New discovery in fight against diabetes

Published on Sunday 6 September 2009 22:12

A GENE that controls the way the body responds to the hormone insulin has been identified, marking a breakthrough in the fight against diabetes.

Scientists believe a variation in the gene's DNA promotes insulin resistance, the primary cause of type 2 diabetes. The disease is the most common form of diabetes, affecting around two million people in the UK.

The discovery could lead to new drug treatments that target the genetic fault and prevent the body failing to respond to insulin.

The hormone controls the way cells absorb glucose from the blood and use it to generate energy. In type 2 diabetes, insulin often continues to be produced by the pancreas but it cannot be used properly.

The new genetic link, the first known to involve insulin resistance, was found after scientists screened the DNA of more than 14,000 people.

They identified thousands of single-letter variations in the genetic code associated with the disease, whittling them down to one with the greatest effect. This appeared to influence a gene called insulin receptor substrate 1, or IRS1.

Professor Philippe Froguel, one of the researchers from Imperial College London, said: "This is the first genetic evidence that a defect in the way insulin works in muscles can contribute to diabetes. Muscle tissue needs to make more energy using glucose. We think developing a treatment for diabetes that improves the way insulin works in the muscle could really help people with type 2 diabetes."