Scientists discover a ‘key player’ for type 1 diabetes
8 September
Scientists funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) have identified a network of genes for type 1 diabetes (T1D) and discovered that this network, under the control of a ‘key player’, causes the disease. This development could eventually help researchers focus their efforts to improve drug treatments for type 1 diabetes as well as possibly having an impact on other diseases where inflammation plays an important role.
In recent years, a number of individual genes have been identified using genome-wide association studies (GWAS) that increase a person’s chance of developing diabetes. However this is the first time that researchers have been able to identify an entire network of genes, single out the key players that control this network and determine a person’s actual chance of getting T1D.
Dr Stuart Cook, from the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre at Imperial College London, who led the study, said:
“Identifying individual genes that increase a person’s risk of illness is a bit like counting the number of players in a football team on the field. If you want to play against the team you have to know they’re there, but it’s harder to beat them without knowing how they play and who their main match winners are. What we find exciting about these results is that, for the first time, we’ve found a way to identify the most important genes or ‘players’ and in particular, who the team captain might be that coordinates his teammates. Applying this knowledge to find out more about the key players that cause disease will help researchers find better ways to develop more targeted treatments in the fight against diabetes.”
By using a variety of techniques to analyse human and rat genes, the researchers found that these ‘gene networks’ that are active in our immune systems could have an important role in T1D.
Type 1 diabetes makes up around 10 per cent of the total number of people who have diabetes. A child in the UK has around a one in a thousand chance of developing the disease.
The study was funded by the Medical Research Council, Imperial College London, , the Wellcome Trust the British Heart Foundation and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. A key part of the MRC’s work is to continue to build on our understanding of how genes work, their biological relevance and how this knowledge can be applied in the clinic.
A trans-acting locus regulates an anti-viral expression network and type 1 diabetes risk is published in Nature today.
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For more information or to arrange an interview with one of the scientists, please contact the MRC Press Office on 020 76376011 or email pressoffice@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk
Notes to Editors:
For almost 100 years the Medical Research Council has improved the health of people in the UK and around the world by supporting the highest quality science. The MRC invests in world-class scientists. It has produced 29 Nobel Prize winners and sustains a flourishing environment for internationally recognised research. The MRC focuses on making an impact and provides the financial muscle and scientific expertise behind medical breakthroughs, including one of the first antibiotics penicillin, the structure of DNA and the lethal link between smoking and cancer. Today MRC funded scientists tackle research into the major health challenges of the 21st century. www.mrc.ac.uk
About Imperial College London
Consistently rated amongst the world's best universities, Imperial College London is a science-based institution with a reputation for excellence in teaching and research that attracts 14,000 students and 6,000 staff of the highest international quality. Innovative research at the College explores the interface between science, medicine, engineering and business, delivering practical solutions that improve quality of life and the environment - underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture.
Since its foundation in 1907, Imperial's contributions to society have included the discovery of penicillin, the development of holography and the foundations of fibre optics. This commitment to the application of research for the benefit of all continues today, with current focuses including interdisciplinary collaborations to improve global health, tackle climate change, develop sustainable sources of energy and address security challenges.
In 2007, Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust formed the UK's first Academic Health Science Centre. This unique partnership aims to improve the quality of life of patients and populations by taking new discoveries and translating them into new therapies as quickly as possible.
About the Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust is a global charity dedicated to achieving extraordinary improvements in human and animal health. It supports the brightest minds in biomedical research and the medical humanities. The Trust’s breadth of support includes public engagement, education and the application of research to improve health. It is independent of both political and commercial interests. www.wellcome.ac.uk
About JDRF
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation exists to find the cure for type 1 diabetes and its complications, and is the world’s leading charitable funder of type 1 diabetes research. At a global level JDRF volunteers and staff have been responsible for raising over £650 million to support type 1 diabetes research since the charity’s inception. www.jdrf.org.uk
About type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a chronic, life-threatening condition that has a life-long impact on those diagnosed with it and their families. JDRF exists to find the cure for type 1 diabetes.
People with type 1 diabetes rely on multiple insulin injections or pump infusions every day just to stay alive, until we find the cure.
It normally strikes children and stays with them for the rest of their lives.
Type 1 diabetes affects about 350,000 people in the UK, 25,000 of them children.
Type 1 diabetes reduces life expectancy by about 20 years.
