Discover 4 new genes related to diabetes

Scientists have discovered four new genes linked to type 2 diabetes, which are affecting more than 170 million people worldwide, and this number is increasing.

This is the latest finding in finding diabetes-related genes, increasing the understanding of the biological characteristics of this disease, contributing to finding the most effective therapies. This finding is the result of the great efforts of three research groups belonging to three universities and a pharmaceutical company.

The study was conducted under the guidance of leading experts in diabetes, including: David Altshuler, Harvard University (USA); Michael Boehnke, of the University of Michigan (USA); Mark McCarthy, at Oxford University (England); and Kari Stefansson, General Director of DeCode Genetics (Iceland).

Increases risk of disease from 10-25%

Overall, the research groups surveyed the entire genome of more than 50,000 people - divided into two groups: normal people and people with type 2 diabetes - in many countries around the world, such as the UK, the US and Ba. Lan, Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands, Iceland, Hong Kong, Nigeria, Ghana .

After a long time of research and cooperation, experts have discovered four new gene variants related to type 2 diabetes, IGF2BP2, CDKAL1, CDKN2A and CDKN2B. In people with one of these gene variants, the risk of diabetes increases from 10% to 25%, depending on the genome.

The discovery of more diabetes-related genes opens a promising prospect in diagnosing, treating and preventing this dangerous disease (Photo: AP)

According to Dr. Altshuler, during the study, the scientists looked at all the genes to find a link between them and diabetes. He stressed that no genes were missed. In these new studies, experts have also confirmed the association of diabetes with six genes: TCF7L2, SLC30A8, HHEX, PPARG, KCNJ11 and FTO - these genes were discovered in previous studies. . Therefore, up to now, the total number of genes proved to be related to type 2 diabetes is 10 genes.

Until now, diabetes often occurred in people over 40, especially in obese and less physically active people. However, experts warn that the number of young people, even children, with this dangerous disease is increasing. According to experts, in addition to lifestyle factors such as obesity, irrational eating and lack of exercise, genetic factors also have a significant role in the risk of type 2 diabetes. People with parents or siblings with diabetes have a 3-5 times higher risk of developing the disease than those without a family history of diabetes.

In people with type 2 diabetes, their bodies decline their ability to produce or use insulin, a hormone needed to convert sugar, starch and other foods into energy. This disease accounts for nearly 90% of all diabetes and is one of the leading causes of heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure and limb.

Opening up prospects in diagnosis and treatment Dr. Elias A. Zerhouni, Director of the American Institute of Health (NIH) said: 'This achievement marks an important milestone in the fight against diabetes. It contributes to accelerating efforts to understand the genetic factors of the disease, as well as to discover the interactions between genes and the interaction between genes and human lifestyle. '

He stressed: 'This type of research opens up an era of personalized medicine, which is to create different treatments for each person, based on their own genetic structure.' Meanwhile, Kari Stefansson, general manager of DeCode Genetics, a pharmaceutical company, said confidently: 'From these new findings, we will be able to conduct a very convincing predictive test of risk. muscle with type 2 diabetes'.

Dr. Boehnke also stated: 'It is very exciting that we get the research results that we really believe in.' However, according to him, 'since this is a very complicated disease, there is still much work to be done before it can improve the diagnostic method as well as the preparation of a medicine to treat diabetes'.

The results of this new study have just been published in the electronic edition of Nature Genetics and Science on April 26, 2007.

Minh Quang