HYDERABAD: A new technique of using genetics to diagnose type 1 diabetes could pave the way for better diagnosis and treatment in Indians, reports a study conducted by three research institutions, including the Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular Molecular Biology (CCMB).
According to a CCMB release, this new technique is based on a ‘genetic risk score’ developed by the University of Exeter, which considers detailed information at the genetic level of genetic areas that are known to increase the chance of developing type 1 diabetes.
The score may be used at the time of diagnosis to help decide if someone has type 1 diabetes. The authors found nine genetic areas (SNPs) that correlate with type 1 diabetes and can be used to predict the onset of the disease. KEM Hospital, Pune, was the third collaborating partner in the study.
The findings — published in the Scientific Reports journal — are based on samples from India, which makes it important as similar studies, so far, were based on Europeans, who have a different genetic makeup.
CCMB Director Dr Rakesh Mishra said, “Since over 20% of the people with type 1 diabetes below the age of 15 are in India, developing a genetic test kit to reliably detect type 1 from type 2 holds a lot of significance for the country”. Dr GR Chandak, the chief scientist leading the study at CCMB, said, “This opens up the possibility that environmental factors might be interacting with the SNPs to cause the disease”.