Health: Diabetes

House of Lords written question – answered at on 28 February 2011.

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Photo of Lord Kennedy of Southwark Lord Kennedy of Southwark Labour

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the role played by cytotoxic T-cells in type 1 diabetes.

Photo of Earl Howe Earl Howe The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health

The role played by cytotoxic T-cells in type 1 diabetes is an emerging area of research.

The Medical Research Council (MRC) funds a broad portfolio of diabetes research amounting to £28.1 million in 2008-09, of which £6.5 million was directly relevant to type 1 diabetes. The MRC is supporting research at the University of Wales College of Medicine in Cardiff, led by Dr A Gallimore, which aims to determine the biological parameters that govern the activity of CD 25+ regulatory cells (a type of T-cell), thereby providing a better understanding of the development of autoimmune diseases such as diabetes and arthritis and the interaction of the immune system with cancer cells. Further information on this study and other MRC-funded research can be found at: www.mrc.ac.uk/ResearchPortfolio/index.htm.

In addition, the National Institute of Health Research Comprehensive Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London is carrying out research on antigen-specific autoimmunity in type 1 diabetes.

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