Meeting of the Parliament 10 January 2017
I, too, congratulate Clare Adamson on securing the debate and on her clear and passionate speech on type 1 diabetes. I should declare an interest of sorts, as the long-standing joint convener of the cross-party group on diabetes and as the first Scottish parliamentary diabetes champion. I put on record my thanks to all the groups and people in Scotland who work with people with diabetes, including the JDRF, Diabetes Scotland, the scientists and researchers and, of course, the dedicated doctors, carers, consultants and diabetes nurses.
We should not forget our proud history on the issue. In 1921, a Scot, Professor John Macleod, along with Banting and Best, discovered insulin, for which he received a Nobel prize in medicine. Before 1921, having type 1 diabetes was a death sentence. My late father-in-law was diagnosed at the age of 10 and was told that he would live only until he was 20 but, in fact, he lived for another 65 years. He taught me that, with well-regulated pen-needle injections and diet, people can live a normal and balanced life.
What is the big picture? The prevalence of the condition has doubled since 2003. It is the main cause of blindness in those of working age, and 10 per cent of NHS hospital expenditure relates to the treatment of diabetes and its complications. Forty per cent of people living with type 1 have some form of diabetic retinopathy.
Clare Adamson’s motion rightly focuses on research. We have a huge acute challenge, but we also have unparalleled opportunities to improve the lives of people with the condition. In my view, we should aspire to be the world leader in type 1 research and development. Scotland has real strength in the life sciences and biotech sectors. We have a real comparative advantage that we should exploit.
I will give one example of best practice in collaboration from my region of the Highlands and Islands involving the so-called triple helix of business, public agencies and the university sector. Johnson & Johnson acquired the UK assets of Inverness Medical Ltd, which was originally established in Inverness to design and manufacture glucose test strips and electronic meters for the global diabetes market. More than 1,000 people are employed at the site, which is regarded as a centre of excellence for those working in the field of diabetes. Highlands and Islands Enterprise played a major role in attracting Johnson & Johnson to the Highlands, which reinforces my view of the importance of a locally based enterprise agency. The site is part of the Highland diabetes institute, which is a unique model bringing together in partnership a commercial company, an academic institution—in this case, the University of the Highlands and Islands—and the national health service.
Just a few short months ago, I took part in a JDRF round-table dinner to debate type 1 research. The participants were leaders in their fields in science, medicine and biotechnology. The clear conclusion was that, with 800 to 900 new cases of type 1 in Scotland every year, we need to make major strides in bio-banking, which is the jargon for the process of taking samples of tissue for research use. As previous speakers have mentioned, first-class work has already been carried out in the Scottish diabetes research network type 1 bioresource. That is a phenomenal resource, but we need a rigorous strategy to protect, grow and nurture the next generation of world-class researchers in Scotland.
I again thank Clare Adamson for her initiative in securing the debate. In the 1920s, a Scot made a revolutionary step change with the discovery of insulin. Our goal for 2020 must be to foster world-class research to prevent, treat and cure type 1 diabetes.
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