No more insulin: Neonatal diabetes

We spoke to Professors Andrew Hattersley and Frances Ashcroft about their research into diabetes, and met some people affected by the condition whose lives have been transformed as a result of this research.

Neonatal diabetes is a rare but severe form of the disease that occurs early in life. Children affected often have to undergo a life of daily insulin injections and strict diet monitoring.

However, thanks to scientific research, many patients can now take well-known drugs called sulphonylureas instead. This change is thanks to the work of Professors Andrew Hattersley and Frances Ashcroft, who found that the condition was caused by a genetic mutation that disrupted part of the insulin-secreting pathway, and could be treated with these drugs.

Find out more by watching the video below.

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Running time: 5 min 16 s
Read the transcript [PDF 148KB]

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