Reportage

The Diabetes Lab

A few shots from my recent visit to the Diabetes Research labs at Kings College School of Medicine. As someone who has diabetes it was particularly interesting, both to see the actual research happening and that headway is being made towards some kind of cure. Most of the research going on was into the blood of the newly diagnosed to gain a full understanding of what is happening to the blood cells at this time and whether any intervention can stop or slow down the process. Fascinating stuff and certainly these studies really are heading in the right direction coming on in leaps and bounds in the last few years. The head researcher there likened the speed of their achievements with what has happened with HIV research and treatment, that is something that was once a death sentence only a few years ago, is now completely treatable and people live long lives with it. However he wouldn't be pushed on that eureka moment and when it would happen, it seems that tests on humans for anything they come up with are still a long way off. It was a real joy to see it all in action though and by a surprisingly cool bunch of young people while listening to louder than you'd expect, groovy music!