The present invention is generally directed to methods for measuring
Insulin Resistance (IR) and for modulation of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) onset treatment. In particular, diagnosis of IR is based on detection of different forms of disulfide bonds pairs that may form in
insulin, affecting the normal
insulin structure. Abnormal
insulin is defined as any insulin that contains at least one of the forms of “abnormal”
disulfide bond pairs. The methods herein measure
human insulin isomers' concentration in a sample by utilizing HPLC or a
monoclonal / polyclonal
antibody to
human insulin that contains “normal” or one or more “abnormal” disulfide bonds combinations. Some aspects of the invention also provide kits adapted for use in such methods. The
human insulin isomers' concentration results are fed into a
system to regulate the level of exogenous insulin needed to augment the level of normal insulin detected by the methods for a specific patient, or effectively regulate the amount of
metformin, sulfonylureas, thiazolidinediones (PPARy agonists; glitazones), GLP-1s, SGLT-2 inhibitors and DPP-4 inhibitors or other IR treatment to be administered to the patient. The
system and methods comprise a
feedback loop to maintain a therapeutic level of insulin,
metformin or other IR treatment and decrease the risk of
hypoglycemia and other complications. The current invention has the
advantage of being a self-referencing IR assessment by utilizing the measurements of “normal” insulin compared to “abnormal” insulin and not relying only on glucose measurements,
Body Mass Index or other references included in current IR measurement methods. This leads to a much more responsive and faster treatment for IR compared to current approaches, which employ methods such as,
Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT), which takes hours to perform.