Our research projects

Weight loss can lead to remission of type 2 diabetes but losing weight can be difficult. Professor Jebb aims to create a new NHS support service for people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and living with overweight or obesity, so they can try out different weight loss programmes and find the one that’s right for them. This could make all the difference in giving more people the chance to go into remission.

In some people, the immune attack that causes type 1 diabetes can progress slowly from childhood. In other people, it can start later in life and progress quickly. Dr Anna Long will study the immune systems of these different groups to find out why some people develop type 1 diabetes more slowly. In the future, this could lead to life-changing treatments to delay or prevent type 1 diabetes.

Our brain plays an important role in assessing whether our blood sugar levels are too high or too low, so our body can bring them back into a safe range. Dr Ellacott wants to focus on a type of brain cell, called the astrocyte, to figure out they’re involved in sensing blood glucose levels. This could help us develop new treatments that target astrocytes to help people with diabetes avoid dangerous blood sugar levels.

Some people develop type 1 diabetes very quickly, but in others, the immune attack that causes type 1 diabetes progresses slowly. Professor Kathleen Gillespie and her PhD student will look for genetic differences between these groups of people to find out why this is. In the future, this could lead to life-changing treatments to delay or prevent type 1 diabetes.

In type 1 diabetes insulin-making beta cells in the pancreas are destroyed by the immune system. Dr Long will study a specific protein on beta cells that gets attacked, called zinc transporter 8. This could give scientists a better understanding of what’s happening in the immune system when the condition develops and what influences its progression. 

Gestational diabetes affects pregnant women and can cause complications throughout pregnancy and birth. It’s linked to mothers being overweight or obese, and can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life for both the mother and child.

Dr Claire Meek believes that reducing calories during pregnancy could improve the management of gestational diabetes, delivery of the baby and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes in the future. 

Gestational diabetes can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes in later life, as can high levels of fat in the liver. Dr Hanna is testing a screening programme, to see if women with gestational diabetes and high levels of fat in the liver are at a higher risk of type 2 diabetes overall. If so, this group of women could be supported to reduce their risk. 

Diabetic foot ulcers are a common complication of all types of diabetes. Ill-fitting footwear rubbing against the foot can increase the risk of a foot ulcer developing. Dr Petra Jones wants to test the existing guidelines for good fitting footwear for people living with diabetes, to make sure they're getting the best possible advice to protect their foot health.

Sometimes insulin can cause cells to multiply rather than bringing down blood sugar levels. This can increase the risk of some cancers in people with diabetes. Prof Nia Bryant wants to better understand how and why insulin can have this effect. With her PhD student, she will pinpoint the specific areas on cells that causes insulin to lower blood sugars and not to tell cells to multiply. In the future, this could help scientists develop new treatments for people with diabetes that aren’t linked with an increased risk of cancer.

People with diabetes have a higher risk of getting more severe symptoms from common respiratory viruses, such as the common cold and flu, than people without diabetes. But we don’t yet understand why the immune systems of people with diabetes are less efficient at dealing with respiratory viruses, and why high blood sugars are linked to increased chance of severe symptoms. Dr Dominguez-Villar’s PhD student will work out how type 1 diabetes changes the way in which immune cells detect and fight respiratory infections.