New diagnostic technique for pre-diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is caused by disease of the pancreas whereby the cells do not produce enough insulin due to their destruction by the body's own immune system. The autoimmune process causes inflammation of the pancreas as the inflammatory cells infiltrate the organ and slowly destroy it. To date, the best method of detecting this condition, called insulinitis, is a pancreatic biopsy, a dangerous, invasive procedure, not often performed. A new form of non-invasive imaging is being proposed to detect this early transition to diabetes through injection of the patient with magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) into the bloodstream, which shows up areas of inflammation via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Scientists are hoping that the investigation technique will allow for monitoring of insulinitis in its early stages and response to treatment, particularly regarding the use of immune therapy which is still in experimental stages.

Source: summary of medical news story as reported by Joslin Diabetes centre

Related Disease Topics:

• Type 1 diabetes
• Diabetes
• Insulinitis

Article Source Details

About: New diagnostic technique for pre-diabetes

Date: 18 August 2005

Source: Joslin Diabetes centre

URL: http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20050818005017&newsLang=en

Related Medical Topics

This summary article refers to the following medical categories:

• Cause of diabetes
• Cause of type 1 diabetes
• Cause of prediabetes
• Cause of insulinitis
• Cause of hypoglycemia
• Cause of inflamed pancreas
• Cause of pancreatic disease
• Cause of disease of the pancreas
• Cause of pancreatic inflammation
• Surgery and pancreatic biopsy
• Risk and pancreatic biopsy
• Risk and diabetes
• Risk and type 1 diabetes
• Risk and prediabetes
• Risk and insulinitis
• Risk and hypoglycemia
• Risk and inflamed pancreas
• Risk and pancreatic disease
• Risk and disease of the pancreas
• Risk and pancreatic inflammation
• Diagnosis
• Diagnosis and diabetes
• Diagnosis and type 1 diabetes
• Diagnosis and prediabetes
• Diagnosis and insulinitis
• Diagnosis and hypoglycemia
• Diagnosis and inflamed pancreas
• Diagnosis and pancreatic disease
• Diagnosis and disease of the pancreas
• Diagnosis and pancreatic inflammation
• Diagnosis and pancreatic biopsy
• Diagnosis and magnetic resonance imaging
• Diagnosis and MRI
• Diagnosis and pancreas MRI
• Diagnosis and magnetic nanoparticles
• Diagnosis and iron oxide
• Research
• Research and diabetes
• Research and type 1 diabetes
• Research and prediabetes
• Research and insulinitis
• Research and inflamed pancreas
• Research and pancreatic disease
• Research and disease of the pancreas
• Research and pancreatic inflammation
• Research and pancreatic biopsy
• Research and magnetic resonance imaging
• Research and MRI
• Research and pancreas MRI
• Research and magnetic nanoparticles
• Research and iron oxide