• Question: What does your work do to help other people?

    Asked by Pillow to Sara, Carolyn, Peter, Richard, Siana on 13 Nov 2015. This question was also asked by R+J?, Fantastic ToT.
    • Photo: Peter Francis

      Peter Francis answered on 13 Nov 2015:

      Sometimes I wonder. So much time and effort is required to contribute such a small piece of information to the existing knowledge base. The time it takes to trickle down to help people is a real issue for scientists. Sometimes when I conduct applied work such as improving a groups fitness or helping an athlete return to sport I wonder do I make greater difference. I think the immediate impact of applied work is very satisfying but I hope that the combined efforts of all research scientists means our work does make a global difference even if progress is slow.

    • Photo: Richard Unwin

      Richard Unwin answered on 16 Nov 2015:

      Our work is looking at how diseases such as diabetes and dementia develop and affect the body. When we find out some of the things that go on during the disease, it lets us, and other scientists, to work on ways to use that information to try and diagnose, prevent or cure the disease with new tests and medicines. We are currently working on two new medicines against aspects of diabetes and dementia, which we hope to be able to test in people in the next 3-4 years.

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