One in Six Billion

In the final episode of the One in Six Billion podcast Andrew and Maggie reflect with producer Steve Chapman on the fun they have had making 51 podcasts with 70 guests in the past 2 years. Send a text

Rohini Bajekal describes how she had years of receiving inappropriate lifestyle advice before Glucokinase MODY was diagnosed.  Dr Shivani Misra’s research has shown that failure to diagnose monogenic diabetes is even common in South Asians than in the white European population. Send a text

Sarah Richardson talks about her new exciting research on insulin producing beta-cells that are single cells or small clusters rather than in islets.  These extra-islet beta-cells make up most of the insulin producing capacity of the pancreas in young children and are particularly susceptible to immune attack in Type 1 diabetes.  This important research explains why the loss of insulin producing c...

Hannah Robinson was the first adult in the UK to be given the new immunotherapy drug Teplizumab, which aims to slow down the development of type 1 diabetes. Hannah had multiple pancreatic autoantibodies and hence is on the path to developing Type 1 diabetes (Series 4 Episode 3). Her consultant, Nick Thomas, arranged 14 consecutive daily hospital visits for her to receive the drug through a drip. ...

Jerry Gore has always lived life on the edge; he had tackled some of the highest, and most inhospitable mountain climbs in the world before he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes aged 40.  His Type 1 diabetes has not held him back and he has learnt how to live well with his Type 1 diabetes when climbing at extreme altitude and bitter cold.  He helps people living with Type 1 diabetes throughout the...

Chris Bright was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes aged 8 but this did not stop him having a very successful football career including playing international futsal for Wales. He describes the challenges he faced and how he over came them.  He has established The Diabetes Football Community that supports football for everyone living with Type 1 diabetes. Dr Rob Andrews helps people with Type 1 diabete...

First steps in delaying adult-onset Type 1 diabetes When Hannah Robinson was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and found to have islet auto-antibodies she was recognised as being on the path to future Type 1 diabetes.  With help from her diabetes consultant, Dr Nick Thomas, she became the first adult in the UK to be given Teplizumab, a new treatment that delays the onset of Type 1 diabetes. Send...

Dr Rachel Besser explains how new treatment options means it is now important to identify children before they get symptomatic Type 1 diabetes.  Rachel is working to make sure testing for risk of Type 1 diabetes is done in the best way for children and their families. Send a text

Richard Oram explains how recent advances have meant we can now delay type 1 diabetes with immunotherapy.  To do this we need to be able to identify people at very high risk of developing Type 1 diabetes.  Richard thinks genetic analysis could play a part in this identification.   Send a text

Jennifer and her mother Helen explain how being born Prader Willi syndrome has had a lifelong impact.  One challenge is that Jennifer is continually hungry, and so limiting access to food is needed at all times.  Send a text

Professor Maggie Shepherd reflects back on her career and how she made the massive steps from being a clinical nurse to becoming a nationally leading researcher and educator. Send a text

Andrew Hattersley describes how teamwork and mutual support has helped the Exeter diabetes research team expand and flourish over the past 30 years Send a text

Grace Bervoets talks about living with cystic fibrosis and cystic fibrosis related-diabetes.  Amanada Stride, who works as a diabetes consultant helping people with cystic fibrosis related-diabetes, explains the many challenges of this unusual type of diabetes. Send a text

Tom Staniford talks about living with the MDP syndrome, an extremely rare genetic condition. MDP syndrome includes Mandibula hypoplasia, Deafness, and Progeroid features amongst its widespread features. Tom developed Type 2 diabetes as a teenager because of a loss of fat under the skin (lipodystrophy) despite being very thin and active.  Tom has used his communication and media skills to help othe...

Farah O'Regan talks about how her son who had Down syndrome and a severe congenital heart condition needing surgery diagnosed in pregnancy and then developed Type 1 diabetes on day 2 of life.  In early childhood he was diagnosed with 2 more autoimmune conditions, coeliac disease and hypothyroidism.  Researcher Matt Johnson explains his research which has established that Down syndrome directl...

Abby Gardener describes how she was diagnosed with Wolfram syndrome after developing both insulin-treated diabetes and diabetes insipidus (when the urine cannot concentrate) and how this has impacted her life.  Professor Tim Barrett talks about how, throughout his career, he has been researching and providing care for patients with Wolfram syndrome.   He explains that it is now recognised that the...

Cassi Connelly talks about her experience of having familial partial lipodystrophy characterised by a loss of fat and muscular appearance of her arms and legs. She had multiple medical problems including diabetes for decades before the diagnosis of familial partial lipodystrophy was finally confirmed by a genetic test. Her treatment is now better tailored to her needs. Send a text

Rebecca Goodman talks to Andrew and Maggie about what it is like to grow up with Bardet-Biedl syndrome. Features of Bardet-Biedl syndrome include extra fingers and toes, progressive blindness, kidney problems, obesity due to an uncontrolled appetite, insulin resistance and diabetes. Despite this long list of medical issues Rebecca lives independently and enjoys a full and fun life.  Send a text

We talk to John Dennis, a data science researcher working in the University of Exeter. He used data from 1 million people with Type 2 diabetes to discover how the clinical characteristics of a patient alter the glucose lowering with different treatments. John’s 5 drug model, published in the Lancet in late February 2025, uses simple clinical information to identify, for the first time, the best gl...

Julie Reynolds describes how she gradually lost her hearing in her 30’s and developed diabetes in her 40’s these 2 conditions also developed in in her mother, her children and other maternal relative. This led to a diagnosis of maternally inherited diabetes and deafness that results from a change in the mitochondrial DNA.  Kash Patel explains the science between diabetes, deafness and a maternal i...

Ru Kovvuri explains about her battle to get a diagnosis and support for her daughter who had multiple medical problems and learning difficulties as a result of a deletion of the HNF1B gene. Rhian Clissold discusses her research to improve the diagnosis of the HNF1B syndrome and recognise the associated learning difficulties seen with loss (deletion)  but not the spelling mistakes (mutations) in th...

Grant King talks about his diagnostic journey where his low birth weight, childhood kidney disease, diabetes, liver dysfunction and infertility were at 32 years finally recognised as all being due to a change in the HNF1Beta gene. Dr Coralie Bingham explains how her research during her PhD in Exeter led to HNF1Beta being established as the commonest cause of inherited kidney disease and all the ke...

Natalie Raphael was diagnosed as having glucokinase MODY at the end of her first pregnancy. In her second pregnancy she had a recently introduced blood test that showed her fetus had not inherited her change in the glucokinase gene so was at risk of growing large. As a result of this she was given long-acting insulin to lower her glucose.  Alice Hughes is the researcher who did the key study that...

It was a great surprise for Gill Preston, who was active and slim, when she was diagnosed with gestational diabetes in her first pregnancy. Her raised fasting glucose did not come down with tablets or insulin. Luckily she met Andrew Hattersley in the diabetes pregnancy clinic, who recognised she had glucokinase MODY. Gill Spyer, working for her PhD as a research doctor showed that in glucokinase p...

In this episode we talk to Andrew Lotery about how he was found to have a raised fasting glucose on an insurance medical. He was treated as Type 2 diabetes but he questioned this as he was young. slim and physically fit. A chance reading of a research funder’s newsletter led him to the Exeter team and a diagnosis of glucokinase MODY.   Amanda Stride worked as a research registrar in Exeter.  She s...