Diabetic kidney risk: Indian researchers have identified hidden biochemical signatures in blood that could help spot kidney complications in people with Type 2 diabetes well before current tests do, raising hopes for earlier, more personalised care.
The findings, published in July 2025 in the Journal of Proteome Research, come as India contends with more than 100 million adults living with diabetes and high rates of chronic kidney disease (CKD).
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The IIT Bombay-led team, working with Osmania Medical College and Clarity Bio Systems, analysed whole-blood samples from 52 volunteers (healthy controls, diabetics, and patients with diabetic kidney disease) collected at Osmania General Hospital between June 2021 and July 2022. Using LC-MS and GC-MS, they profiled nearly 300 metabolites and found 26 that differed significantly between people with diabetes and healthy individuals.
Beyond expected shifts in glucose and lipids, the study flagged lesser-known molecules, such as valerobetaine, ribothymidine, and fructosyl-pyroglutamate, suggesting broader metabolic disruption than standard glucose-centric tests reveal.
Crucially, seven metabolites, including arabitol, myo-inositol, ribothymidine, and 2-pyridone-5-carboxamide (2PY), rose progressively from healthy participants to diabetics to those with diabetic kidney disease. The authors say tracking these molecules could predict kidney involvement earlier than creatinine, eGFR, or albuminuria, enabling timely therapies to slow progression. The analysis also uncovered two metabolic āsubgroupsā among diabetics, one closer to healthy profiles and another showing stronger stress, inflammatory, and energy-metabolism changes, pointing to opportunities for tailored treatment.
Unlike many prior studies that used plasma or serum, this work examined whole blood, capturing metabolites from red cells as well; the authors suggest this may explain why some markers prominent in Western cohorts (e.g., branched-chain amino acids) were less pronounced here. They are now exploring a finger-prick, dried-blood-spot test to translate the markers into affordable screening tools, while expanding the study to larger, more diverse cohorts.
