8 March 2010

Run for health, run for research - The Monikie 10K Race for Diabetes Research

The University of Dundee’s third annual Monikie 10K Race for Diabetes Research will once again offer hundreds of runners the chance to help fight one of the world’s fastest growing health problems.

The University’s Diabetes Research Campaign is close to raising the £3million required to create state of the art research and patient care facilities across Angus, Dundee and Perth & Kinross, adding to the world-class diabetes research programmes which are already well-established through the University and NHS Tayside.

The campaign has also enabled the University to create a Type 1 diabetes research team led by Dr Rory McCrimmon, recruited from Yale, USA. Over the past two years, the Monikie 10km race has raised thousands of pounds for the charity. The 2010 race will take place in Monikie Country Park at 11am on Sunday, May 9th.

Runners of all abilities, from serious racers to fun runners, are invited to apply for places, which are limited. The entry fee is £11 and participants can download an official online sponsorship form which they can use when asking family, friends and colleagues to support them with funding pledges.

Andrew Morris, Professor of Diabetic Medicine at the University, explained that the campaign was not just about raising money but increasing awareness of the dangers diabetes poses.

'A race like this is a great way not just to raise funds but also to raise awareness of diabetes and what can be done to prevent it," he said. "Regular exercise, for instance, has a very positive effect in reducing the risk of diabetes.

'We have had great backing from the public already throughout this campaign, which will bring real benefits to people all around Tayside, and we look forward to seeing many of them at the Monikie 10k.'

Places in the race around idyllic Monikie Country Park are expected to fill fast with the event being advertised to runners around the UK. The past two races have seen all places filled well in advance of the big day, and anyone interested in taking part are urged to apply as soon as possible.

For more specific event information and how to enter the race as well as support the campaign, visit www.dundee.ac.uk/drc/ where a downloadable sponsorship form can be found. Alternatively, call 01382 384660. The £11 entry fee includes a donation to the charity campaign. Over and above this, in excess of £8000 has been raised through sponsorship of the runners and Gift Aid over the past two years.

Diabetes is now the fastest growing epidemic in the developed world. It is estimated that more than 300 million people worldwide will suffer from the disease by 2020 and the disease has been recognised by the United Nations as the greatest threat to world health.

It is estimated that the NHS is spending £1m an hour, 10% of its yearly budget, treating diabetes and its complications.

In Tayside there has been a 90% increase in the incidence of diabetes in the last 10 years and the need to develop clinical research facilities across Tayside is urgent.

The Diabetes Research Campaign aims to provide the facilities and technology to enable scientists and doctors to work together to develop better and more effective treatments and to devise preventative strategies for the disease.

For more information on the campaign see: www.dundee.ac.uk/drc/.

Notes to editors:

Scientists at the University of Dundee have made major contributions to the understanding of diabetes, including:

• Leading international clinical trials to work out the best treatments for people with diabetes.
• Leading the Scottish Diabetes Research Network to improve our understanding of all 218,000 people with diabetes in Scotland.Working out the biochemical pathway by which insulin controls the metabolism of glucose.
• Identifying several new proteins that are targets for the development of new drugs to treat diabetes.
• Discovering the enzyme (acronym AMPK) that is targeted by Glucophage, the drug that is used most commonly to treat Type II diabetes.
• Helping pharmaceutical companies to develop new 'lead' compounds for the treatment of diabetes that target another enzyme (acronym GSK3) discovered at Dundee. These compounds normalise the level of blood glucose in animal models of diabetes, and are undergoing further evaluation
• Carrying out research to identify and characterise the key genes that predispose people to diabetes. Over 20,000 people in Tayside have participated in studies led by Professor Andrew Morris and his team at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee - this has led to multiple discoveries of the genetic causes of diabetes.

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07854 953277