Research

Penn State Children’s Hospital stays on the leading edge of treatment for diabetes and hormone disorders in children by taking part in research and clinical trials.

Type 1 Diabetes Research

The TrialNet study is a natural history study of the development of Type 1 diabetes. The overall goal of this study is to perform baseline and repeat assessments over time of the metabolic and immunologic status of individuals at risk for Type 1 diabetes (T1D) to:

• Characterize their risk for developing T1D and identify subjects eligible for prevention trials.
• Describe the pathogenic evolution of T1D.
• Increase the understanding of the pathogenic factors involved in the development of T1D.

The study subjects include:

• First-degree relatives (parent, child, brother, sister) of T1D probands (the first individual in a family with Type 1 diabetes), ages 1 – 45 years.
• Second and third degree relatives (nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, grandchildren, cousins, half-siblings) of T1D probands, ages 1 – 20 years.

Status: Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved.

For more information, please call Dr. Ying Chang at 717-531-4751.

Type 2 Diabetes Clinical Trial

This trial studies the effectiveness and safety of several diabetes medications in children age 10 to 16 years with Type 2 diabetes, specifically:

• Liraglutide in combination with metformin versus Metformin monotherapy on glycaemic control 

This is a 26-week double-blind, randomized, parallel group, placebo controlled multi-centre trial followed by a 26-week open-label extension.

During the trial, children with Type 2 diabetes are randomly assigned into metformin therapy or metformin plus liraglutide. Liraglutide is a medicine belonging to glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which is a potent glucose lowering agent used for Type 2 diabetes treatment. Liraglutide is given via subcutaneous injection, once a day.

Status: Actively enrolling

For more information, please call Dr. Ying Chang at 717-531-4751.