Diabetes and Obesity

Professor Mark McCarthy tells us how genomics helps us understand diabetes. Diabetes is a major challenge for global healthcare, with social, health and economic costs projected to exceed trillions of dollars over the next 50 years. Professor Mark McCarthy, the Robert Turner Professor of Diabetes, leads a multidisciplinary research team including clinicians, nurses and lab-based research staff. Professor McCarthy's research focusses on translating gene identification and genetic information into advances in the functional understanding, and clinical management of this disease. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

Professor Patrik Rorsman talks about diabetes and how beta cells within the pancreas control insulin secretion. While the lifestyle causes of type-2 diabetes are now known, the molecular details of the disease remain unclear. Professor Patrik Rorsman is researching the processes that control insulin secretion and determine defects associated with clinical diabetes. Professor Rorsman has been at the forefront of research on hormone-secreting cells in the pancreas for more than 20 years, work that is highly relevant to understanding the causes and treatment of type-2 diabetes. This research may lead to new diabetes medicines, and improved beta cells for transplantation. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

Professor Stephen Gough talks about the development of personalised diabetes treatment. An estimated 500 million people worldwide will be affected by diabetes within the next fifteen years. Professor Stephen Gough believes that you cannot give every patient affected by diabetes the same treatment, since people react differently to treatments. Professor Gough looks at the reasons behind differences in the way that people react to diabetes treatments, in order to improve care and reduce the health and economic costs associated with the disease. Professor Gough aims to provide the right treatment to the right person at the right time in their disease for optimum results.

Dr Katharine Owen talks about the different types of diabetes in young adults. There are more forms of diabetes than the commonly known type 1 and type 2. Correct diagnosis of the different forms of diabetes is difficult because of the overlap of symptoms. The implications of incorrect diagnosis are huge, as some forms of diabetes respond better to certain treatments than others. Dr Katherine Owen investigates the different characteristics of monogenic diabetes with the aim of creating systematic diagnostics, and implementing that in clinical care. The ultimate aim is to promote personalised medicine for everybody with diabetes. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

Dr Anna Gloyn talks about her research on the genetics of diabetes. An estimated 366 million people worldwide now suffer from diabetes and the global epidemic is getting worse. Dr Anna Gloyn uses genetic variants in humans as tools to identify critical regulatory pathways for insulin secretion and action. Current research projects are focused on the translation of genetic association signals for type 2 diabetes and glycaemic traits into molecular mechanisms for diabetes and clinically useful tools. Understanding how genes relate to types of diabetes will enable better diagnosis and treatment for patients. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

Dr Barbara Fielding talks about her research on the metabolism of fatty acids. Obesity continues to have a major impact on health care services in the UK. Dr Barbara Fielding believes that nutritional advice should be based on a thorough understanding of metabolic responses to food ingestion, and that it is important to investigate the metabolism of dietary fat after both single and multiple meals. By tracing fat atoms from meals into the blood, Dr Barbara Fielding's research into individual metabolic responses to food ingestion may lead to targeted, customised, and more effective nutritional advice for obese and overweight patients. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

Dr Leanne Hodson talks about her research on liver fat metabolism. Understanding liver fat metabolism is extremely important, as the health risks associated with fatty liver disease can include diabetes, heart disease and liver cancer. Fatty liver disease is defined as having over 5 percent liver fat, and a 'silent disease' as many people are not diagnosed. Dr Leanne Hodson is working on finding targets for new medications, which will help lower the risk of accumulating liver fat leading to fatty liver disease. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/