Dundee Diabetes Research Centre in Scotland

In a joint venture between two faculties with a common interest in Diabetes research, a facility, the Dundee Diabetes Research Centre has been launched reinforcing the city's standing as one of the world's key hubs of research into the disease.

The Faculty of Life Sciences and the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing, which between them currently host over 25 research teams, have a shared interest in Diabetes research, ranging from the study of single molecules to complex clinical studies.

The Centre's main role will be to encourage and facilitate interactions between basic and clinical Diabetes research and help provide funds to initiate pilot collaborative studies between research groups, enable students to attend courses or visit other labs to acquire new skills and techniques that can be subsequently set up at the University.

The Centre will participate in the recruitment of internationally renowned Diabetes researchers to work at University of Dundee and will support the costs required for networking of diabetes researchers, an annual meeting, an invited prominent International seminar speaker and the establishment of a dedicated website for the scientists.

Current research will be presented and discussed at annual meetings which will provide the maximum collaboration between groups and a platform for clinicians and researchers to present research.The centre has been set up for a period of 5 years.

At the launch last week Professor Gerald Shulman of Yale Medical School delivered a lecture on 'Cellular mechanisms of insulin resistance in humans'.

Professor Dario Alessi, the Director of the Centre, is an internationally recognised diabetes researcher in the MRC Protein Phosphorylation Unit at the School of Life Sciences.

Dr Calum Sutherland, a Diabetes UK Senior Fellow at the Neurosciences Institute in Ninewells Hospital, is the Assistant Director.

Professor Alessi said at the launch that it is hoped the tremendous amount of important and exciting research into all aspects of Diabetes being undertaken at the University of Dundee would stimulate interactions between basic and clinical researchers and that should enhance the quality of the work taking place with the creation of the Dundee Diabetes Research Centre.