Mapping early pancreatic changes in type 1 diabetes
Official title: Discovery of Pathways and Molecular Mediators of Early T1D Pathogenesis using Spatial Multi-Omics
Funded at Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories · NIH-11135130 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Using advanced tissue-level molecular mapping, scientists aim to find what changes in the pancreas lead to early type 1 diabetes in people at risk or recently diagnosed.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Richland, United States) |
| Project start | May 1, 2026 |
| Project end | April 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $3,112,201 |
| NIH project number | 1U01DK143488-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11135130 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People at increased risk for type 1 diabetes (for example those with autoantibodies) or individuals recently diagnosed with T1D who can provide clinical tissue specimens or consent to tissue donation are the primary candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People with long-standing, established type 1 diabetes are less likely to receive direct benefit because the project focuses on mechanisms of early disease and laboratory discovery.
What this research studies
The team will examine pancreas tissue from people who were at risk for or recently developed type 1 diabetes, using high-resolution spatial multi-omics to identify which cells and molecules change inside tiny clusters called islets. They will compare different islets within the same person to recreate a step-by-step view of how damage may progress (‘pseudo-time’) and then look across donors to find common pathways. Promising molecular mediators will be tested in the lab to see if they drive beta cell dysfunction. The work relies on clinical tissue specimens and detailed molecular imaging rather than testing a drug in patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal molecular targets that enable earlier diagnosis or new treatments to protect insulin-producing beta cells.
How similar studies have gone: Spatial and multi-omics methods have shown promise in revealing tissue-level disease mechanisms in other conditions and some early diabetes work is encouraging, but this precise approach to early human T1D is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories
Richland, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Qian, Wei-Jun — Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories
- Study coordinator: Qian, Wei-Jun
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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.