A team of international researchers, led by Guy Rutter, has discovered molecules in samples taken from 3,000 diabetic patients that may help personalize treatments.
This research was conducted as part of the European RHAPSODY project, which involves over 100 scientists from 20 academic institutions, 5 pharmaceutical companies, and 2 small and medium enterprises.
The research, published in Nature Communications, identified new molecules that could aid clinical teams in predicting and monitoring the deterioration of glucose metabolism in diabetic patients.
Rutter’s team analyzed three different molecular classes: small charged molecules (metabolites), lipids, and proteins.
The researchers discovered that 20 molecules – 9 lipids, 3 metabolites, and 11 proteins – were associated with rapid disease progression in diabetes.
Notably, the protein NogoR stood out among the 1,300 proteins tested.
The team validated these findings by testing the impact of increased NogoR blood levels on the metabolism of genetically modified mice.
Rutter explained, “By injecting mice fed a high fat/high sugar diet, we improved their glucose tolerance.
On db/db mice, a type 2 diabetes mouse model, we worsened their insulin sensitivity, i.e., their ability to regulate blood sugar levels.”
Rutter and his team hope that, in the future, clinical teams will be able to quickly and inexpensively assay these new biomarkers using a single drop of blood, which could significantly improve the prediction and management of disease progression in diabetic patients.
However, the realization of this goal will require further technological advances.
As of now, over 400 million people worldwide are affected by type 2 diabetes, a figure expected to rise to over 700 million by 2045.
The discovery of these new molecules and the potential development of personalized treatments could have significant implications for the global management of this widespread condition.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies that green tea could help reduce death risk in diabetes, and widely used diabetes drug metformin may reduce cognitive decline.
For more information about diabetes, please see recent studies that blueberries strongly benefit people with metabolic syndrome, and results showing common diabetes drugs that can spike heart attack risk.
The study was published in Nature Communications.
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