The University of Glasgow today announced the launch of a new master's programme in diabetes in response to the global epidemic of the disease and obesity.
The Overseas Development Institute - a British think tank - said last month the number of overweight and obese adults in the developing world had almost quadrupled to around one billion since 1980.
It predicted a huge increase in heart attacks and diabetes as a result.
The launch of the new master's programme is significant if cutting-edge technologies are to be harnessed to meet the challenge presented by diabetes.
The programme will offer access to world-leading experts in the field. Students will be provided state-of-the-art knowledge of pathological mechanisms and methodologies for studying diabetes, and given a firm grounding in generic research skills.
The course is tailor-made for graduates who want to build their career in diabetes, whether in basic research, medical practice, pharmaceutical industry, public health or nutrition.
The University of Glasgow's programme, MSc Diabetes, is one of only a handful focussed entirely on diabetes research rather than diabetes healthcare management.
Students will undertake their own personal research project in diabetes and be encouraged to foster collaborations with the Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, within the University of Glasgow, nationally and globally.
The programme seeks to develop better strategies to prevent and treat obesity and alleviate the metabolic and vascular complications of diabetes.
The course also demonstrates how basic molecular or nucleic acid manipulation has evolved into the field of molecular medicine and involves the study of genetic principles, population genetics, gene therapy and ethics.
One of the aims of the university's diabetes researchers is to better understand mechanisms of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases and implications for the wider population, including groups defined by ethnicity, gender and deprivation.
The fee for an applicant from India is 17,250 pounds, though various scholarships are available, the varsity said in a statement.
The university is known for its expertise in establishing disease-specific bio-resources linked with routinely acquired, anonymous data from the National Health Service in Scotland.
