May 25, 2020

Professor Michael Wheeler Leads Groundbreaking Diabetes Research

A pregnant person speaking with a doctor. We see both of their torsos, not their heads or faces.

A pregnant person speaking with a doctor. We see both of their torsos, not their heads or faces.A team of researchers led by U of T Physiology's Professor Michael Wheeler has published an exciting new study  in the journal Plos Medicine that details the identification of metabolites in blood that can predict if a woman who experienced gestational diabetes will go on to develop type 2 diabetes later in life. 

The hope is to use this research to produce a simple predictive blood test instead of the labour-intensive oral glucose tolerance test currently recommended. 

“'If you’ve got a newborn at home one of the last things you are thinking about or have time for is your own health,' says Wheeler. 'This is one of the main reasons why we performed this study, to potentially develop a simple blood test reducing the number of hospital visits.'"

Read more about this breakthrough here