By analyzing the DNA in cord blood from babies born to mothers with gestational diabetes or high blood sugar during pregnancy, researchers have identified early epigenetic markers that forecast insulin resistance and beta-cell dysfunction up to 18 years before diabetes develops.

These findings from Australia’s Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute and The Chinese University of Hong Kong offer a major step forward in personalized medicine.

The study was co-led by Professor Sam El-Osta, head of the Baker Institute’s Epigenetics team, and Professor Ronald Ma from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Professor Sam El-Osta says, “This research points to a future where we can identify a newborn’s risk of type 2 diabetes at birth and take steps immediately to reduce that risk. It changes the way we think about when, and how early, we can intervene to prevent chronic disease in childhood.