Gene Expression Profiling in Type 1 Diabetes

The hypothesis is that viral responsive genes are up-regulated prior to the onset of symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes (T1DM) and may correlate with increased expression of interferon alpha.

Both genetic and environmental factors contribute to risk of development of T1DM. There are a number of conflicting reports associating viral infections and T1DM in genetically susceptible individuals and causality has not been proven. Viruses may not have a large role in the initiation of islet cell autoimmunity but more of a role in acceleration of the disease leading to overt symptoms. There are no studies describing viral responsive gene expression in these individuals.

Inclusion criteria

• Male and female subjects 7-14 years of age
• New onset T1DM
• Five years post onset of T1DM
• Participant in the TrialNet initiative and either antibody positive or antibody negative sibling control
• Body weight sufficient to tolerate an additional 15ml (1 tbsp) blood loss

Exclusion criteria

• Subjects who do not meet the criteria above
• Subjects who have received steroids or other immunosuppressive therapy within the 6 months prior to enrollment into the study