Blood marker for beta cell loss that predicts type 2 diabetes after gestational diabetes
Biomarker of Pancreatic B-cell Loss Predicting Progression to Type 2 Diabetes After Gestational Diabetes
This project uses a blood test after pregnancy to help tell women who had gestational diabetes whether they are likely to develop type 2 diabetes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Lsu Pennington Biomedical Research Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baton Rouge, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11251957 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you took part, researchers would measure unmethylated insulin (INS) DNA in your blood about 6–12 weeks after delivery and again years later to look for signals of pancreatic beta cell loss that appear before diabetes. The work combines data and samples from two large groups of women with prior gestational diabetes in the U.S. (SWIFT) and China (TGDM-O), totaling about 1,410 women, who had serial oral glucose tolerance tests and lab measurements over several years. Investigators will compare the INS DNA marker to glucose tests, HbA1c, insulin and clinical records to see whether early changes predict later type 2 diabetes. The project uses existing cohort participants and stored samples with long-term follow-up to study these patterns.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults who were diagnosed with gestational diabetes and can provide blood samples starting about 6–12 weeks after delivery (and agree to follow-up) are the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People without prior gestational diabetes, men, or women who already have type 2 diabetes at the time of enrollment are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could give women who had gestational diabetes an early blood test to identify higher risk for type 2 diabetes and target prevention earlier.
How similar studies have performed: Related blood DNA markers of beta cell loss have shown promise in other diabetes research, but using unmethylated INS DNA to predict type 2 diabetes after gestational diabetes is a relatively new application.
Where this research is happening
Baton Rouge, United States
- Lsu Pennington Biomedical Research Ctr — Baton Rouge, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hu, Gang — Lsu Pennington Biomedical Research Ctr
- Study coordinator: Hu, Gang
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.