Immune cells that target insulin-producing islet cells in type 1 diabetes
Islet-specific CD8 T cells in the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes
This project looks for the specific CD8 immune cells and the targets they recognize in people with or at risk for type 1 diabetes to guide better treatments.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Colorado Denver NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Aurora, UNITED STATES) |
| Project ID | NIH-11132354 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will analyze immune cells taken from human pancreatic islets, pancreatic lymph nodes, and blood across different stages of type 1 diabetes. They will use high-throughput screening to find the exact protein pieces (epitopes) these CD8 T cells recognize, including unusual neoepitopes such as hybrid insulin peptides and splice variants. Single-cell RNA sequencing will define the molecular states of these islet-reactive T cells and compare them to virus-specific T cells. Advanced computational methods will integrate these data to identify patterns linked to disease progression.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates include people with type 1 diabetes, people who are autoantibody-positive (at higher risk for developing T1D), organ donors with T1D, and healthy volunteers who provide comparative blood samples.
Not a fit: People without type 1 diabetes or related autoantibodies and those seeking immediate treatment changes are unlikely to receive direct clinical benefit from this basic and translational research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal precise immune targets and cell signatures that lead to new ways to prevent, monitor, or stop immune attack on insulin-producing cells.
How similar studies have performed: Prior studies have identified some T cell targets and used single-cell methods in T1D, but combining large-scale epitope discovery with single-cell molecular profiling in human samples is largely new.
Where this research is happening
Aurora, UNITED STATES
- University of Colorado Denver — Aurora, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Nakayama, Maki — University of Colorado Denver
- Study coordinator: Nakayama, Maki
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.