New indications of prenatal environmental factors affecting risk of developing type 1 diabetes
A new study by the Immunology of Diabetes Group, led by Marta Vives-Pi at the IGTP in conjunction with the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, builds on previous work led by the group in Hamburg. The new study looks into the effect of betamethasone on new-borns and its susceptibility to develop type 1 diabetes, when it is administered to mothers before birth. As well as corroborating the previous results and finding new changes in the developing immune system, the results also throw light onto the effect of the drug on the insulin-producing cells themselves.
