Scripps Research and Tempus are launching a study that uses genetic and other information to better understand what drives the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
By understanding how and why individual blood sugar levels change in response to food, researchers hope to improve the treatment of obesity and diabetes.
“There is growing evidence that glycemic responses to the same foods differ significantly from person to person,” said Edward Ramos, PhD, director of digital clinical studies at the Scripps Research Translational Institute and lead researcher on the study, in a press release.
The PRediction of Glycemic Response Study (PROGRESS) recruits approximately 1,000 participants over the age of 18. The researchers are equally looking for volunteers with and without a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes is a complex disease in which obesity is a major risk factor. Overeating and / or poor diet are known to contribute to both obesity and diabetes. However, little is known about how this happens at the individual level.
Using home sampling and digital health kits, participants monitor their own diet, activity, and continuous glucose (sugar) levels over 10 days. Another three years of monitoring will follow after this first study period.
The “locationless” model, which includes a mobile app for communication, allows people to participate remotely and removes many traditional barriers to participation in clinical trials, such as: B. Planning restrictions, travel and transportation issues, and access to the clinic.
“Advances in individualized data collection by personal health tracking devices allow us to better quantify a wide range of personal traits that will help refine more individualized approaches to blood glucose control,” added Ramos.
Algorithms for predicting changes in blood sugar at the individual level include data on variables such as diet, chewing, and salivary composition, as well as digestion, genetics, body mass index, gut microorganisms, electronic health records, and lifestyle.
These algorithms will be based on artificial intelligence methods because of the complexity of the above factors, the many ways they interconnect, and the large amount of data that they generate.
“Despite recent advances in understanding the many genetic and environmental factors that underlie diabetes, there are few large-scale studies that fully address the complex, multimodal nature of this disease,” said Dr. Joel Dudley, Tempus Chief Scientific Officer.
“This study aims to create a foundation of data and understanding that will enable the development of intelligent precision medicine technologies to meet unmet clinical needs in diabetes on a large scale,” he added. “We are excited to be working with Scripps Research to improve our understanding of diabetes and the pursuit of next generation clinical trial design.”
