Enhancing reputation for diabetes research in the young

The University's reputation as a centre of excellence for research into diabetes in young people was recently acknowledged, with an accolade for Dr Stephen Greene, Reader in Child & Adolescent Health at the department of Maternal and Child Health Sciences. Dr Greene and his team were chosen to host the International Society of Paediatric and Adolescent (ISPAD) Science School, 2003.

The event was the fourth meeting that has been held by ISAPD since it was established and the first time that the event has been held in the UK - reflecting the extent of the regard in which Dundee is held for its research into diabetes in the young. The meeting was financed by Novo Nordisk (Denmark) - the main European insulin manufacturer that invests in young clinical researchers who are involved with research mostly into Type 1 diabetes.

Dr Greene was accompanied by Dr Victoria Franklin and Dr Vicki Alexander from the department of Maternal and Child Health Sciences. Professor Andrew Morris from the Health Informatics Centre, and Professor Norman Waugh were locally invited guest speakers. Other speakers and faculty members included Professor Denis Daneman (Toronto), President Elect of ISPAD.

The key themes of the conference were epidemiology and prevention of diabetes in young people, complications of the disease and the use of technology to treat diabetes. Treatment, rather than cure, was an important theme, with one speaker presenting evidence on stem cell research that pointed out the considerable difficulties that there still are on the long road to a cure for diabetes. Dr Greene added, "While a cure for diabetes is a possible exciting option and one that children and parents look towards, it is very important to focus on current treatment strategies for diabetes. It's unfair on those suffering from the disease to lead them to believe that a cure is imminent."

He added, "The use of technology to treat Type 1 diabetes is an area in which Dundee is leading the way. The technological aspects of treatment will play an important role in the future and we envisage ourselves playing a key part in that movement."