Understanding type 2 diabetes that starts in childhood

Cincinnati Children's Clinical Center for Targeting the Pathophysiology of Youth-Onset Type 2 Diabetes

NIH-funded research Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr · NIH-11285435

This project follows children and teens through puberty to learn how hormones, weight, behavior, and social factors affect their risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Quick facts

Grant typeU01 cooperative agreement
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionCincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Cincinnati, United States)
Project IDNIH-11285435 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

If your child joins, researchers will follow them over several years through puberty with regular clinic visits that include blood tests, hormone and glucose measures, body measurements, and questionnaires about behavior and social context. They may collect and store blood and other samples to study insulin sensitivity, beta-cell function, and biological markers linked to diabetes risk. The study compares boys and girls, different communities, and high-risk groups to map who progresses from normal blood sugar to prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. This information will help doctors design better prevention and treatment plans tailored for young people.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Children and adolescents around puberty—especially those with obesity, a family history of type 2 diabetes, or other risk factors—are the ideal candidates.

Not a fit: Adults, children with no diabetes risk factors, or patients already requiring immediate diabetes treatment are unlikely to gain direct benefit from participation.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the work could help identify children at highest risk earlier and guide personalized prevention or treatment to avoid or delay type 2 diabetes.

How similar studies have performed: Previous cohort studies have linked obesity and puberty to diabetes risk, but this comprehensive, puberty-focused, multi-factor approach is relatively new.

Where this research is happening

Cincinnati, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions Adult-Onset Diabetes Mellitus
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.