The UK’s National Institute for Health & Care Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Centre is set to initiate a study into a new at-home test for diagnosing type 1 diabetes (T1D) in children.
Developed by UK-based company Digostics, GTT@home is an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) that uses blood samples to measure how well the body processes glucose.
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Test users first take a finger-prick blood sample before consuming a preformulated glucose drink provided in the test kit. A second sample is taken two hours later, which analyses both samples to provide swift test results.
While the NIHR study will be the first to assess GTT@home in children, the test has already been shown to be as accurate as hospital-based OGTTs when used with adults. Since piloting the test in April 2023 before officially introducing it in February 2024, the University Hospital Southampton National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust has used GTT@home to screen more than 2,500 women for gestational diabetes in pregnancy.
Rabbi Swaby, study lead and a clinical research fellow in the Nuffield Department of Medicine at Oxford University, commented: “Early diagnosis of T1D relies on OGTTs, but we know these tests are not well tolerated, especially by very young children.
“At-home testing could be a major breakthrough for reducing the burden of testing. We look forward to seeing the results of our study to help us understand how GTT@home might be used in routine care.”
T1D is the most common diabetes type among children. However, many are not diagnosed with the ailment until they are in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a life-threatening condition that requires urgent medical attention.
Digostics CEO and founder James Jackson commented: “We believe that there is huge potential for the widespread use of at-home OGTT testing to diagnose T1D.
“Not only is it more attractive for young children to be able to be tested at home, but the results from our GTT@home test are not affected by the time-dependent sample degradation that can lead to false negative OGTT results with in-clinic testing.”
