft wants to test ‘recipes’ for new molecules that can protect against these issues, and also treat type 2 diabetes. This could help researchers to develop new treatments for type 2 diabetes that also lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Established in 2011, ADDRESS-2 is a database of information from of people newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes who have agreed to be involved in research. This new funding will continue to support the program and allow the team recruit more people. The team will work with the type 1 diabetes Immunotherapy Consortium to increase the number of people recruited into immunotherapy trials. These trials aim to find new ways to prevent, or cure, type 1 diabetes.

It’s not always easy to diagnose which type of diabetes a person has. This is because the symptoms and test results can overlap, particularly in people from some ethnic groups. In this project, Dr Shields will improve calculators used to get the diagnosis right in many more people with diabetes. 

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. 

In type 1 diabetes the immune system attacks and destroy insulin-making cells in the pancreas. But researchers don’t know why the immune system attacks in this way. Professor Noel Morgan plans to test the proteins known as SIRPα and CD47 which kick into action when beta cells are being destroyed. 

Some people with diabetes go on to develop problems with the nerves in their feet. This is known as peripheral neuropathy and can affect safe driving. Professor Marple-Horvat is investigating if a driving stimulator and feedback system can help people with peripheral neuropathy get back to driving safely again, and keep their independence.

Insulin-making beta cells in people with type 2 diabetes can stop working properly due to toxic molecules. Dr Catherine Arden wants to explore what causes this by measuring what happens when sugar and fat are added to beta cells. Understanding more about this process will help researchers to develop new treatments that can prevent damage to beta cells. This could slow down the progression of type 2 diabetes and reduce the risk of complications for people living with type 2 diabetes. 

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. 

Lots of people with type 2 diabetes take a drug called metformin, but it’s not suitable for everyone. Another type of drug, called salicylate, works in a similar way to metformin. Professor Graham Rena will unpick how salicylate works, to figure out if it could be used as an alternative to metformin. This could mean more people with type 2 diabetes will have access to medications to help manage their condition and lower their risk of complications.

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.