A follow-up meeting of the EARA Patient Discovery project in Portugal, designed to encourage engagement between those living with diabetes and biomedical research into the condition, took place this week in co-operation with EARA member, the NOVA Medical School Lisbon (NMS) and the patient group APDP Diabetes.

 

The meeting reflected the growing demand from a new group of patient participants eager to learn about the local research that is searching for better solutions for their condition.

 

Participants heard presentations from Rogério Ribeiro from ADPP and NMS principal investigators Sílvia Conde, Rita Patarrão, Hugo Vicente Miranda, and Gabriela Silva, who explained how their research uses animal models, particularly mice and rats, to explore new therapeutic avenues for diabetes and the importance of a healthy lifestyle as one of the ways of improving their condition.

 

The group later toured the rodent facility at NOVA, where they saw researchers conducting behavioural tests and blood glucose measurements in mice and major surgeries in rats, saw diabetes-related eye impairment cell cultures, and heard about the rigorous animal welfare procedures in place at every stage of the experiments.

 António Silva, a participant living with diabetes, said: “I have always thought scientists made sure animals were not suffering during experiments, but I was greatly surprised with the extreme amount of care from the researchers towards the animals.”

 

As EARA’s Patient Discovery project continues to grow, EARA Executive Director, Kirk Leech, said: “The project is setting an example for institutions across Europe on the growing need for greater engagement between the biomedical research sector and those living with the diseases that are being studied.”

Looking ahead, EARA is planning to expand the project further across Europe in 2024 and 2025, with upcoming initiatives in Germany, Spain, and Switzerland.