Single-cell tests to find early signs and causes of type 1 diabetes
Early diagnosis and mechanistic studies of type 1 diabetes using single cell analysis
This project develops blood-based single-cell tests to spot early immune changes that signal developing type 1 diabetes in people at risk.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Scripps Research Institute, the NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (La Jolla, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11137067 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will analyze individual immune cells in blood to look for the specific CD4 T cells that target insulin-producing beta cells. They use HLA-DQ8 insulin-peptide tetramers to isolate those rare antigen-specific T cells and perform single-cell molecular analysis to define their activity. The team aims to identify real-time biomarkers of islet autoimmunity that appear before blood sugar changes. Work focuses on people with genetic risk (such as HLA-DQ8), positive autoantibodies, or family history of type 1 diabetes.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with a family history of type 1 diabetes, positive anti-islet autoantibodies, or high-risk HLA types (for example HLA-DQ8).
Not a fit: People with long-established, insulin-dependent diabetes or those with non-autoimmune (type 2) diabetes are unlikely to benefit from the early-detection focus of this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could enable earlier detection of autoimmune activity and guide preventive treatments to delay or prevent onset of type 1 diabetes.
How similar studies have performed: Related tetramer and single-cell methods have successfully identified autoimmune T cells in high-risk individuals, but using them as routine clinical biomarkers is still relatively new.
Where this research is happening
La Jolla, United States
- Scripps Research Institute, the — La Jolla, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Teyton, Luc — Scripps Research Institute, the
- Study coordinator: Teyton, Luc
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.