One day, there could be a new test to screen for type 1 diabetes, now that scientists have found markers in the blood of the umbilical cords of children who were later diagnosed with the disease.
In new research published in the journal Nature Communications, scientists at the University of Florida and Linköping University in Sweden found that early signs of type 1 diabetes can be found in the blood of the umbilical cord, which links the baby to the placenta during pregnancy and is discarded at birth.
This does not mean that diabetes is predetermined, said Angelica Ahrens, lead author of the study and assistant research scientist in microbiology at the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS).
“It means that biology is being shaped during a period when systems are still highly adaptable,” said Ahrens.
Click here for more about this study and its results.
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ABOUT UF/IFAS
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents.
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