Major diabetes research has been underway to examine the genes that have a role in diabetes . Following hundreds of trials, nine new genes have been linked to type 2 diabetes mellitus, discoveries which could pave the way to new treatment pathways.
Research teams from 174 scientific centres across the globe studied the genetic makeup of 120,000 volunteers. A group of genes were determined that control the way the body responds to glucose in the bloodstream.
At this stage, the discovery could lead to better treatments for the hundreds of millions of people with diabetes worldwide . One geneticist from Edinburgh University, Jim Wilson, was quoted as commenting: "This is an incredibly important finding. The discovery of these new genes influencing blood-sugar levels is the first step on the important journey to developing new therapies for diabetes."
The work was published by Nature Genetics.
Major diabetes genetic discovery
Mon, 18 Jan 2010
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