THREE MORE HIGH-TECH SOLUTONS

1 Diabetes treatment deploys a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. But would it be better to treat patients differently? Studies suggest there could be five sub-types of type 2 diabetes. At present, all patients are given drugs to lower their blood sugar, but in fact some could benefit from insulin soon after diagnosis, while others may be more likely to suffer diabetes complications sooner.

Professor Calum Sutherland of Dundee University, says: ‘If we can pick up sub-types earlier, and we can work out which interventions work best in each case, we’ll have a better chance of people having a better quality of life and fewer complications.’

2 Known as nature’s building blocks, it has long been thought that stem cells have the capacity to replace most types of damaged cell in the body. Scientists at Kingston University in South-West London are investigating how to increase the number of beta cells that can be produced from transplanted stem cells. It’s still early days and a ‘cure’ is probably ten years away or more.

3 There is no specific diabetes gene that predicts an individual’s risk of the disease, but Silicon Valley DNA-testing firm 23andMe has developed a risk assessment for type 2 that looks for common factors in DNA of those with the condition. The £149 Health Predispositions test cannot diagnose diabetes, but those who take the test can be told if they’re at risk of the disease. It is controversial as most of those on its database, on which the test is based, are white Europeans, so the test is less effective for ethnic minorities most at risk of the condition.