NIH Funds Study to Advance Precision Medicine for Diabetes

NIH is funding a nationwide study involving 20 research centers to better understand unusual types of diabetes, which could accelerate precision medicine for the condition.

The Rare and Atypical Diabetes Network (RADIANT) will screen about 2,000 people with unknown or atypical types of diabetes that do not fit the forms of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Someone with atypical diabetes may be diagnosed and treated for type 1 or type 2 diabetes, but they may not have a history or signs consistent with this diagnosis.

For example, individuals may be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes but not have any of the typical symptoms of this condition, such as being overweight, having a family history of diabetes, or being diagnosed as an adult. Additionally, some people with atypical diabetes may respond differently than anticipated to standard treatments.

“It’s extremely frustrating for people with atypical diabetes when their diabetes seems so different and difficult to manage,” said the study’s project scientist, Dr. Christine Lee of NIH’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). “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.”

Researchers will develop a resource of genetic, clinical, and descriptive data on previously unidentified forms of diabetes for the scientific and healthcare communities. Using questionnaires, physical exams, genetic sequencing, blood samples, and other tests, the team will collect detailed health information from individuals with diabetes.

Some people found to have atypical forms of the condition may also receive additional testing, and participant family members may also be invited to take part in the study.

“With help from participants and their families, we aim to develop a comprehensive description of the genetic and clinical characteristics of these rare forms of diabetes,” said study chair, Dr. Jeffrey Krischer, director of the Health Informatics Institute at the University of South Florida (USF), Tampa.

“This information could help to establish new diagnostic criteria for diabetes, find new markers for screening, or identify drug targets for new therapies that could ultimately bring precision medicine to diabetes.” 

USF will serve as the study’s coordinating center, and lead centers 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. Additional participating institutions include Columbia University, Duke University, Geisinger Health System, Vanderbilt University, and others.

The study opened recruitment on September 30, 2020 for people with atypical diabetes or a form of diabetes that seems different from known types of the disease. Researchers expect that the study will help the healthcare and science industries better understand and treat diabetes.

“The RADIANT study will further clarify diabetes as a disease that has many different forms, and for which diagnosis and management for some of those forms remain a challenge,” said NIDDK Director Dr. Griffin P. Rodgers.

“The discoveries of the study should provide critical understanding of the spectrum of diabetes and improve lives of people with rare forms of diabetes and everyone who cares for them.” 

RADIANT aims to increase the information and resources available for atypical diabetes. The organization includes universities, hospitals, and clinics across the US dedicated to better understanding atypical diabetes. The effort allows academic institutions and scientists to partner with physicians and healthcare groups to advance diabetes research.