The study being funded by NIH, in the US, will involve 20 research centres to better understand unusual types of diabetes.
Around 2,000 people with unknown or atypical types of diabetes will be screened by The Rare and Atypical Diseases Network (RADIANT).
It’s possible that a patient with atypical diabetes may be diagnosed for Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, but have no history or signs consistent with this diagnosis.
Dr Christine Lee, the study’s project scientist, of NIH’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), said, “It’s extremely frustrating for people with atypical diabetes when their diabetes seems so different and difficult to manage.
“Through RADIANT, we want to help patients and the broader healthcare community by finding and studying new types of diabetes to shed light on how and why diabetes can vary so greatly.”
By using questionnaires, physical exams, genetic sequencing, blood samples, and other tests, the research team will collect detailed health information from individuals with diabetes.
Some participants found to have atypical forms of the condition might receive further testing, and their families may be invited to take part in the study.
The University of South Florida (USF) will be the study’s co-ordinating centre. The lead study centres include Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and The University of Chicago. The Broad Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Baylor will conduct genomic sequencing for the project.
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