Research Updates Series in Molecular Medicine No. 24/2025

UMBI Research Update Series in Molecular Medicine on 12 September 2025 featured two UMBI Research Fellows presenting on the topic of Diabetes.

Dr. Siti Aishah Sulaiman delivered a presentation on the latest updates in Diabetes, with emphasis on the classification of types and sub-types. There are subtypes within Type 2 diabetes (T2D), and the new classification of Malnutrition-related diabetes mellitus (MRDM) as Type 5 diabetes (T5D).  T5D was officially recognised by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) in April 2025. She also discussed ethnic-related differences across the five identified subtypes: Severe Auto Immune Diabetes (SAID), Severe Insulin-Deficient Diabetes (SIDD), Severe Insulin-Resistant Diabetes (SIRD), Mild Obesity-related Diabetes (MOD), and Mild Age-Related Diabetes (MARD), with Asians are more SIDD compared to Caucasians.

Dr. Noraidatulakma Abdullah presented initial findings from the PRIME Study on the diverse phenotypic faces of Type 2 Diabetes in Malaysia. The study identified three clusters—Low Risk, Moderate to Higher Risk, and High Risk at baseline—which can help predict patients at higher risk of developing complications upon diagnosis. These presentations underscored the importance of precision medicine approaches in understanding Diabetes and improving patient care in Malaysia and beyond.

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SDG 3 | SDG 4

Keywords: Diseases, Education