New Genetic Discoveries in Type 1 Diabetes Across Populations

Most genetic studies of Type 1 diabetes have focused heavily on European populations. This means important genes present in other groups may have been missed. A new international study took a different approach by analyzing genetic data from nearly 814,000 people—both European and Asian—to find genes linked to Type 1 diabetes.

The European group included about 680,500 people, while the Asian group included about 133,250 people. Among these, roughly 13,700 had been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, and the rest were controls without the disease. By combining data across these groups, researchers could spot genetic patterns that appear consistently across different populations.

The analysis found 27 locations in the genome linked to Type 1 diabetes. Eight of these appear to be newly discovered, meaning they had not been clearly identified in prior research. These new regions are located near genes with names like CDKAL1, NRSN1, FAM65B, LRRC16A, TULP1, SLC17A3, LRIG2, and C6orf1.

The researchers then focused on narrowing down which specific genetic variants within these regions were most likely to be the true culprits. Using advanced analysis methods, they identified two variants with very high confidence: one near LRRC16A and another near SLC17A3. These two variants are considered strong candidates for directly affecting Type 1 diabetes risk.

Finding a genetic variant is only part of the puzzle. Scientists also want to understand how that variant affects the body. The researchers used an additional analysis method to determine whether changes in how certain genes are expressed—that is, how active they are—might explain the link to Type 1 diabetes.

At the SLC17A3 location, they identified a gene called U91328.19 whose expression level appears to be causally connected to Type 1 diabetes. This suggests that the genetic variant may increase or decrease the activity of this gene in ways that influence disease risk. However, more research is needed to fully understand the mechanism.

This study highlights an important principle in genetic research: studying diverse populations leads to better science. When researchers include people from multiple ancestry backgrounds, they are more likely to find genes that genuinely matter for disease across different groups, rather than variants that happen to be common in just one population.

The eight newly identified genetic regions add to the growing list of genes that scientists believe contribute to Type 1 diabetes risk. While each individual gene has a small effect, together they help paint a more complete picture of the biological processes involved in the disease. This knowledge may eventually support new approaches to prevention, early detection, or treatment—though much additional research is needed to translate genetic discoveries into clinical advances.

Source: Diabetic medicine : a journal of the British Diabetic Association. Evidence type: PubMed indexed literature. Type1Cure is an information and intelligence hub, not a medical advice service. This article summarizes published research and does not provide diagnosis, treatment, or personal medical guidance. Always talk to your own care team before changing anything about your Type 1 diabetes management.