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Using human genetics to reveal fundamental processes involved in type 2 diabetes

Research

Researchers at Oxford and Liverpool universities have identified genetic markers that could be used to understand people’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock

Their work is published in Nature Genetics.

Type 2 diabetes is a major contributor to illness and death worldwide, with rates of the disease rising despite current prevention approaches. Many of those affected will go on to develop the complications of diabetes, such as kidney failure and blindness, as current treatments can only do so much. Developing new approaches to disease prevention and treatment is likely to depend on an improved understanding of the genes, proteins and processes which, when disrupted, lead to diabetes.

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