Based on seminal past research, including the TODAY Studies, SEARCH Study, and RISE Study, it became clear that the next step in Type 2 Diabetes research in youth needed to focus on understanding the early course of prediabetes and the risk factors for development of Type Diabetes in young people in order to design and test future prevention approaches and treatment efforts.

Higher prevalence of obesity in children has resulted in an increase in cases of prediabetes. Individuals with prediabetes are at higher risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes. Risk for development of Type 2 Diabetes is also influenced by puberty, which is characterized by significant hormonal  and metabolic changes. However, not every child has the same risk nor develops Type 2 Diabetes when they are at risk. The DISCOVERY Study will learn how to identify youth with the highest risk for Type 2 Diabetes by observing youth over a 2-4 year period who are at risk for developing Type 2 Diabetes. Some will be diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes as it naturally occurs during the study. By comparing youth who are at risk but don't get Type 2 Diabetes with other youth at risk and are diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, we can learn a great deal how the development of Type 2 Diabetes actually happens and who are most likely to develop it.

Dr. Jeanie Tryggestad is the leading the OU Health Sciences Center site for the DISCOVERY Study, one of 15 clinical diabetes centers across the United States in a study funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). She and her team will recruit 240 obese youth at high risk for Type 2 Diabetes and who are in earlier stages of puberty. We will recruit participants from a variety of minority groups we already know are at higher risk (e.g., Native, Hispanic, and African Americans), rural and urban settings, and all overthe state of Oklahoma. Study participants will receive high quality monitoring for risk for Type 2 Diabetes with at least two in-person visits per year for up to four years. If study participants develop Type 2 Diabetes during the study, we will immediately connect them with a provider to manage their diabetes while they remain in the study until its conclusion. Study participants will also receive informational packets on health lifestyles, consistent with guidelines set by the American Academy of Pediatrics, and on symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes to help them identify early signs of Type 2 Diabetes that families, their providers, and the study need to know.

If you have questions or think you might want to participate, please send an email to our study team at discoverystudy@ou.edu or call 405-271-7554.