Over GBP320 000 has been awarded to Nottingham Trent and Sheffield universities by the Wellcome Trust to fund research into an enzyme to treat kidney disease and diabetes.
The NHS spends GBP2.1bn each year in the UK dealing with kidney disease, a problem thought to be getting worse because of its links with Type 2 diabetes - the result of increasing obesity.
For the last 15 years, scientists at the Nottingham Trent's School of Science and Technology have been examining the role and behaviour of the enzyme Transglutaminase 2 (TG2).
In collaboration with the Sheffield Kidney Institute at Sheffield University, the scientists have shown that by 'blocking' this enzyme it is possible to alleviate and halt the progression of kidney disease, however, there are no drugs currently available to achieve this clinically.
Using GBP147,000 of funding awarded to Nottingham Trent, the university's scientists will be turning their attention to understanding how TG2 migrates from the inside to the outside of cells.
It is thought that understanding this process could provide the key to developing a pharmaceutical solution to treat kidney disease.
A further GBP24,000 from the Higher Education Collaboration Fund has also been awarded to the university by the East Midlands Healthcare and Bioscience iNet, which will allow the scientists to investigate the genetic factors affecting the onset of Type 2 diabetes.
This separately funded project will aim to identify if TG2 is genetically linked to a person's susceptibility to develop the Type 2 disease, which in turn could offer opportunities for earlier diagnosis and treatment.
