Rebecca Harris joined a number of MPs including Home Secretary Theresa May   at an event in Parliament on Monday night celebrating recent success in type 1 diabetes research.

The event, called #Type1Catalyst, was held by the type 1 diabetes charity JDRF, and saw leading figures in medical research and Members of Parliament join families with a connection to type 1 diabetes. The event was hosted by Copeland MP Jamie Reed, who, like Theresa May, lives with type 1 diabetes.

The event also saw the release of a report, titled Type 1 Research Today, which outlines the current landscape of type 1 diabetes research in the UK and paints a positive picture of UK research into the condition – revealing that supporters have committed funding to tackle the condition amounting to £97m in this country.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition that has a life-long impact on those diagnosed with it and their families. The condition is not linked to lifestyle factors, such as diet or exercise. It affects around 400,000 people in the UK, 29,000 of them children.  A child diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of five faces up to 19,000 injections and 50,000 finger prick blood tests by the time they are 18.

Karen Addington, Chief Executive of JDRF in the UK said:

‘The JDRF supporters at this event did a wonderful job of spreading the word about type 1 diabetes and exciting progress toward the cure.’