Background

The Galway Diabetes Research Centre (GDRC) is a joint venture between NUI Galway and Galway and Roscommon University Hospital Group (GRUHG), which will bring together an interdisciplinary research consortium of active researchers and clinicians who have a track record in the field of diabetes.

 Diabetes is a chronic condition associated with significant morbidity and mortality. It is the commonest metabolic illness globally with 346 million people worldwide having the condition (WHO 2010). It is estimated that this figure will increase to 550million by 2030.  About 90% of all diabetes is type 2; either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate in tandem with rising obesity rates. Healthy diet regular exercise and maintaining a normal body weight can prevent the delay or onset of type 2 Diabetes.

 In Ireland, 9.6% of the population have diabetes with the highest prevalence in the Western Region. The number of people with the type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease, is increasing at an alarming rate as a result of an ageing population and rising obesity rates.

In response to this health issue and the increase in the number of patients with diabetes in the West of Ireland, the Galway Diabetes Research Centre in conjunction with the Galway and Galway and Roscommon University Hospital Group (GRUHG) was established.

 The centre is ideally placed as a hub for collaborative effort of top researchers and clinicians, with a passion for this work, to provide a greater understanding of how diabetes develops and the underlying mechanisms, the development of new and better therapies for patients, and assessing health care interventions and delivery for patients.