Early changes in the pancreas and digestion before Type 1 diabetes
Natural History and Mechanisms of Exocrine Pancreatic Dysfunction in Pre-Type 1 Diabetes
Looking for signs of pancreas tissue loss and digestion-related markers in people at risk for Type 1 diabetes, especially first-degree relatives and those with islet autoantibodies.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Florida NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Gainesville, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11238419 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you take part, researchers will look for loss of the pancreas’s exocrine tissue and drops in digestive enzyme markers before Type 1 diabetes starts. They will measure fecal elastase in stored TEDDY samples and add blood and stool exocrine markers to an ongoing TrialNet effort that uses MRI to track pancreas volume. Participants include first-degree relatives who are antibody-negative, single-autoantibody positive, or multiple-autoantibody positive so the team can compare timing of changes across risk groups. The approach combines existing banked samples and prospective imaging to find signals that appear before clinical disease.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are first-degree relatives of people with Type 1 diabetes, particularly those enrolled in TEDDY or TrialNet or who have one or more islet autoantibodies.
Not a fit: People without a family history of Type 1 diabetes, without islet autoantibodies, and those already living with established Type 1 diabetes are unlikely to benefit directly from this grant's findings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal early pancreas or digestion markers that identify people at higher risk for Type 1 diabetes so monitoring or prevention steps could begin earlier.
How similar studies have performed: Prior work has found smaller pancreas size and reduced exocrine markers at T1D diagnosis, but using fecal elastase and serum/stool markers to predict disease before autoantibodies is largely untested.
Where this research is happening
Gainesville, United States
- University of Florida — Gainesville, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bruggeman, Brittany — University of Florida
- Study coordinator: Bruggeman, Brittany
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.