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Diabetes management

Diabetes

Our research advances diabetes care through innovative treatments, technologies and approaches to managing long-term conditions.

Why we are tackling diabetes

Diabetes is one of the biggest health challenges of our time.

It affects millions of people across the UK and can have a significant impact on long-term health and wellbeing. Without effective management, diabetes can increase the risk of serious complications, including cardiovascular disease, kidney disease and problems with wound healing.

Diabetes is also closely linked to other conditions, including obesity, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. These interconnected health challenges can make treatment more complex and contribute to inequalities in health outcomes.

At Hull York Medical School, we bring together clinical and academic expertise to investigate the mechanisms underlying diabetes, evaluate innovative treatments and explore ways to improve care. Working in partnership with the NHS and our university partners, we aim to translate research discoveries into meaningful improvements for patients and communities.

An estimated six million people in the UK are living with diabetes
Applying shockwave therapy for diabetic foot ulcers

Explore how we are making a difference

Explore how our pioneering research is making a real and lasting difference to people’s lives.

Researchers revolutionise type 1 diabetes management with flash glucose technology
Freestyle Libre patch on an arm, with someone holding a monitor against it

Revolutionising diabetic foot ulcer healing with shockwave therapy

Applying gel to a diabetic foot ulcer shockwave therapy machine

What we want to achieve

Our research aims to improve outcomes for people affected by diabetes by:

  • Advancing understanding: uncovering the cellular and molecular processes involved in diabetes and its associated complications.
  • Improving treatments: evaluating new medicines, technologies and clinical interventions to support more effective diabetes management.
  • Preventing complications: investigating the relationship between diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular and metabolic health.
  • Improving patient experience: understanding how people manage diabetes in their everyday lives and identifying opportunities to make healthcare more accessible, personalised and effective.
Patient smiling with a doctor
Allam Diabetes Centre

Our expertise in diabetes research

Our multidisciplinary research brings together clinical researchers, biomedical scientists, healthcare professionals and academic specialists to address diabetes from different perspectives.

  • Clinical diabetes research: Through the Clinical Sciences Centre, our researchers work in partnership with Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust to investigate new treatments and technologies, including clinical drug trials and glucose monitoring innovations. The team also studies obesity, insulin resistance, hormonal conditions and the prevention of diabetes-related complications.
  • Biomedical discovery research: The Biomedical Institute for Multimorbidity investigates the molecular mechanisms underlying diabetes and metabolic disease. Researchers explore how metabolic changes affect cellular function and contribute to the development of other conditions, including cardiovascular disease, cancer and fertility-related disorders.
  • Experimental medicine research: Through the Experimental Medicine and Biomedicine group, researchers contribute to understanding the biological mechanisms underpinning disease, from molecular and cellular discoveries through to pre-clinical and clinical research. This experimental expertise supports the investigation of diabetes-related changes in cellular function and metabolism, helping to advance understanding of disease progression and inform the development of new approaches to prevention and treatment. This research also forms a crucial part of the York Biomedical Research Institute.
  • Lifestyle and applied health research: Our researchers investigate the relationships between diet, nutrition, physical activity and metabolic health, alongside approaches to improving diabetes care and supporting people to manage their condition.

Together, these complementary areas of expertise help bridge the gap between understanding disease mechanisms in the laboratory and improving treatment and care in clinical practice.

Desk with stethoscope and clinic tenometer

Explore our research groups contributing to diabetes research

Biomedical Institute for Multimorbidity

Microscope lenses

Clinical Sciences Centre

Electrocardiogram

Experimental Medicine and Biomedicine

Lab researcher working in a lab in Experimental Medicine and Biomedicine

Thank you to our funders