Global Study Reframes Type 2 Diabetes as Tissue-Driven and Population-Specific

A large international genetic study analyzing data from over 2.5 million people across seven tissues finds that many Type 2 diabetes drivers act outside the bloodstream. Only about 18% of causal genes in key diabetes tissues are detectable in blood, while 85% of signals in diabetes-relevant tissues are missed by blood-based analyses. The study links 676 genes to causal effects, including 335 genes and 46 proteins that influence risk, with some associations consistent across ancestry groups and others emerging only in historically underrepresented populations. Published in Nature Metabolism, the work underscores the importance of tissue context and population diversity for improving prevention and treatment strategies.