Country's first diabetes biobank

Why in the news?

• The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has set up the country's first diabetes biobank in Chennai in collaboration with the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation.

Key points:

• The biobank will help in research on the causes of diabetes, the different types of diabetes that affect Indians and related disorders.
• This biobank contains blood samples related to two studies-
• ICMR India Diabetes conducted in all states and union territories in several phases from 2008 to 2020.
•  Registry of People with Diabetes in India at a Young Age at the Onset
• A large number of blood samples of different types of diabetes like type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes in youth have been collected for future study and research.
• The process of setting up the biobank started about two years ago.
• A recent article published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research describes the biobank and the purpose of setting it up.
• Among the various biobanks in the world, the most famous is the UK biobank.
• It contains biomedical data containing genetic, lifestyle and health information of five lakh people.

How does this biobank work?

• It collects blood, tissue and other biological samples of diabetes patients.
• These samples are used for scientific studies.
• Scientists can learn more about the causes, genes and environmental factors of diabetes by analyzing these samples.

Importance of Diabetes Biobank:

• It can help identify new biomarkers for early diagnosis and development of personalized treatment strategies.
• It will also support longitudinal studies to track the progression of diabetes and its complications over time.
• This will enable better efforts towards better management and prevention strategies.

Diabetes or Madhumeha:

• In Ayurveda, diabetes is called Madhumeha disease.
• Diabetes is a type of metabolic disorder in which the body does not produce enough insulin.
• Due to lack of insulin in the body, the sugar level starts increasing.
• This disease is also genetic and also occurs due to poor lifestyle.
  

Types of Diabetes:

• Type 1 Diabetes:
  • It is caused by an autoimmune reaction (the body mistakenly attacks itself).
  • This reaction prevents your body from making insulin.
  • About 5-10% of people with diabetes suffer from it.
  • A person suffering from it needs to take insulin to survive.
  • It is also known as ‘juvenile diabetes’.
• Type 2 Diabetes:
  • The body of a person suffering from it does not use insulin well.
  • About 90-95% of people suffering from diabetes have type 2 diabetes.
  • It can be controlled by making healthy lifestyle changes.
  • 3. Gestational Diabetes:
• Diabetes developed during pregnancy, where the woman suffering from it is diagnosed for the first time.