Diabetes charity issues funding for 19 new projects

A sum of £2.6 million will be used to fund 19 new diabetes research projects in a bid to “make life-changing” treatments, it has been announced.
The money, pledged by Diabetes UK, will be split between 14 research studies and five PhD grants. The projects are varied and cover a range of subjects including type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes.
The University of Warwick’s Dr Freya Harrison has been given a slice of the funding to further work into new sources of antibiotics, which might help to treat infected foot ulcers in the future.
Dr Harriso, who is an assistant professor within the university’s School of Life Sciences, said: “I am delighted to have been awarded a research grant from Diabetes UK. Diabetes foot complications can be incredibly serious and foot ulcers don’t always respond well to currently available antibiotics, so there’s a real need to find new ones.
“I hope my research will help us do this, and in the future could reduce amputations and improve the quality of people with diabetes’ lives.”
Dr Martin Rutter, from the University of Manchester, has also been awarded funding to explore whether sleep problems are related to type 2 diabetes. As part of the research, he intends to study sleeping patterns and see whether there is an association with blood sugar levels.
Dr Rutter, a senior lecturer in cardiometabolic medicine and an honorary consultant physician at the Manchester Diabetes Centre, added: “More people than ever are living with, and at high risk of developing, type 2 diabetes.
“I hope this funding from Diabetes UK, focusing on sleep, will help us to find new ways to prevent people from getting type 2 diabetes, and improve the health of those with the condition.”
Dr Elizabeth Robertso, director of research at Diabetes UK, said: “We hope that these new projects will help us to keep improving lives by finding better treatments, preventing diabetes complications and supporting people at high risk of type 2 diabetes. This continued investment in new research has only been possible thanks to our generous supporters, donors and members.”