We take a look at some of the exciting diabetes research developments announced in January, and what the findings could mean for people living with or affected by diabetes.
In this month's article:
- AI-powered screening could spot type 2 diabetes risk years in advance
- Genetically altered beta cell therapy tested in person with type 1 diabetes
- Faster blood test processing could help detect missing gestational diabetes cases
AI-powered screening could spot type 2 diabetes risk years in advance
NHS England is launching a world-first trial of an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that could help identify people at risk of type 2 diabetes more than a decade before they develop the condition. The tool works by analysing patterns in routine heart tests, known as electrocardiograms (ECGs).
The trial will begin this year in two hospitals in London. Knowing who’s at risk as early as possible could allow people to get the right support to reduce their chances of developing type 2 diabetes and its complications.
Researchers from Imperial College London developed the AI tool using 1.2 million ECG tests from hospital records. They trained the AI to map tiny patterns, like changes in the timing or shape of certain electrical activity in the heart that are more common in people who later develop type 2 diabetes. They then tested its accuracy to look for those same patterns in new ECGs from 65,000 people in the UK Biobank.
They found the tool could accurately spot existing cases of type 2 diabetes about 70% of the time. It also successfully predicted future risk of type 2 diabetes – up to 13 years in advance. People the tool flagged as high-risk were 4 to 10 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes compared to those at low risk.
When the AI predictions were combined with additional information, like age, blood pressure and genetic data, the accuracy improved further.
If the trial is successful, the researchers hope their AI tool could be rolled out in the NHS in the coming years, offering a new way to spot people at risk and take action earlier.
Genetically altered beta cell therapy tested in person with type 1 diabetes
Sana Biotechnology reported positive results from a first-of-its-kind study involving a transplant of genetically engineered islet cells designed to evade the immune system. The modified cells eliminate the need for anti-rejection drugs, paving the way for a safer and more effective way to help people produce insulin again.
Islet transplants, where pancreas cells from donors are transplanted into people with type 1 diabetes, already exist. They’re used to help some people who have regular and severe hypos, and can be life-changing and life-saving.
But currently this treatment is far from a cure. Recipients must take drugs to supress their immune system, so it doesn’t attack the donor cells. But these come with serious side-effects and don’t always work long-term.
Sana researchers hoped to tackle this problem by editing the genes of islet cells so they wouldn’t be recognised or targeted by the immune system. These ‘hypoimmune cells’ were tested in a person with type 1 diabetes for the first time.
After four weeks, the transplanted cells were still alive and working, helping the person to produce significantly more insulin. Importantly, the modified cells avoided the immune system attack without the need for immunosuppressive drugs. And the new treatment was found overall to be safe.
It’s hoped this technology could also be applied to cells that are made in the lab, by programming stem cells into hypoimmune beta cells.
This could tackle the critical shortage of donor cells available and allow more people living with type 1 diabetes to benefit from transplants of new insulin-making cells in the future.
Cell transplantation without immunosuppression has the potential to transform the treatment of type 1 diabetes, paving the way for a future where a future where type 1 diabetes is managed without insulin.
To accelerate progress, the Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge - our partnership with Breakthrough T1D and the Steve Morgan Foundation—is driving innovative research to make these transformative treatments a reality.
Faster blood test processing could help detect missing gestational diabetes cases
New research we co-funded suggests that the standard NHS blood test for gestational diabetes is failing to diagnose more than half of pregnant women with the condition.
But speeding up how blood samples are processed could help more women get an accurate diagnosis and the care they need. The findings were published in Diabetic Medicine.
The standard blood test for diagnosing gestational diabetes is called the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). But it’s not always accurate.
With our support, Professor Claire Meek at the University of Leicester and researchers at the University of Cambridge wanted to find out if processing blood samples faster could make the test more reliable.
They recruited 1,308 women, who were first tested for gestational diabetes using the standard OGTT, and then again using the OGTT but with their blood samples processed more quickly.
Only 9% of women were diagnosed with gestational diabetes using the standard test, compared to 22% with the improved version.
This means that more than half the women found to have gestational diabetes in the study would have gone undiagnosed – and left untreated – using the standard test. Scaling up, the researchers estimate this could affect up to 30,000 pregnant women every year in the UK.
The study also highlighted the potential impact of missed diagnoses. Among the women with gestational diabetes who were missed by the standard test, 37% gave birth to large babies. This can cause complications for mum and baby at birth, but it can be prevented with the right diagnosis and care.
These findings suggest that improving the way blood samples are processed could be crucial in helping more pregnant women with gestational diabetes get an accurate diagnosis and access the right treatment and support to have a safe pregnancy and healthy baby.
