Scientists in Richland, Washington have made critical strides in determining who is likely to get type 1 diabetes. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), about 1.6 million American adults (20 years old or older) have type 1 diabetes while about 250,000 children (younger than 20 years old) were diagnosed. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas makes little to no insulin, which is a hormone that allows sugars to enter cells for energy. Different factors result in type 1 diabetes including genetics and a couple viruses. It was commonly referred to as juvenile diabetes because the disease usually appears during childhood. Unfortunately, there is no cure for type 1 diabetes despite the amount of research conducted. Treatment to minimize the effects through insulin diets and lifestyle is currently part of the standard of care.
While there may not be a cure for type 1 diabetes, scientists may have found proteins which predict who will end up with the disease. A group of researchers lead by Dr. Thomas O. Metz at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) reported a group of altered proteins which predict islet autoimmunity, a precursor to type 1 diabetes. However, in Cell Reports Medicine, scientists caution that this not a definitive finding and is the beginning to concretely predict who will develop type 1 diabetes.
The research is the summation of a nine-year study by PNNL known as TEDDY (The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young), which analyzed proteins from more than 8,000 blood samples in 1,000 children thought to be genetically predisposed to type 1 diabetes. The blood samples were collected from children up to six-years old. Researchers used machine learning to identify and breakdown the proteins suspected of predicting type 1 diabetes. Within these samples, Metz and colleagues identified 83 altered proteins which predicted type 1 diabetes or islet autoimmunity. Further investigation revealed that the 83 proteins were involved in immune system activation, blood clotting, inflammatory response, and metabolism. The function of these proteins is expected since each of these processes are involved in immune function. The discovery of these proteins being altered would indicate that the protein function would significantly change. Therefore, the immune system would be altered and possibly lead to autoimmunity or type 1 diabetes.
Currently, it is unknown what triggers islet autoimmunity or type 1 diabetes. However, the discovery of these 83 proteins indicates possible early detection of autoimmunity. Early detection results in early action to prevent or control symptoms from occurring, which would improve the lives of patients. This discovery will also help further advance our understanding of how and why the body attacks itself through autoimmune disorders.
The discovery of a possible predictive biomarker of autoimmunity would help physicians begin medical care and treatment with their patients. Metz and colleagues have begun an exciting journey to further understand the mechanism of type 1 diabetes. Their research has major implications on the health and treatment of pediatric patients who are predisposed to type 1 diabetes by detecting the disease sooner and taking action before the disease develops.
Reported, CDC, Cell Reports Medicine, Thomas O. Metz, PNNL, TEDDY