A Type 1 Diabetes Genetic Risk Score Predicts Progression of Islet Autoimmunity and Development of Type 1 Diabetes in Individuals at Risk

OBJECTIVEWe tested the ability of a type 1 diabetes (T1D) genetic risk score (GRS) to predict progression of islet autoimmunity and T1D in at-risk individuals.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSWe studied the 1,244 TrialNet Pathway to Prevention study participants (T1D patients' relatives without diabetes and with one or more positive autoantibodies) who were genotyped with Illumina ImmunoChip (median [range] age at initial autoantibody determination 11.1 years [1.2-51.8], 48% male, 80.5% non-Hispanic white, median follow-up 5.4 years). Of 291 participants with a single positive autoantibody at screening, 157 converted to multiple autoantibody positivity and 55 developed diabetes. Of 953 participants with multiple positive autoantibodies at screening, 419 developed diabetes. We calculated the T1D GRS from 30 T1D-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms. We used multivariable Cox regression models, time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curves, and area under the curve (AUC) measures to evaluate prognostic utility of T1D GRS, age, sex, Diabetes Prevention Trial-Type 1 (DPT-1) Risk Score, positive autoantibody number or type, HLA DR3/DR4-DQ8 status, and race/ethnicity. We used recursive partitioning analyses to identify cut points in continuous variables.RESULTSHigher T1D GRS significantly increased the rate of progression to T1D adjusting for DPT-1 Risk Score, age, number of positive autoantibodies, sex, and ethnicity (hazard ratio [HR] 1.29 for a 0.05 increase, 95% CI 1.06-1.6; P = 0.011). Progression to T1D was best predicted by a combined model with GRS, number of positive autoantibodies, DPT-1 Risk Score, and age (7-year time-integrated AUC = 0.79, 5-year AUC = 0.73). Higher GRS was significantly associated with increased progression rate from single to multiple positive autoantibodies after adjusting for age, autoantibody type, ethnicity, and sex (HR 2.27 for GRS >0.295, 95% CI 1.47-3.51; P = 0.0002).CONCLUSIONSThe T1D GRS independently predicts progression to T1D and improves prediction along T1D stages in autoantibody-positive relatives.Peer reviewe

Use of Dried Capillary Blood Sampling for Islet Autoantibody Screening in Relatives:A Feasibility Study

Background: Islet autoantibody testing provides the basis for assessment of risk of progression to type 1 diabetes. We set out to determine the feasibility and acceptability of dried capillary blood spot–based screening to identify islet autoantibody–positive relatives potentially eligible for inclusion in prevention trials. Materials and Methods: Dried blood spot (DBS) and venous samples were collected from 229 relatives participating in the TrialNet Pathway to Prevention Study. Both samples were tested for glutamic acid decarboxylase, islet antigen 2, and zinc transporter 8 autoantibodies, and venous samples were additionally tested for insulin autoantibodies and islet cell antibodies. We defined multiple autoantibody positive as two or more autoantibodies in venous serum and DBS screen positive if one or more autoantibodies were detected. Participant questionnaires compared the sample collection methods. Results: Of 44 relatives who were multiple autoantibody positive in venous samples, 42 (95.5%) were DBS screen positive, and DBS accurately detected 145 of 147 autoantibody-negative relatives (98.6%). Capillary blood sampling was perceived as more painful than venous blood draw, but 60% of participants would prefer initial screening using home fingerstick with clinic visits only required if autoantibodies were found. Conclusions: Capillary blood sampling could facilitate screening for type 1 diabetes prevention studies.</p

