New directions for research into type 1 diabetes in India - An immunological perspective

Abstract

Dysfunction of the pancreatic beta cell is an essential prerequisite for the development of chronic hyperglycaemia characteristic of diabetes mellitus. The extent, nature and aetiology of the beta cell defect, however, vary in different forms of diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, the defect is postulated to arise from beta cell “fatigue” when an individual is exposed to high levels of insulin resistance over a prolonged period of time. In certain rare monogenic forms of diabetes such as maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY), the defect arises from a mutation in one or other genes responsible for normal pancreatic development and differentiation, or those concerned with insulin synthesis and function.