Research areas

It is estimated that nearly 600 million adults worldwide have diabetes. This number is expected to rise to more than 850 million by 2050.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes and accounts for the largest increase. It is not yet fully understood what causes type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes.

Within EXODIAB, Lund University Diabetes Centre (LUDC) and Uppsala University work closely together to develop new treatments and drugs that can prevent or cure diabetes and its complications.

The strategic research area integrates research in various fields with clinical studies and population studies (epidemiology) and creates platforms for collaboration between academia and industry.  
 

Research areas

Among other things, the researchers study: 

Individualised treatments

Researchers within EXODIAB have shown that individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes can be stratified into five subgroups with differing disease progression. This important discovery could lead to more individualised treatments of the disease. 

The researchers have also identified genetic differences between the four groups of type 2 diabetes, indicating different underlying causes of the disease. The researcher’s aim is to use this genetic and clinical data to develop treatments that are tailored to each patient. The discovery is a significant step forward that can lead to improvements for people living with diabetes.

Precision medicine within diabetes

Researchers within EXODIAB carry out studies within precision medicine and diabetes. The aim with precision medicine is to develop individualised treatments that are more accurate. The researchers also participate in major collaborations that summarise opportunities and gaps for the translation of precision medicine in clinical practice. 

Our researchers are also contributing knowledge to a new centre within precision medicine in southern Sweden, which has been established through a collaboration between Lund University and Region Skåne. An important aim of the new centre is to translate precision medicine research within diabetes and cardiovascular disease into clinical practice so that more patients can benefit from new diagnostic tools and treatment options.

Mechanisms that affect insulin secretion in diabetes

Several research groups within EXODIAB are to studying the mechanisms behind diabetes. An important resource for diabetes research is a sample collection of pancreatic islets of Langerhans, which contain insulin and glucagon-producing cells from people both with and without diabetes. 

Researchers study the islet cells to understand what happens to insulin and glucagon secretion in diabetes. The sample collection also includes tissues from liver, muscles and fat that are of interest to diabetes researchers. Studies of the collection can lead to new treatments that improve insulin secretion and glucose uptake in people with diabetes.

Environmental and lifestyle factors influence the development of type 2 diabetes (epigenetics)

Researchers within EXODIAB have discovered epigenetic biomarkers that predict which individuals with type 2 diabetes will benefit from the drug metformin, and which are likely to suffer from side-effects. The goal with the research more clinically reliable biomarkers which hopefully can provide people with type 2 diabetes individualised treatment. 

Epigenetics can also be used to develop markers that predict common complications of type 2 diabetes, which would allow for individualised treatment of patients. Researchers are developing biomarkers that can predict complications in type 2 diabetes, such as stroke, heart attack, and kidney disease.

Autoantibodies used to identify type 1 diabetes

Researchers around the world strive to understand why some people develop type 1 diabetes and others do not. Within EXODIAB, diabetes researchers are continuously studying various diabetes-related autoantibodies in children with a high risk of developing type 1 diabetes. 

This research has led to the approval of these autoantibodies as a biomarker for the disease. This approval means that individuals who have at least two diabetes-related autoantibodies can participate in clinical studies designed to prevent the disease. Diabetes-related autoantibodies can also be used as a marker to screen for type 1 diabetes. 

Stem cell therapies for people with diabetes

A goal for many diabetes researchers is to develop insulin-producing beta cells that can be transplanted into patients with diabetes. The main aim of cell therapies is to achieve good blood sugar control, without insulin injections. 

Researchers within EXODIAB have developed genetically modified insulin-producing cells that are hypoimmune, so that immunosuppressive treatment is not required. These cells have been transplanted into a human. The method has the potential to become a curative treatment for type 1 diabetes.

Researchers also strive to understand why insulin-producing beta cells fail to secrete enough insulin in type 2 diabetes. The knowledge may lead to new treatments, such as cell therapies, in the future. By studying stem cells from people with diabetes, the researchers can learn how to repair or support the insulin-producing cells.

Preventing diabetes complications

Diabetes can lead to complications such as stroke, heart attack and kidney disease.  Researchers are studying various aspects, including epigenetic differences between various groups of people with type 2 diabetes, to try to predict the risk of these complications at an early stage.

People with type 2 diabetes have a higher risk of developing atherosclerotic plaques, which means that fat has been accumulating on the inside of the arteries. Plaques that rupture can lead to the formation of blood clots, which can cause heart attacks or stroke. Researchers are therefore examining the underlying mechanisms behind the formation of plaques and why they rupture, with the aim to develop treatments that can prevent plaque rupture.