β Cell dysfunction exists more than 5 years before type 1 diabetes diagnosis

BACKGROUND: The duration and patterns of β cell dysfunction during type 1 diabetes (T1D) development have not been fully defined. METHODS: Metabolic measures derived from oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) were compared between autoantibody-positive (aAb+) individuals followed in the TrialNet Pathway to Prevention study who developed diabetes after 5 or more years or less than 5 years of longitudinal follow-up (Progressors≥5, n = 75; Progressors<5, n = 474) and 144 aAb-negative (aAb-) relatives. RESULTS: Mean age at study entry was 15.0 ± 12.6 years for Progressors≥5; 12.0 ± 9.1 for Progressors<5; and 16.3 ± 10.4 for aAb- relatives. At baseline, Progressors≥5 already exhibited significantly lower fasting C-peptide (P < 0.01), C-peptide AUC (P < 0.001), and early C-peptide responses (30- to 0-minute C-peptide; P < 0.001) compared with aAb- relatives, while 2-hour glucose (P = 0.03), glucose AUC (<0.001), and Index60 (<0.001) were all higher. Despite significant baseline impairment, metabolic measures in Progressors≥5 were relatively stable until 2 years prior to T1D diagnosis, when there was accelerated C-peptide decline and rising glycemia from 2 years until diabetes diagnosis. Remarkably, patterns of progression within 3 years of diagnosis were nearly identical between Progressors≥5 and Progressors<5. CONCLUSION: These data provide insight into the chronicity of β cell dysfunction in T1D and indicate that β cell dysfunction may precede diabetes diagnosis by more than 5 years in a subset of aAb+ individuals. Even among individuals with varying lengths of aAb positivity, our findings indicate that patterns of metabolic decline are uniform within the last 3 years of progression to T1D. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00097292. FUNDING: The Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet Study Group is a clinical trials network currently funded by the NIH through the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

Clinical Study Evidence of Stage-and Age-Related Heterogeneity of Non-HLA SNPs and Risk of Islet Autoimmunity and Type 1 Diabetes: The Diabetes Autoimmunity Study in the Young

Previously, we examined 20 non-HLA SNPs for association with islet autoimmunity (IA) and/or progression to type 1 diabetes (T1D). Our objective was to investigate fourteen additional non-HLA T1D candidate SNPs for stage-and age-related heterogeneity in the etiology of T1D. Of 1634 non-Hispanic white DAISY children genotyped, 132 developed IA (positive for GAD, insulin, or IA-2 autoantibodies at two or more consecutive visits); 50 IA positive children progressed to T1D. Cox regression was used to analyze risk of IA and progression to T1D in IA positive children. Restricted cubic splines were used to model SNPs when there was evidence that risk was not constant with age. C1QTNF6 (rs229541) predicted increased IA risk (HR: 1.57, CI: 1.20-2.05) but not progression to T1D (HR: 1.13, CI: 0.75-1.71). SNP (rs10517086) appears to exhibit an age-related effect on risk of IA, with increased risk before age 2 years (age 2 HR: 1.67, CI: 1.08-2.56) but not older ages (age 4 HR: 0.84, CI: 0.43-1.62). C1QTNF6 (rs229541), SNP (rs10517086), and UBASH3A (rs3788013) were associated with development of T1D. This prospective investigation of non-HLA T1D candidate loci shows that some SNPs may exhibit stage-and age-related heterogeneity in the etiology of T1D

Proinsulin:C-peptide ratio trajectories over time in relatives at increased risk of progression to type 1 diabetes

Objective: Biomarkers are needed to characterize heterogeneity within populations at risk for type 1 diabetes. The ratio of proinsulin to C-peptide (PI:C ratio), has been proposed as a biomarker of beta cell dysfunction and is associated with progression to type 1 diabetes. However, relationships between PI:C ratios and autoantibody type and number have not been examined. We sought to characterize PI:C ratios in multiple islet autoantibody positive, single autoantibody positive and autoantibody negative relatives of individuals with type 1 diabetes. Methods: We measured PI:C ratios and autoantibodies with both electrochemiluminescence (ECL) assays (ECL-IAA, ECL-GADA and ECL-IA2A) and radiobinding (RBA) assays (mIAA, GADA, IA2A and ZnT8A) in 98 relatives of individuals with type 1 diabetes followed in the TrialNet Pathway to Prevention Study at the Barbara Davis Center for a mean of 7.4 ​± ​4.1 years. Of these subjects, eight progressed to T1D, 31 were multiple autoantibody (Ab) positive, 37 were single Ab positive and 22 were Ab negative (by RBA). Results: In cross-sectional analyses, there were no significant differences in PI:C ratios between type 1 diabetes and/or multiple Ab positive subjects (4.16 ​± ​4.06) compared to single Ab positive subjects (4.08 ​± ​4.34) and negative Ab subjects (3.72 ​± ​3.78) (p ​= ​0.92) overall or after adjusting for age, sex and BMI. Higher PI:C ratios were associated with mIAA titers (p ​= ​0.03) and showed an association with ECL-IA2A titers (p ​= ​0.09), but not with ECL-IAA, GADA, ECL-GADA, IA2A nor ZnT8A titers. In mixed-effects longitudinal models, the trajectories of PI:C ratio over time were significantly different between the Ab negative and multiple Ab positive/type 1 diabetes groups, after adjusting for sex, age, and BMI (p ​= ​0.04). Conclusions: PI:C ratio trajectories increase over time in subjects who have multiple Ab or develop type 1 diabetes and may be a helpful biomarker to further characterize and stratify risk of progression to type 1 diabetes over time

