Physicians at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine, in collaboration with the Office of Clinical Trials, Division of Research at UNLV, are seeking participants for a large diabetes study that could help slow the progression of the disease.

UNLV researchers are seeking volunteers who have yet to be diagnosed with diabetes but are in a high risk group. This no-cost screening can accurately determine one’s risk of developing type 1 diabetes. Those eligible for screening include:

•  Individuals between the ages of 2 and 45 who have a parent, brother, sister, or child with type 1 diabetes.
• Individuals between the ages of 2 and 20 who have an aunt, uncle, cousin, grandparent, niece or nephew with type 1.

People in the earliest stages of diabetes can be treated with a therapy, newly approved by the Food and Drug Administration, that has been shown to help individuals maintain insulin production at baseline levels up to one year after treatment. Those who continue to make their own insulin, have fewer problems with low blood sugar and other long-term complications.

The no-cost screening to determine eligibility involves a quick office visit and blood draw. 

Participant screening is scheduled for Friday, June 7th in Las Vegas. For an appointment, call Kemi Otitoju at 702-671-4351 or email: kemi.otitoju@unlv.edu.

According to UNLV Professor of Endocrinology and TrialNet Principal Investigator Dr. Kenneth Izuora, “Since we now have an FDA approved therapy that could slow the progression of diabetes in those at risk, screening and monitoring individuals to determine when treatment is necessary becomes much more relevant in the effort to reduce the burden of the disease.” 

UNLV is part of an international team of researchers involved in the TrialNet study that includes 24 clinical centers and more than 250 affiliate sites. The National Institutes of Health is funding the study, along with support from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and American Diabetes Association. 

Media Contact: Paul Joncich, Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine, Manager of Media Relations - paul.joncich@unlv.edu. (916) 207-8498.