The Diabetes Research Fund
Diabetes is a collective name for conditions that are characterised by high blood sugar levels which contribute to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. There are therefore different types of diabetes, ranging from genetically-determined diabetes, auto-immune diabetes (so-called type 1 diabetes), to diabetes which is the result of
- almost 465 million people worldwide have diabetes (as of 2019), and this is expected to rise to 700 million people by 2045;
- 90% of the diabetes in the world is type 2 diabetes;
- 2.6% of blindness in the world is caused by diabetes;
- by 2030, diabetes will be the 7th most common cause of death.
In Flanders, an estimated 500,000 people live with diabetes (type 1 or 2), and every 17 minutes, someone receives a life-changing ‘diabetes’ diagnosis. The number of people with diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate, which is why academic research is so important. At Ghent University, this research is conducted, amongst others, by the research group of Prof. Bruno Lapauw. He established the Diabetes research Fund together with Prof. Guy T’Sjoen, in order to collect extra funding to support research into diabetes.
Want to make a donation to the Diabetes research Fund?
Your donation to the Diabetes research Fund goes towards research into the causes, development, consequences, and treatment of diabetes.
A gift of €100, for example, will be used to constantly register fluctuations in blood sugar levels of patients for one week, with the help of a sensor. This can help make treatments more efficient. With a gift of €1000, we can grow cells from patients with a particular form of diabetes to gain better insight into these strange but important variations.
We gratefully welcome donations to the Diabetes research Fund – you can also donate via bank transfer to account number: BE26 3900 9658 0329, including the message “Diabetes Fund”. Your gift is tax deductible starting from €40 per year.
“Diabetes perhaps doesn’t immediately sound like a serious disease, but that is misleading. It is a condition that can turn someone’s life upside down and it can have a huge impact. Unfortunately we still lack treatments that can lead to recovery, in particular for rarer types of diabetes, and we need more research into the impact of diabetes during specific stages of life or activities, such as when a patient is pregnant or doing sports. Support from the Fund help us conduct targeted research into these people and to communicate about our results with this target group.” - Prof. Bruno Lapauw
More information about the fund?
Background information
The Diabetes research Fund was set up at Ghent University in 2021 after a very generous donor passed away and left a gift to diabetes research in his will, alongside support for other scientific research. Given that it was a large donation, Ghent University decided that it was better to administer this via a fund. This enabled the gift to be used for causes where there is the biggest need, both within the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and also within the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and the Faculty of Sciences.
Aim
The aim of the fund is to provide financial support for research into diabetes mellitus. Possible fields of research include:
- causes, development, consequences, and management of specific types of diabetes, (e.g., MODY-monogenic diabetes, syndromic diabetes such as mitochondrial diabetes or diabetes as a result of lipodystrophy, cystic fibrosis...);
- management of diabetes mellitus during specific life phases or activities (transition into adolescence, pregnancy, sports activities, Ramadan,...);
- determinants and clinical consequences of sugar spikes in type 1 diabetes;
- muscle and skeleton health in diabetes;
- communication and support for existing projects.
Want to find out more about the research?
- Prof. Bruno Lapauw
- Prof. Guy T’Sjoen
- Department of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
What else can I do?
- Support a fund through your legacy
- Organise a fundraiser or event to support the fund
- Want to set up your own fund?
Contact us
Do you have questions about this or any of the other Ghent University funds? Please get in touch and we will be happy to assist you.
University Fund of Ghent University
Wim Van der Planken