HLA-DRB1*15:01-DQA1*01:02-DQB1*06:02 Haplotype Protects Autoantibody-Positive Relatives From Type 1 Diabetes Throughout the Stages of Disease Progression

The HLA-DRB1*15:01-DQA1*01:02-DQB1*06:02 haplotype is linked to protection from the development of type 1 diabetes (T1D). However, it is not known at which stages in the natural history of T1D development this haplotype affords protection. We examined a cohort of 3,358 autoantibody-positive relatives of T1D patients in the Pathway to Prevention (PTP) Study of the Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet. The PTP study examines risk factors for T1D and disease progression in relatives. HLA typing revealed that 155 relatives carried this protective haplotype. A comparison with 60 autoantibody-negative relatives suggested protection from autoantibody development. Moreover, the relatives with DRB1*15:01-DQA1*01:02-DQB1*06:02 less frequently expressed autoantibodies associated with higher T1D risk, were less likely to have multiple autoantibodies at baseline, and rarely converted from single to multiple autoantibody positivity on follow-up. These relatives also had lower frequencies of metabolic abnormalities at baseline and exhibited no overall metabolic worsening on follow-up. Ultimately, they had a very low 5-year cumulative incidence of T1D. In conclusion, the protective influence of DRB1*15:01-DQA1*01:02-DQB1*06:02 spans from autoantibody development through all stages of progression, and relatives with this allele only rarely develop T1D

Screening for Type 1 Diabetes in the General Population:A Status Report and Perspective

Most screening programs to identify individuals at risk for type 1 diabetes have targeted relatives of people living with the disease to improve yield and feasibility. However, ∼90% of those who develop type 1 diabetes do not have a family history. Recent successes in disease-modifying therapies to impact the course of early-stage disease have ignited the consideration of the need for and feasibility of population screening to identify those at increased risk. Existing population screening programs rely on genetic or autoantibody screening, and these have yielded significant information about disease progression and approaches for timing for screening in clinical practice. At the March 2021 Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet Steering Committee meeting, a session was held in which ongoing efforts for screening in the general population were discussed. This report reviews the background of these efforts and the details of those programs. Additionally, we present hurdles that need to be addressed for successful implementation of population screening and provide initial recommendations for individuals with positive screens so that standardized guidelines for monitoring and follow-up can be established

Factors Associated with Decline of C-peptide in a Cohort of Young Children Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes

Context: Understanding factors involved in the rate of C-peptide decline is needed to tailor therapies for type 1 diabetes (T1D).Objective: Evaluate factors associated with rate of C-peptide decline after T1D diagnosis in young children.Design: Observational study.Setting: Academic centers.Participants: 57 participants in The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) enrolled at 3 months of age and followed until T1D and 56 age-matched children diagnosed with T1D in the community.Intervention: A mixed meal tolerance test was used to measure the area under the curve (AUC) C-peptide at 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24 months post-diagnosis.Outcome: Factors associated with rate of C-peptide decline during the first 2 years post-diagnosis were evaluated using mixed effects models adjusting for age at diagnosis and baseline C-peptide.Results: Adjusted slopes of AUC C-peptide decline did not differ between TEDDY subjects and community controls (p=0.21), although the former had higher C-peptide baseline levels. In univariate analyses combining both groups (n=113), younger age, higher weight and BMI z-scores, female sex, increased number of islet autoantibodies, and IA-2A or ZnT8A positivity at baseline were associated with higher rate of C-peptide loss. Younger age, female sex and higher weight z-score remained significant in multivariate analysis (all pConclusion: Younger age at diagnosis, female sex, higher weight z-score, and HbA1c were associated with higher rate of C-peptide decline after T1D diagnosis in young children.</p