Precision medicine in diabetes: one size does not fit all

Two people can arrive at the same diagnosis of type 2 diabetes for very different biological reasons. One may be dominated by insulin resistance, another by a weaker insulin response from the beta cell. Genetics, metabolism, and ancestry all shape which path a person is on.

My research, including a Diabetes Care meta-analysis cited more than 800 times, looked at how the balance between insulin sensitivity and response differs across populations. The clinical implication is that the most useful prevention and treatment can differ between patients who look similar on a single number.

Precision medicine is the practical response: tailor screening and treatment to the individual. Decision support that can hold this nuance, like EASY Diabetes, is one way that research reaches the clinic.