Over two million Canadians are affected by type 2 diabetes. (Credit: Biswarup Ganguly, Wikimedia Commons)
Nearly a fifth of pregnant women develop a temporary form of diabetes – called gestational diabetes – that puts them at greater risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life. A new study shows how a molecule called CMPF can help detect diabetes.
An analysis of blood chemistry in a sub-population of subjects has revealed that levels of a molecule called CMPF are higher in those with gestational or type 2 diabetes than in non-diabetic individuals. Further experiments have shown how CMPF interferes with insulin-making cells in the pancreas, and that blocking its transport with drugs could offer protection from diabetes.
Original research paper published in the journal Cell Metabolism on April 1, 2014.
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