#TakingControl - World Diabetes Day

Published On Fri 13 Nov 2015 by Roddy Isles

Diabetes research at the University of Dundee - which has been acclaimed as sparking a `medical revolution’ - will be highlighted as part of World Diabetes Day on Saturday November 14^th.

Diabetes UK will be spreading the message via its `Taking Control’ campaign - #TakingControl

The University is an internationally recognised centre of excellence in diabetes research, hosting over 20 research groups that include some of the world’s most cited scientists. Sir Mark Walport, when he was Director of the Wellcome Trust, summed up the impact of Dundee’s contribution to diabetes research when he said, “If you live in Dundee and suffer from diabetes, you have been participating in a medical revolution.”

Dundee is one of the top four institutions in the UK for Diabetes UK-funded research, receiving more than the rest of the Scottish research community combined, a measure of the level of work taking place at the University. In the last 10 years around 5% (£2.75 million) of the Diabetes UK research budget has been awarded to Dundee in competitive applications

“We have a strong tradition here in Dundee of leading internationally in diabetes research and we continue to do that in so many ways,” said Professor Rory McCrimmon, Professor of Experimental Diabetes and Metabolism at the University and Honorary Consultant in Cardiovascular and Diabetes Medicine with NHS Tayside.

“The level of support we receive from Diabetes UK, as well as many of the other major funders, is tremendous and reflects the standard of work being done here, in everything from preventative measures and electronic record-keeping to fundamental cellular biology looking at the root causes of diabetes.

“Tayside is internationally recognised as having arguably the best information and knowledge of a diabetes population anywhere in the world. The clinical network model developed between the University and NHS Tayside has consistently demonstrated improved outcomes for people with diabetes, and attracts global interest as a model for tackling long term conditions.”

A crucial part of Dundee’s success has been consistent support from the public.

“We are hugely grateful to the public here in Tayside and Fife for the support they have shown for our research over many years, taking part in vital clinical studies that have enabled us as researchers to have a real impact on patient care. That support is absolutely vital to what we do,” said Professor McCrimmon.

Jane-Claire Judson, National Director of Diabetes Scotland, said, “Diabetes is a condition which affects more than 276,000 people in Scotland. The University of Dundee is widely recognised as a centre of excellence in diabetes research and home to a number of pioneering Diabetes UK-funded projects. Every day this work, and that of researchers across the UK, brings us closer to new treatments, a better quality of life for those diagnosed with the condition and, eventually, a cure.”

From discoveries on how insulin works in the body to pioneering work on electronic record-keeping and analysis, the University’s work on diabetes is helping transform the lives of patients around the world.

The direct impact in Tayside has been that numbers of amputations for patients has fallen dramatically over the long-term, as has the number of diabetics requiring laser treatment to preserve their sight.

That expertise has been exported to the Middle East, where the University is engaged in a major partnership with the Dasman Diabetes Institute and the Ministry of Health in Kuwait. It has been estimated that up to 1 in 4 of the adult population of Kuwait, around 700,000 people, suffers from the disease.

For media enquiries contact:
Roddy Isles
Head of Corporate Communications
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
Tel: +44 (0)1382 384910
Mobile: 07800 581902
Email: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk