National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases 3U01DK134982-04S1

Understanding and Targeting the Pathophysiology of Youth-onset Type 2 Diabetes-Texas Children's Center

This award funds a study to understand and target youth-onset type 2 diabetes by recruiting and phenotyping 3,600 at-risk obese youth through puberty over five years to identify disease mechanisms and therapeutic targets.

Description

Youth-onset type 2 diabetes (YO-T2D) is increasingly prevalent in parallel with the obesity epidemic, yet effective treatment and prevention strategies are limited. The physiologic increase in insulin resistance during puberty, combined with obesity-related insulin resistance, enhances the risk of T2D. The DISCOVERY study aims to recruit a cohort of pubertal youth at risk for prediabetes and diabetes, deeply phenotype them through puberty, and better understand the pathophysiology and epidemiology of YO-T2D. The study will recruit approximately 3,600 at-risk obese youth in early puberty, extensively phenotype them, and characterize the course of decline in physiological indicators leading to YO-T2D. The study duration is 5 years, including planning, recruitment, follow-up, analysis, and reporting. Biospecimens and genetic material will be stored for future ancillary studies.

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