Blood metabolite signals that predict insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes
Official title: Metabolomic predictors of insulin resistance and diabetes
Funded at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center · NIH-11169931 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work looks for patterns in blood chemicals that show who may develop insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, with attention to African American adults.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2008 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $649,027 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK081572-15 |
| Project ID | NIH-11169931 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are adults at risk for type 2 diabetes—especially African American adults enrolled in the Jackson Heart Study or people in Diabetes Prevention Program–type cohorts.
✕Less likely to help
People who already have long-standing, established type 2 diabetes or who have type 1 diabetes are less likely to benefit directly from the early-detection focus of this work.
What this research studies
If I participate, researchers will analyze stored blood samples and health data from groups like the Jackson Heart Study and the Diabetes Prevention Program to find small molecules linked to future diabetes. They use advanced mass spectrometry and bioinformatics to identify unknown compounds in the whole metabolome. Genetic studies (GWAS and correlation analyses) will connect those metabolites to biological pathways and proteins to help name and understand them. The team builds on prior findings that some metabolites were elevated up to 12 years before diabetes and have been validated by other groups.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could allow earlier detection of diabetes risk and more personalized prevention strategies.
How similar studies have gone: Previous metabolomics studies by this group and others have found metabolite patterns that predicted diabetes years before diagnosis, so the approach has promising prior support.
Where this research is happening
-
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gerszten, Robert E — Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Gerszten, Robert E
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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.