Genetic risk factors for type II diabetes

High blood sugar levels can lead to diabetes. There are two types of diabetes. Type I is often something you are born with. In type I, your body makes little to no insulin. Insulin is a protein that helps clear sugar from your blood. Type II usually occurs later, in adults. In type II, your body does not make enough insulin to keep your blood sugar levels in check. More and more people are getting type II diabetes in the US. Over time, poor control of blood sugar levels can cause your kidneys to stop working. This happens to some people, but not others. Scientists found a link between a gene change and loss of kidney function in people with type II diabetes. The group at Vanderbilt will use BioVU to confirm their findings. They will look for people with type II diabetes. Then they will group the patients into those with working kidneys, and those without. They will check for the gene change in both groups. They will also look for other gene changes that may affect kidney function. The goal is to confirm the gene change linked to loss of kidney function. They might also find other gene changes play a role. The results of this study may help us know which type II patients are at risk for losing kidney function.