People sought for diabetes study

PEOPLE in Tayside who are being treated for diabetes are being sought for a major study.

Researchers from GoDARTS are seeking help from people who have been diagnosed with the disease in the last two years.

Over the last two decades in Tayside, the GoDARTS study — one of the world’s leading investigations into the disease — has worked with patients to build a database that has been made available to researchers worldwide and helped to define genetic factors related to diabetes, including susceptibility, complications and response to treatment.

The study is now looking to recruit up to 6,000 new patients.

Researchers say these patients can help to deliver insights into how diabetes develops and why there is variation between people in how their diabetes progresses.

Ewan Pearson, professor of diabetic medicine at Dundee University, who is leading the study, said: “This is a new phase of recruitment to GoDARTS, which will give us valuable insights into why diabetes is more aggressive in some patients than in others, and how we can predict who is most at risk from diabetes when they are diagnosed.

“By working with patients who have been recently diagnosed with diabetes, we can look at the progression of the disease and how they are responding to treatment.”

Anyone who is interested in joining the study should call Louise Greig on 01382 383208, or email her at louise.greig@nhs. net.