Diabetes (Research) (Hansard, 22 March 1978)

, pursuant to her reply [Official Report, 13th March 1978; Vol. 946, c. 81], gave the following information:

The Medical Research Council is currently supporting the following projects relevant to diabetes:

Primary and 3-dimensional structure of prohormones; proinsulin, pro-B-MSH, and pro-ACTH.
^* Correlation of biochemical data with vascular disease in maturity-onset diabetes.
^* The properties and clinical use of N-acyl insulin derivatives: interaction between calcium and insulin.
^* Carbohydrate metabolism in normal and diabetic pregnancies.

The proteolytic generation and degradation of glucagon.
Application of culture methods for rat embryos to the study of problems of diabetes and the action of steroid hormones.

^* Ageing as a factor affecting drug response.
Membrane potential fluctuations in pancreatic B-cells from mouse.
Cell-mediated immunity to islet cell antigens in diabetes mellitus.
Physiological and clinical biochemistry of pyruvate deydrogenase; regulation by insulin and by insulin deficiency.
N-acylglucosamines: effect on insulin biosynthesis and secretion: metabolism and hormonal sensitivity.
Dietary fibre in the treatment of diabetes.
^* Transplantation of pancreas with a view to treating diabetes.
Development and methods for the separation of proteins and peptides and their use for isolation of various hormones.
Ultrastructural and cytochemical studies of mammalian islets of Langerhans.
^* Regulation of insulin release in islets of Langerhans in pregnancy.
Structural biochemical and clinical studies on insulin.
Genetic, immunological and environmental factors in type 1 (juvenile-onset) diabetes and related diseases.
^* Effects of glucose metabolism on retinal microcirculation.
Diabetes in identical twins.
^* The nature of an autoimmune form of diabetes mellitus.
^* Immunological studies in endocrine and exocrine pancreatic disease and pancreatitis.

^* With support from the health Departments.

In the Financial year 1976–77 the Council's expenditure on this support amounted to approximately £335,000.

I understand from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services that his Department carried out the following projects during the present financial year at an estimated cost of £40,000:

Diabetes and follow-up projects.
Conferences of interest in diabetes and blood/urine glucose determination.
Work on gamma guanidine butyramide in diabetes.
Care of diabetics by out-patient clinics and by general practitioners.

Further work financed from Government funds is being undertaken in the universities and hospital medical schools, but detailed information on this is not available.