Diabetes
Medical Research Scotland is one of the largest and most comprehensive independent research charities in Scotland. Unlike most medical research charities, our funding isn't restricted to any one disease or condition, we support high-quality research that aims to improve the understanding, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of all diseases and disease mechanisms.
Awards in the past 20 years
The following are some of the awards we made for research into diabetes and other metabolic disorders.
£149,947 over 24 months to Dr Nancy Sabatier (Centre for Integrative Physiology, University of Edinburgh) for an investigation of hypothalamic mechanisms in obesity.
One in four UK adults is obese and, as obesity can lead to diabetes, heart disease and stroke, NHS costs are escalating. Tackling obesity is a policy priority. Before we can develop drugs to combat obesity however, we first need to find viable drug targets. How much we eat is largely controlled by a balance between brain signals of hunger and satiety ('fullness') and obesity often develops because of a defect in the 'fullness' signalling. Many nerve cells in one part of the hypothalamus express the SF1 gene. They are the only brain neurones to do so and mutations in the gene are associated with obesity. By learning exactly what part these neurones play in appetite, studying how they respond to two hormones involved in meal termination and how their responses change when an animal becomes obese, this project will assess whether they are likely to be a good target for therapeutic intervention.
£71,758 over two years to Dr Moffat J. Nyirenda & Professor Jonathan R. Seckl (Molecular Medicine Centre, Edinburgh University) for an investigation of the molecular mechanisms underlying induction of hepatic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) expression in prenatal glucocorticoid exposure and programming of adult hypoglycaemia.
There is a known link between low weight at birth and an increased likelihood to develop diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. By studying a liver enzyme which catalyses the synthesis of glucose, this research aims to look at potential reasons for this link.
£70,000 over two years to Dr James Shaw (Diabetes Research Laboratory, Aberdeen University) and Charlotte Maltin (Rowett Research Institute, Aberdeen) for an evaluation of the potential for 'off-the-shelf' gene therapy for diabetes by simple intramuscular injection of an insulin gene.
£66,558 over 18 months to Drs Faisel Khan, Margaret McLaren, Stephen A. Greene & Alexander Hill and Professor Jill F. Belch (Medicine, Dundee University) to study the effects of oral antioxidants and L-arginine on macrovascular function in young people with Type I diabetes mellitus.
£2,960 to Drs Russell L. Woods & Stephen J. Tregear (Vision Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University) to purchase a camera attachment for use in screening for diabetic retinopathy using cone-specific perimetry.
£10,124 to Dr Brian M. Frier & Dr Petros Perros (Diabetes), Dr C. Counsell (Medical Neurology, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary) & Professor T. Wallace Macfarlane (Glasgow Dental Hospital & School) for a year-long study of altered taste sensation in Type II diabetes.
