Diabetes UK donation

Diabetes UK has made a donation towards a University project investigating new treatments for the prevention of heart disease in diabetes.

Led by the Division of Medicine and Therapeutics, the project will be carried out using a technique available in only a handful of UK research centres. Dr Jamie Coleman, who is based in the Diabetes Clinical Investigation Group at Ninewells Hospital, has discovered how to micro-dissect very small blood vessels, about a quarter of a centimetre in diameter, from biopsy specimens. The team, led by Dr John Petrie, can then use these to identify key functional and biochemical differences between vessels from patients with and without diabetes.

The £1,400 donation will go towards continuing laboratory research in collaboration with Dr Calum Sutherland and Professor Andrew Morris using the technique of 'culture myography' to examine the effects of specific biochemical compounds on the vessels. As most of the compounds tested are too toxic to administer to humans directly, this technology provides a unique and direct method for assessing the effects of potential new diabetes treatments to prevent heart disease and other circulatory disorders.

Commenting on the donation Dr Petrie said, "Almost 150,000 people in Scotland have diabetes and the number in Tayside alone has increased by 76% in the last seven years, such that the prevalence is over 3% of the population. This is predicted to double again by 2010 due to increasing longevity and rising levels of obesity. We are delighted to accept this donation that will help us to further research into new treatments for preventing heart disease in diabetes."