The study found at least six markers that may be associated with Type 1 diabetes, a lifelong disease that occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to properly control blood-sugar levels. There currently is no way to prevent Type 1, which is caused by autoimmune, genetic or environmental factors.

The study found two markers that may be associated with Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of diabetes. Type 2 develops when the body fails to produce enough insulin, which helps turn glucose from the sugars and starches we eat into energy. The failure to process glucose starves cells of energy and over time can damage the eyes, nerves, heart or kidneys. Type 2 diabetes can be prevented or treated with proper diet and exercise.

Using a similar pooled DNA analysis, TGen researchers, working with collaborators at the University of California Los Angeles, last year developed a way to identify an individual's DNA from among a mixture of DNA of hundreds or even thousands of individuals.

"This technique will increasingly be used in identifying the genetic origins of many Types of disease,'' predicted Dr. David Craig, Associate Director of TGen's Neurogenomics Division, who co-developed the technique and was lead author of the current study.

Diabetic nephropathy, or kidney disease, is the most common cause of ESRD. It occurs when chronic kidney failure has progressed to the point when either dialysis or kidney transplants are required to prevent blood poisoning.

Nearly 24 million Americans, about 8 percent, have diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association, which lists the disease as the nation's seventh leading cause of death.

Source: The Translational Genomics Research Institute