Researchers Have Found A New Way To Predict Type 1 Diabetes Earlier In Life

The TEDDY study was ongoing for nine years, following 7,798 children from birth. Using the data they collected, researchers were able to establish a test based on multiple known risk factors, including genetics, family history, and islet autoantibody count—which is considered a biomarker for type 1 diabetes.

"We know that while genetics have a strong correlation as a risk factor for family members to develop T1D," explained Sanjoy Dutta, the vice president of research at JDRF, "most newly diagnosed individuals do not have a known family history." So while the other methods are often used in isolation, genetics alone is not always effective in predicting type 1 diabetes.

The researchers found that a combined assessment resulted in a more accurate prediction. In addition to broadly predicting cases of type 1 diabetes, they were able to double the efficiency of testing a newborn's risk of experiencing ketoacidosis, a complication that can be potentially deadly.

The new test's efficiency is promising for a better quality of life for people born at risk of type 1 diabetes—and for the simplicity it offers.

"[The findings] suggest that the routine heel prick testing of babies done at birth could go a long way toward preventing early sickness," said William Hagopian, a clinical associate professor at the Pacific Northwest Diabetes Research Institute, "as well as predicting which children will get type 1 diabetes years later."

The researchers' new test is currently undergoing a trial in Washington State. "We hope [the test] will ultimately be used internationally to identify the condition as early as possible, and to power efforts to prevent the disease," said Hagopian.