Call for Scottish Government to increase research spend on type 1 diabetes

Candidates in the next Scottish Parliament election are being asked to increase funding for type 1 diabetes research. The 2016 Scottish Parliament election will be held on 5 May 2016 and type 1 diabetes charity JDRF is asking prospective Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) to pledge to increase funding for the condition. 29,000 people are living with type 1 diabetes Scotland and the country has the third highest prevalence of type 1 diabetes in the world. Increased research funding would help to improve the lives of people living with type 1 diabetes in Scotland as well as looking for new ways to prevent, or even cure, the condition. Peter Jones, from JDRF Scotland, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes aged 37, told Herald Scotland: "In Scotland, great research projects are being undertaken in Glasgow and Dundee, but with such a wealth of expertise in the life science and biotech sectors, I would like to see more." The Scottish Diabetes Research Network (SDRN) Type 1 Diabetes Bioresource led by Prof Helen Colhoun is one of Scotland's diabetes research projects currently running. The project includes DNA and other biomarkers of 10,000 patients with type 1 diabetes to investigate and understand causes of type 1 diabetes. An increase in research funding would help Scotland to fund more projects and keep existing projects going.

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