Disease Interception Accelerator
Disease Interception Accelerator
Identification of women at risk through epidemiological modeling and predictive trans-omics biomarkers to enable monitoring of metabolic health to create intervention opportunities is the focus of the Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) Venture team. These solutions could stop progression to GDM and also mitigate development of type 2 diabetes (T2D) that is frequently seen in mothers and children of pregnancies impacted by GDM.
“We are making a point to look carefully at diseases where we can extend the reach of disease interception. Illness so often has compounding effects and comorbidities. To tackle a condition like GDM is itself a huge opportunity, but also allows us to gather and act on scientific learnings that may lead to impacting the associated risk of T2D.”
Gabriele Ronnett, M.D., Ph.D.
Venture Leader, Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
Disease Interception Accelerator
GDM affects approximately 15 percent of pregnant women worldwide.10 Beyond pregnancy, GDM wages a long-term health toll on both mother and child with more than 50 percent of mothers going on to develop T2D within five to 10 years of delivery. Further, infants of women with GDM show a greater likelihood of becoming overweight or obese and are at higher risk for developing T2D themselves later in life.10 Emerging data suggest other serious sequelae for these children. In the United States in 2007, GDM incurred approximately $636 million in medical costs, $596 million in total maternal costs and $40 million in neonatal costs.11
11 Chen, Y., Quick, WW. Cost of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in the United States in 2007. Popul Health Manag. 2009 Jun;12(3):165-74. doi: 10.1089/pop.2009.12303.