ULB researchers discover a new type of diabetes

31/10/2017

A team of researchers from the ‘Center for Diabetes Research’ at the ULB (Université Libre de Bruxelles) has identified a new type of diabetes.

It concerns diabetes that is caused by a mutation of the gene RFX6, responsible for the production of the GIP hormone. This hormone is made by the digestive system and in turn stimulates the secretion of insulin in the pancreas. Insulin regulates sugar levels in the blood and a deficiency causes diabetes. Such diabetes can be treated by administering medicine with a similar structure to the GIP hormone, allowing it to be replaced artificially and to stimulate the secretion of insulin.

This type of diabetes is the first that can be linked to a shortage of the GIP hormone. Those carrying the mutated RFX6 gene are very likely to develop diabetes and the disease is hereditary. The chance of developing diabetes is 80% for patients over the age of 50, but the disease can also occur among young people under 20 years old. This discovery emphasizes the importance of tracking down specific types of diabetes and therefore allows patients to be given personal treatment.

The team at the ULB carried out the research in collaboration with the ULB's Erasmus hospital and the universities of Helsinki (Finland), Kyoto (Japan) and Exeter (United Kingdom). The scientific article about their research has been published in the international journal ‘Nature Communications’.