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REVIEW article
Front. Mol. Biosci.
Sec. Genome Organization and Dynamics
Volume 12 - 2025 |
doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2025.1502640
This article is part of the Research Topic Advancements in Biomarker Genetics: Insights from the Genomics Era View all articles
Type-2 Diabetes epigenetic biomarkers: present status and future directions for global and Indigenous health
Provisionally accepted- Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Type-2 diabetes is a systemic condition with rising global prevalence, disproportionately affecting Indigenous communities worldwide. Recent advances in epigenomics methods, particularly in DNA methylation detection, have enabled the discovery of associations between epigenetic changes and Type-2 diabetes. In this review, we summarise DNA methylation profiling methods, and discuss how these technologies can facilitate the discovery of epigenomic biomarkers for Type-2 diabetes. We critically evaluate previous DNA methylation biomarker studies, particularly those using microarray platforms, and advocate for a shift towards sequencing-based approaches to improve genome-wide coverage. Furthermore, we emphasise the need for biomarker studies that include genetically diverse populations, especially Indigenous communities who are significantly impacted by Type-2 diabetes. We discuss research approaches and ethical considerations that can better facilitate Type-2 diabetes biomarker development to ensure that future genomics-based precision medicine efforts deliver equitable health outcomes. We propose that by addressing these gaps, future research can better capture the genetic and environmental complexities of Type-2 diabetes among populations at disproportionate levels of risk, ultimately leading to more effective diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
Keywords: type-2 diabetes, cardiometabolic disease, DNA Methylation, biomarkers, epigenetic clock, Indigenous health, Indigenous data sovereignty
Received: 27 Sep 2024; Accepted: 03 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Munns, Brown and Buckberry. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Sam Buckberry, Australian National University, Canberra, 2601, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
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