Correlation between (changes in) functional beta cell mass and islet autoantibodies in (pre)type 1 diabetes with or without immune intervention (FWOTM612)

In preparation of innovative beta cell therapy trials the present application aspires to study these relationships longitudinally in recent-onset T1D patients with or without anti-CD3 treatment and in first-degree relatives stratified according to autoantibody-inferred risk. In relatives and patients I will investigate whether (changes in) autoantibody levels, number or specificity coincide with (changes in) beta cell function measured by hyperglycaemic clamp (gold standard) with special attention to zinc transporter 8 autoantibodies - directed against a novel prominent beta cell-specific auto-antigen - and to the effects of anti-CD3 in patients.

Keywords:Cell Therapy, Prevention, Transplantation, Diagnostic Tests, Immunology, Cell Death and Survival, Islet Cell Pathology, Islet Cell Biology, Beta Cell Transplantation, Diabetes

Disciplines:Basic sciences, Biological sciences