Our research projects

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 will aim to find more of the genes that could be causing syndromic diabetes. This would mean more people get the right diabetes diagnosis and care.  

Changes to our insulin-producing beta cells that happen as we get older are linked to Type 2 diabetes, but we don’t yet know how or why. Professor Masashi Narita will study cells in the lab to shed light on this link. In the future, this could lead to the development of new treatments to combat the effects of ageing on beta cells, and help to prevent Type 2 diabetes.

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.

Diabetic foot ulcers are a common complication of all types of diabetes. Professor Reeves has found that a new type of ‘smart’ shoe insole technology, which raises an alarm when levels of pressure on the feet are too high, can reduce the risk of foot ulcers. To build more evidence on the technology’s effectiveness he will compare different types of smart insoles to explore what people with diabetes experience and find which is best at reducing high pressure. This research could help people with diabetes get the best possible care to help protect their foot health.

Many people who use metformin to manage their type 2 diabetes, often need to start on a second medication to control blood sugar levels. Dr Beall wants to better understand the effect of metformin in the brain and why this may cause some people with type 2 to stop responding to it over time. He’ll also shed new light on if and how metformin may have anti-inflammatory effects in the brain. In the future this could help us to understand who is more likely to need an add on treatment and open-up new ways to keep the brain healthy in people with diabetes. 

When the immune system attacks the pancreas in type 1 diabetes, the body responds with inflammation which can damage insulin-producing beta cells. Transplants of pancreas cells, called islet transplants, can be used to treat some people with type 1 diabetes, but they don’t always work. Dr Chloe Rackham wants to understand how shape-shifting stem cells can protect transplanted cells from damage caused by inflammation. This could help to make islet transplants more successful in the future and could open up ways to delay or prevent type 1 diabetes. 

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.

Insulin-producing cells in our pancreas have a molecule on their surface, called GLP-1R, which instructs them to release insulin. Some people have a change in their GLP-1R gene which makes GLP-1R do its job better. Dr Tomas and her PhD student will study this genetic change in detail to understand how it helps our pancreas to make more insulin and how it could protect against type 2 diabetes and its complications.

In people with Type 2 diabetes, insulin-producing cells stop working properly over time. Dr Paul Caton thinks that this is down to a molecule called NAD, which is found at lower levels in the pancreas of people with Type 2 diabetes. He will test whether boosting the levels of NAD could increase numbers of insulin-producing cells. This could lead to new, better treatments that work to stop the progression of Type 2 diabetes.

Severe insulin resistance is a key feature of a rare form of diabetes, caused by genetic changes which affects the structure of the insulin receptor. Dr Gemma Brierley will explore whether antibodies can be redesigned to improve the function of the insulin receptor. This research could improve our understanding of how a rare form of diabetes develops and and lead to life-saving new treatments.