New genetic research reveals insight into diabetes onset

New genetic variants with a link to insulin production have been discovered, revealing a potential new avenue for understanding diabetes.

A team involving staff from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and University of Eastern Finland have found that certain variants of the genes TBC1D30, KANK1 and PAM are associated with abnormal insulin production or processing, even in people without diabetes.

These genes may predispose individuals to developing the disease and will now be studied further to see what additional insights can be gleaned.

According to researchers, this new study is also notable as being the first time genetic insights have been reported using exome array genotyping, a new tool that is less costly than genetic sequencing.

Dr Karen Mohlke, one of the study's senior authors and associate professor of genetics at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, said: "Studying genetic variants – even rare ones – helps us learn how genes affect health and disease. In this study, we've implicated new genes as playing a role in insulin processing and secretion."

According to the World Health Organization, 347 million people across the world currently have diabetes, with death rates from the disease set to double between 2005 and 2030.