New genetic breakthrough narrows down causes of type 1 diabetes

A research group has been able to locate and narrow down the number of genes that play a role in causing type 1 diabetes.

Published in the journal Nature Genetics, the study gathered information about the genetic makeup of 27,000 people, including those who had type 1 diabetes and others who did not, in order to find individual differences in DNA that raise the risk of the disease.

Starting with 200,000 possible locations in the genome, the team used fine mapping techniques to pinpoint sequence variations that can lead to diabetes. In some regions, they narrowed the number of disease-causing DNA variations from the thousands down to five or less.

This will make it much easier for future studies to look for potential genetic targets for the treatment of the condition.

Todd Brusko, a member of the University of Florida Diabetes Institute, said: "This information will allow researchers and clinicians to tailor treatments to correct underlying defects in the immune system that allow for autoimmune disease development."