INGR1D2 study: early detection of type 1 diabetes risk
What are the advantages of having my child tested?
Type 1 diabetes affects 1 in every 250 children born in the UK every year. It’s incurable and insulin replacement therapy brings many serious life-long challenges for patients and their families. Numerous trials of potentially therapeutic agents have been tried and failed in patients already diagnosed with the disease. Our alternative approach is to try to prevent the root causes of the disease long before insulin dependency and clinical diagnosis. Because type 1 diabetes is strongly inherited we can identify those newborn children at greatest risk of the disease by genetic testing. About 1 in 100 babies will have a risk of developing type 1 diabetes later in life - that is 25 times higher than the general population, increasing the risk from 1 in 250 (as in the general population) to 1 in 10. We will invite these '1 in 100' children to take part in the prevention trial (SINT1A). We won’t take an extra blood sample, just using the blood spots collected routinely by the NHS as part of the 'heel prick' test taken a few days after birth.
Where can I have my child tested?
Parents in various European countries (Belgium, Germany, UK, Poland and Sweden) can have their children tested for an increased risk of type 1 diabetes. In the UK, the INGR1D2 study allows parents to test their child for this increased risk free of charge at the same time as the routine newborn blood test.
INGR1D2 participating sites
- The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (NuTH): Principal Investigator, Fiona Yelnoorkar
- South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust: Principal Investigator, Eileen Walton
- South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Principal Investigator, Hazel Alexander
- North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust: Principal Investigator, Sharon Gowans
- County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust: Principal Investigator, Vicki Atkinson
- Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust: Principal Investigator, Christine Moller-Christenson
More information & Contact
Recent studies showed that in children with an increased genetic risk of type 1 diabetes, the harmful immune system response leading to this disease often begins in the first months of life. Therefore, GPPAD scientists and physicians aim to prevent the development of this immune reaction as early as possible. To achieve this, it is necessary to first identify children at increased genetic risk for type 1 diabetes by investigating certain genes associated with this disease. Studies identifying these children as newborns are available across Europe under different names as part of GPPAD. In the UK, parents in Newcastle upon Tyne can have their children tested free of charge together with the standard newborn screening as part of the INGR1D2 study.
