Although this model may not be as clinically relevant as one that mimics the more prevalent type 2 diabetes, utilising the Akita mouse model avoids the additional confounding factors of obesity and impaired leptin signalling evident in the most widely accepted mouse model of type 2 diabetes that manifests detectable cardiac dysfunction, the spontaneously diabetic db/db mouse. The gene discussed is LEP; the disease is obesity due to melanocortin 4 receptor deficiency.