Leicester pupils learn about research

Pupils from Beaumont Leys School had a guided tour around the Leicester Diabetes Centre, based at Leicester General Hospital, as part of a study into the prevention of Type 2 diabetes in young people.

The centre is an international centre of excellence in diabetes research, education and innovation.

The visit was staged because researchers based there are working on the PRE-STARt study, an international project for developing and piloting prevention strategies for Type 2 diabetes in young people aged between 12 and 14 years.

Organiser Dr Deirdre Harrington, from our University and the NIHR Leicester-Loughborough Diet, Lifestyle and Physical Activity Biomedical Research Unit, said: “The visit was an opportunity to further establish our links with the local community while also providing pupils with a real insight into some of the important work carried out at the Leicester Diabetes Centre.

“If you are a parent, principal, teacher or school governor and would like to get your school involved in health research at Leicester Diabetes Centre please email me on dh204@le.ac.uk.”  

As part of the PRE-STARt project, the Leicester team has been working on a tool for identifying young people who have risk factors for developing diabetes in the future.

The Leicester Diabetes Centre is a partnership between the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust and the University of Leicester, led by Professor Melanie Davies CBE and Professor Kamlesh Khunti.