If you'd like to talk to us about supporting a particular area of medical research, please email alumni@exeter.ac.uk or call +44 (0)1392 723141.
Find cures for chronic disease
Exeter's dementia research encompasses a spectrum of expertise. Our clinical, psychological and social research focuses on how to improve treatment and care, and how best to support people affected by dementia. We are an Alzheimer’s Society Centre of Excellence for dementia care research, with extensive collaborations and partnerships throughout the UK and internationally. The biological and epidemiological research focuses on the causes of dementia and how to reduce the risk of developing dementia.
Our world-leading diabetes research and outstanding postgraduate and professional education are underpinned by our expertise in genomics and cutting-edge innovation in technology. Our advances span from discovering biological causes and mechanisms, to improving diagnosis and treatment worldwide, to prevention and supporting people to live healthier lifestyles. In type 1, type 2 and monogenic diabetes, our research takes a precision medicine approach, and is embedded in clinical practice. This means our discoveries are swiftly implemented to benefit people with diabetes.
The DISCO (Diagnosis of Symptomatic Cancer Optimally) team's research has an outstanding track record of producing high-quality evidence to improve life-saving early cancer diagnosis. The team’s work informs national guidelines for GPs, which is contributing to improving the UK’s disappointing record on cancer survival.
Exeter is the leading centre in the world for understanding the genetics of diabetes, receiving samples for testing from 60% of all children born with diabetes.
The University of Exeter is a world-leader in the genetics of diabetes – one of the most important medical challenges facing the world today. Around 415 million adults worldwide are estimated to have diabetes and this is expected to reach 642 million by 2040. Four million people are living with the disease in the UK, with an estimated 549,000 more having undiagnosed diabetes.
Exeter’s research spans from examining the causes of diabetes and its associated risks to supporting families and finding new ways of improving treatment. Work is wide-ranging, from the genetic analysis of different forms of diabetes to understanding the molecular biology affecting insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Researchers also investigate why associated complications occur, such as blood vessel damage which causes diabetics’ eye and kidney problems.
Exeter Professors Sian Ellard and Andrew Hattersley FRS CBE, lead the team behind the medical breakthrough which has transformed the treatment of neonatal diabetes worldwide. Previously the condition required daily insulin injections: today a less invasive tablet form of treatment is prescribed in 40% of cases.
A mother's story - Emma Matthews, whose son received pioneering treatment thanks to University of Exeter research, speaks about the impact it had on her family.
The work of Professor Noel Morgan and his research group has led to major advancements in knowledge and understanding of type 1 diabetes. He discovered that, in many cases, the pancreas is still producing small amounts of insulin long after diagnosis. This highly significant insight has electrified the global diabetes research community and turned established thinking on its head.
Further, his work has very recently uncovered that there are different forms of type 1 diabetes which are distinguished by differing immune cell profiles in the pancreas. More research is now urgently needed to understand how the genetic make up of patients leads to differences in the underlying causes of type 1 diabetes since this could lead to new treatments. With these new findings, attempts to understand and treat the disease are perhaps closer than ever before and a major breakthrough is possible.
In the UK, one in three people will develop cancer during their lifetime. Earlier diagnosis is one of the main ways to improve survival, particularly by refining which patients are tested for cancer.
10,000 people in the UK die needlessly from cancer every year mainly due to late diagnosis. Through his research, Exeter's Professor Willie Hamilton has created a tool that gives precise risk estimates for single symptoms or combination of symptoms for 18 of the most common cancers.
This research has helped underline new national guidelines to help GPs diagnose cancer earlier, the most important factor in catching them when they can still be treated and before they become fatal. The guidance will open the door to more testing and smarter testing, so that more people can be successfully treated.
The system is now being tested as software for GPs clinical computers and there is the potential to save thousands of lives by expanding the use of this tool into all GP surgeries across the UK.
Your support could help us improve cancer diagnosis and treatment for even more patients.
Exeter is fast becoming recognised for world-class dementia research. Our pioneering work in dementia and ageing is multi-faceted in its approach. Our basic research includes the identification of biological and genetic aspects associated with how and why we develop dementia with a view to developing new treatments and preventions.
Our applied research puts people at its heart, involving older people, healthcare workers, carers and care providers in identifying issues that research must address and performing research to deliver better care.
Our work is closing a recognised gap in translating basic research and new discoveries into commercially viable treatments that can make a real difference to health outcomes. We focus on discovering new, effective treatments and repositioning existing drugs to solve additional problems.
Up to two thirds of people with Alzheimer’s disease experience psychotic episodes, yet the distressing symptom is still widely under-recognised and is challenging to treat. Current antipsychotic treatments have little impact on alleviating symptoms, but can have devastating side effects, leading to more than 1,600 unnecessary strokes and 1,800 unnecessary deaths in the UK every year. Professor Clive Ballard, Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University of Exeter Medical School, has played a key role in the development of a novel anti-psychotic which doesn’t have the side effects of other medications in patients with psychosis related to Parkinson’s. It has been approved for use in the US and is now being extensively tested for use in Europe.
We also know that a wide range of lifestyle factors can influence the risk of developing dementia. Our research is helping to establish how the choices we make and the activities we engage in can help to maintain cognitive health.
An international team, led by Exeter’s Senior Research Fellow Dr David Llewellyn, found that people severely deficient in Vitamin D were more than twice as likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer’s. Clinical trials are now needed to establish whether the link is causal and eating foods such as oily fish or taking vitamin D supplements can delay or even prevent the onset of the diseases.
Online platforms provide a tremendous opportunity to deliver effective prevention to millions of people in a very cost-effective way. The PROTECT Study is an exciting approach to research into brain health in older adults, which aims to understand how the brain ages and how we might reduce the risk of dementia and mental health issues in later life.
More than 44 million people have dementia worldwide – a number expected to triple by 2050 - dementia is one of the greatest health challenges of our time. Your support will help us to increase the impact of Exeter’s Medical School, accelerating discovery in the risks, diagnosis and care of people with dementia – and developing new treatments and preventions.