Research Strand | VASCULAR DISEASES & DIABETES
The vascular system including blood vessels, blood cells, coagulation pathways, bone marrow and stems cells plays a central role in the development and progression of many major diseases including atherosclerosis, stroke, inflammatory lung disease, arthritis, cancer and complications of diabetes.
The Vascular Disease & Diabetes Strand is a group of researchers concentrated on developing our understanding of molecular, cellular, tissue and whole organism aspects of vascular biology. Specific current research clusters exist in the areas of cancer biology, hypoxia in disease, molecular vascular biology and proteomics/bioinformatics.
The aim of this strand is to enhance our understanding of the pathophysiology of vascular involvement in specific disease processes in order to identify and develop novel treatments and prevention strategies. Particular areas of strength include hypoxia responses in adaptation and disease, angiogenesis in inflammatory diseases, microvascular complications of diabetes and coagulation pathways in cardiovascular disease.
News & Events
- President Announces Diabetes Research Centre
Diabetes is an enormous and increasing challenge globally. Diabetes and its complications consume 10% of our healthcare budget nationally and cause inestimable human suffering. Through integrated approaches from molecular to epidemiological studies the potential impact and benefits of the
UCD Diabetes Research Centre are unprecedented.
The UCD Diabetes Research Centre will provide a multidisciplinary collaborative research matrix in which discoveries will be rapidly translated from bench to bedside, and vice versa in our quest to address this disease and its devastating consequences.
Building on our previous discoveries and established international expertise, UCD scientists will further develop their research into diabetes, diabetic nephropathy and other complications, investigating critical issues including: Who gets diabetes and why? What are the factors that influence the development of diabetic complications? How can we modify behaviours such as diet and exercise to minimise risk and maximise quality of life in susceptible individuals? What interventions will lead to new therapeutic breakthroughs?
The Centre marks the beginning of an exciting new phase of clinical, medical and scientific co-operation and advancement which will provide a unique fourth level forum nationally for the training of physicians, scientists and physician scientists in diabetes research. We will be informed by our international of advisory board of experts from leading centres in Europe and the US. The UCD Diabetes Research Centre will build on the strengths and capacity of the UCD Conway Institute and the research programmes of several of the Schools of UCD. We are uniquely positioned to address the major issues in Diabetes research through our expertise in basic biology, epidemiology, nutrition, clinical and translational medicine coupled with our technological resources and sophisticated analytical tools. Together with our national and international network of collaborators in academia and industry we will work towards discoveries to prevent, treat and cure diabetes and its complications.
Dr. Hugh R Brady,
President, UCD
