Galway Bay fm newsroom – NUI Galway scientists have used virtual humans for innovative research on diabetes.
Researchers at the NUIG School of Medicine and Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in Boston have created biomedical avatars of type 1 diabetes patients to enable new treatment and diagnostic options.
Her research, published this week in the international journal Nature Computational Sciences, showed that simulating disease effects at the individual level explains how different people respond to insulin and how diet can improve patient outcomes.
Type 1 diabetes is widespread in children and affects patients throughout their lives.
The disease affects insulin production, with sequelae also leading to metabolic disorders and coronary heart disease, which are associated with early mortality.
NUIG study leader Professor Ines Thiele said her results not only highlighted the key role glucose plays in the context of diabetes, but also suggested new therapeutic avenues for patients.
