Gene mutation can reduce risk for type 2 diabetes: study

There is a gene mutation that can reduce the risk for developing type 2 diabetes, according to researchers at the Broad Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).

Over 300 million people worldwide have type 2 diabetes, and the numbers continue to grow. Its progression can be slowed down by medicine and lifestyle changes, but a drug that could mimic the protective effects of this gene mutation could change the way the disease is treated and prevent future cases.

The researchers' first step was to find a protein that could be activated or inhibited to help prevent type 2 diabetes, also known as a drug target. The study analyzed 150,000 patients showing a rare gene mutation called SLC30A8, and who also had normal blood-sugar levels and risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes, like old age and obesity. SLC30A8 in the past was known to play a role in the influence and risk of type 2 diabetes.

One co-author notes that going after a "drug target" is a new and possibly revolutionary approach to preventing type 2 diabetes.

"This work underscores that human genetics is not just a tool for understanding biology: it can also powerfully inform drug discovery by addressing one of the most challenging and important questions - knowing which targets to go after," David Altshuler, deputy director and chief academic officer at the Broad Institute and a Harvard Medical School professor at Massachusetts General Hospital, said in a statement.

The international research team combined evidence from other studies in Finland and Iceland that showed certain gene mutations stopped the function of the SLC30A8 gene. These combined results show that people with the SLC30A8 gene mutation have a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 65 percent - including people who already have risk factors for the disease.