Listening to Silence: The First Blood Test for Risk of Individuals at Prophylactic Time Windows to Develop Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Introduction

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a heterogeneous disease, associated with mortality and severe morbidity, and affecting hundreds of millions of people around the globe. Despite some misconceptions accepted in the public, current models to predict the onset of T2DM have insufficient power and are generally limited to individuals that have already progressed into pre-diabetes states, at which the assignment of disease-preventing treatments is largely ineffective.

Clinical Prediction Power

Clinical-level prediction power (AUC>0.9) among non-diabetic individuals would enable effective pre-emptive strategies, but the way to produce such predictions remained unknown. Based on a new understanding of enhancer-silencer regulatory networks, I have developed a new class of supreme epigenetic biomarkers.

Novel Disease-Prediction Models

Disease-prediction models built on the basis of this novel understanding and biomarkers significantly outperform the best currently available prediction models. Importantly, these pioneering models can identify people at risk well before the appearance of any clinical symptoms.

Preliminary Evidence and Clinical Testing

Strong preliminary evidence signifies the potential to develop the first clinical test to identify the risk of developing T2DM and associated diseases among non-pre-diabetic individuals at the required prediction power, and in time to deliver effective disease-preventing treatments.

Validation and Impact

Validation of these results and demonstration of the effectiveness of the new clinical-level test will allow the direction of effective (though expensive) preventing treatments to the people at risk, thus dramatically improving the way we are dealing with this harmful disease.