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Diabetes Projects
National Diabetes Laboratory
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has dedicated $3
million to a National Diabetes Laboratory (NDL) to support emerging scientific
efforts on type 1 diabetes. CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease
Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Diabetes Translation, and
the National Center for Environmental Health are collaborators on this
project. The NDL was established in 1997 with funds from the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to help prevent and treat type 1 diabetes.
Scientists are working to find noninvasive ways to monitor blood glucose
to prevent hypoglycemia, which can cause comas in people with diabetes;
to improve glucometers that measure blood glucose; to study autoantibodies
and diabetes; and to develop other projects that will improve the lives
of people with diabetes.
Advanced laboratory science is essential for researchers in diabetes
working to prevent and treat the disease. The NDL has the ability to identify
genetic, serologic, and immunologic factors associated with the risk for
diabetes; to develop better and more precise instrumentation and measurements;
to standardize reference methods; and to develop accurate, easy-to-use
monitoring equipment for people with diabetes. Successful results are
critically dependent on state-of-the art technology and on experts skilled
in interpreting study results.
Current activities
In each of the following areas, NDL has collaborated with key experts
in diabetes research to ensure that resources are devoted to priority
activities. The scope of activities at NDL is broad, involving not only
the development of sophisticated technology, but also innovative thinking
and extensive collaboration with many partners in the diabetes research
community.
Current laboratory activities include the following:
- Developing reference measurements for glycosylated proteins, including
hemoglobin AIC (HbAIC) and advanced glycation end products (AGEs)
Measuring glycohemoglobins and HbA1c is important for assessing
the degree of glycemic control among patients with diabetes. The Diabetes
Control and Complications Trials (DCCTs) have clearly shown that the
severity of complications, such as blindness, coronary artery disease,
vascular disease, and kidney dysfunction, is related to the degree
of hyperglycemia. The NDL is collaborating with the University of
Missouri and the International Federation for Clinical Chemistry (IFCC)
to develop reference methods and materials to standardize the measurement
of HbA1c worldwide to improve patient care.
- Developing and evaluating laboratory technology for improving the
measurement of genetic risk factors for type 1 diabetes and its complications
in order to identify and study these risk factors
The NDL is evaluating a variety of molecular technologies to detect
single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and multiple complex polymorphisms
for use in diabetes studies, including automated flourescent DNA sequencing,
sequence-specific oligonucleotide (SSO)-reverse-line blot hybridization,
polymorphism and mutation characterization using the Luminex assay,
PinPoint multiplex genotyping using matrix-assisted, laser-desorption
ionization time-of-flight, allele-specific oligonucleotide (ASO) detection,
and identifying polymorphisms using invasive cleavage of oligonucleotide
probes.
The NDL is also working with the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation International
and major research centers to create a large set of samples from families
and case and control subjects with type 1 diabetes and nephropathy
for genetic studies.
- In collaboration with the Immunology of Diabetes Society (IDS),
developing programs for standardizing the measurement of the autoantibodies
of type 1 diabetes
The NDL is working with the IDS to create the Diabetes Autoantibody
Standardization Program (DASP) .The two components of DASP are proficiency
testing, which will assess ongoing performance, and the novel assay
evaluation, which will assess new assays for existing antigens as
well as assays for new antigens. The IDS and CDC are collecting samples
from multiple patient and control subjects that will be used in DASP
to assess the sensitivity and specificity of the assays. The NDL is
also developing assays based on current radioimmunoassay technology
to serve as a reference point for these assays and as a basis for
improving the assays, which will be used in collaborative diabetes
studies.
- Developing improved technologies for diagnosing and managing
type 1 diabetes
The NDL is using dried blood spots as sample matrices for field
studies, calibrating flourescence for cytometry and receptor-lignand
analyes, and developing remote monitoring technology.
- Developing reference methods and materials to assist in properly
calibrating and standardizing blood glucose meters
CDC has more than 30 years experience in standardizing various clinical
laboratory procedures, which it will use to develop a reference method
and suitable reference materials to help manufacturers properly calibrate
and thus, standardize, portable glucose meters. Methods currently
under evaluation include isotope dilution gas chromatography-MS, high-performance
liquid chromatography (HPLC), and chemical/enzymatic spectrophotometry.
- Providing quality storage for essential samples used in scientific
investigations
CDC operates a state-of-the-art specimen repository known as CASPIR,
which receives specimens for diagnostic and reference purposes and
research and environmental studies.
- Developing devices and techniques for the noninvasive or minimally
invasive monitoring of hypoglycemia
CDC has awarded 3 grants totaling $696,715 for the development of
these devices. The future availability of such technology should reduce
morbidity and mortality from this condition and improve the prognosis
for fewer long-term consequences of elevated blood glucose for people
with diabetes by encouraging them to maintain control without the
fear of hypoglycemia.
For more information, call toll-free 1-800-CDC-INFO
1-888-232-6348 TTY , or E-mail cdcinfo@cdc.gov ,
or visit CDC's National
Center for Environmental Health's National Diabetes Laboratory.
Historical
Page last modified: December 21, 2005
Content Source: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Division of Diabetes Translation
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Diabetes & Me