Queen's University of Belfast researchers discover how to create blood vessels from diabetic people

These blood vessels were used to study diabetes and the scientists found that diabetic people's blood vessels show an excessive presence of a small number of vascular cells that cause this disease.

Study in UK: In a breakthrough medical advancement, the researchers at Queen's University of Belfast have successfully created human blood vessels from diabetic people. This will help scientists study diabetes in a new way and it can potentially lead to creation of new treatments.

Professor Andriana Margariti from the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine (WWIEM) at Queen’s University Belfast led the research team and found how the diabetic student's blood vessels get damaged.

As per WHO report, currently, there are around 422 million people globally who are diabetic and 1.5 million deaths are directly attributed to diabetes every year. In past few decades, diabetes has spread increasingly and challenging the medical sector.

Professor Andriana Margariti explains, “Our research is of paramount importance as it sheds new light on how diabetes damages blood vessels, leading to serious health issues like cardiovascular disease. This opens new possibilities for developing targeted therapies that can significantly improve the lives of people with diabetes. This discovery is revolutionary, as it not only enhances our understanding of diabetes but also has the potential to significantly reduce the need for animal testing in research as these human models can serve as effective replacements.”

Queen's University of Belfast study on diabetes: Details

The researchers found a special small number of vascular cells in the diabetic patients' blood that damage blood, increases blood sugar levels, and cholesterol, leading to a buildup of fats and severe cardiovascular diseases.

This new breakthrough is going to help in better understanding of the disease and it is likely to lead to potential new therapies soon.

Fearghal McKinney, Head of British Heart Foundation Northern Ireland, said: “More than 110,000 adults in Northern Ireland have been diagnosed with diabetes and, across the UK, one third of adults with diabetes will die from a heart or circulatory disease.

Director of the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine at Queen’s University Belfast, Professor Charuhas Thakar said, “There are over 530 million people living with diabetes mellitus in the world today, and the prevalence is expected to continue to grow. A significant proportion of patients with diabetes will face the unfortunate prospect of vascular complications, despite tight glucose control. Once established, they are very debilitating, and there are very few existing therapies that can reverse the damage."

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