Li-Gao R, Carlotti F, de Mutsert R, et al. - Using a discovery and replication design embedded in the Netherlands Epidemiology of Obesity (NEO) study, researchers identified novel genetic variants correlated with the early phase insulin response, defined as the difference between the natural logarithm transformed insulin concentrations of the postprandial state at 30 minutes after a meal challenge and the fasting state (Δinsulin), to a liquid mixed meal through a genome-wide association study. According to results, knocking down the ABO gene resulted in reduced insulin secretion in the murine pancreatic β-cell line. Findings suggested that the previously identified elevated risk of T2D for carriers of the ABO rs505922:C allele may be caused by reduced early phase insulin secretion.