Turning Data into Hope: The Impact of Dr. Jay Sosenko on Diabetes Research
The Miller School of Medicine’s Dr. Sosenko has been instrumental in revealing the natural history of type 1 diabetes.
Understanding type 1 diabetes (T1D) requires studying the disease before it is diagnosed, investigating earlier, deeper and across populations.
This comprehensive perspective has allowed Jay Sosenko, M.D., professor in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and a researcher at the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI), to shape how the scientific community understands the early detection and progression of type 1 diabetes.
Dr. Sosenko’s impact was recently acknowledged in an American Diabetes Association Diabetes Spotlight article. This international recognition reflects Dr. Sosenko’s contributions to diabetes research and the collaborative environment at the DRI, where data, science and people come together to advance prevention-focused research and bring us closer to a future without type 1 diabetes.
Breakthroughs in Pre-Symptomatic Diabetes
As an epidemiologist, Dr. Sosenko has been instrumental in revealing the natural history of type 1 diabetes. His research has shed light on the changes that occur during the silent, pre-symptomatic development of type 1 diabetes. By identifying early risk markers and patterns of metabolic progression long before symptoms appear, his work has advanced the fields of prevention and early diagnosis, shifting the focus from reaction to anticipation and from treatment to prevention.
Dr. Sosenko has developed an innovative risk score dashboard that has improved the prediction of type 1 diabetes by evaluating combinations of risk factors, including age, body-mass index and results from an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT), including glucose and C-peptide levels. This tool, known as Diabetes Prevention Trial–Type 1 Risk Score, identifies people at the highest risk for diabetes, enabling earlier monitoring and potential preventive interventions.
By understanding who is at risk and how the disease unfolds, we can move from waiting for symptoms to preventing them.
Dr. Jay Sosenko
Dr. Sosenko has also developed markers that have contributed to a better description and understanding of the progression to type 1 diabetes, introducing a vector-based methodology for mapping and quantifying joint changes in glucose and C-peptide. His work has fostered potential improvements for an earlier detection of the efficacy of experimental treatments designed to delay the development of clinical disease.
Dr. Sosenko has been at the forefront of efforts to integrate biomarkers, population studies and clinical trials, translating large-scale epidemiological data into actionable insights for those at risk for type 1 diabetes.
“By understanding who is at risk and how the disease unfolds, we can move from waiting for symptoms to preventing them,” Dr. Sosenko said.
Diabetes Data Analysis for TriaNet
Dr. Sosenko has led data analysis efforts for TrialNet, an international research network that follows individuals at risk for type 1 diabetes and conducts clinical trials aimed at delaying progression of the disease. Through careful and insightful interpretation of large, long-term datasets, Dr. Sosenko has helped turn numbers into knowledge, guided important scientific inquiries and paved the way for future studies.
Dr. Sosenko’s presence at the DRI and the Miller School strengthens scientific discovery and inspires fellow researchers and students. Progress made in type 1 diabetes research is built on this partnership between scientists and the individuals and families who participate in studies, turning data into knowledge and hope and nudging the field closer to earlier diagnosis, prevention and a future without type 1 diabetes.
“We’ve been able to identify novel and unexpected findings,” Dr. Sosenko said in the Diabetes Spotlight, “in part through mentoring and collaborating with eager and capable young investigators who are open to new concepts.”
The Spotlight article highlights his longstanding leadership in type 1 diabetes prevention research and underscores his commitment to mentoring the next generation of investigators, an investment that continues to multiply the impact of this work.
Tags: diabetes, Division of Endocrinology Diabetes and Metabolism, Dr. Jay Sosenko, endocrinology, type 1 diabetes, weight loss