# The life scientific, radio 4



## ageez (Jun 16, 2012)

Hello,
Yesterday I listened to the following Radio 4 programme about scientist Frances Ashcroft.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01hjqhr

She has been working in the field of blood sugars and insulin for many years and discovered that there is a rare form of diabetes that children are born with, which can be treated via a pill, rather than injections of insulin.

As I was listening, I was just wishing that she had found a way to treat Type 1 children with a pill! There was a mother interviewed on the programme, who described the miracle of removing her daughter's pump and watching her eat ice cream without any insulin! I am so jealous. 

Oh well, we Type 1 Mums live in hope of the cure, or at least a treatment that involves no needles!!!

www.justgiving.com/TeamJoseph


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## Northerner (Jun 18, 2012)

I seem to remember hearing about this a while back - didn't she win some sort of award? Just goes to show how complex diabetes is and the absurdity and oversimplification  of reducing it to two types!

There's quite a lot of research going on into an insulin pill and some of the obstacles appear to be becoming overcome (those three words look so strange together!). Apparently, everything is 'just ten years away'...


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## trophywench (Jun 18, 2012)

I knew she was a researcher, the research was about Diabetes,  and she'd won the L'Oreal Woman Scientist of the Year Award.  

That prog has told me what she actually did, which is ace.

Well she did say, children born with diabetes or who get it within the first 6 months of their life.  1 in 200,000 births, I think someone else said.  I presume the treatment is Metformin - but nobody named the drug.

She talked about T2 as well, and how there HAS to be a genetic predisposition.

I'm fascinated by that little pore in YOUR Beta cells.  (LOL)

In fact I now understand more about the background to Prof Joan Taylor's research at Leicester, and that one is probably more for T1's.  I've been following that one for a number of years.  Most interesting speaker.  If anyone is in the general geographical area and looking for a speaker for their local DUK meeting, I can highly recommend her!


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