Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) culminates in the autoimmune destruction of the pancreatic β-cells, leading to insufficient production of insulin and development of hyperglycemia. Diagnosis of diabetes can help researchers efficiently analyze the causes of diabetes and advance the development of therapies. Ace Therapeutics can provide t1dm diagnostic markers development with more efficient function analysis.

Overview of T1DM Diagnosis

T1DM is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by insulin deficiency as a consequence of autoimmune-mediated destruction of insulin producing pancreatic β-celIs. At the time of diagnosis, 80% to 90% of β-cells mass has been lost. Biomarkers including a combination of glucose, glycated molecules, C-peptide, and autoantibodies have been well established for the diagnosis of T1DM.

Pancreatic Changes and Immune Abnormalities in T1DM (Alvin, C. P. The Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2021)

T1DM Diagnostic Markers

Although T1DM has been investigated for over a century, the etiology of the disease is still not fully understood. Until now, the biomarkers implemented in clinical practice such as glucose, HbAlc, C-peptide, and autoantibodies (AAb) were mainly diagnostic markers.

• Glucose-related Biomarkers
  The blood-based glucose-related testing includes hemoglobin Ale (HbAlc) (a product of non-enzymatic glycation), the fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).
• Autoantibody-based Biomarkers
  There are five commonly tested AAb markers used in the diagnosis of T1DM which include ICA (islet-cell cytoplasmic AAb), GADA (glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) AAb), IA-2A (insulinoma 2 (IA-2)- associated AAb), IAA (insulin AAb), ZNT8A (zinc transporter 8 AAb).
• C-peptide
  Stimulated serum C-peptide level (as a surrogate for insulin) has been considered a consistent and sensitive measure of β-cell function and can be used to help differentiate autoimmune-diabetes from other diabetes subtypes.
• Potential Novel Biomarkers
  Identifying novel biomarker candidates potentially useful for indicating the level of β-cell destruction, dysfunction, and mass as well as the ongoing immunological response in serum. There are some novel biomarkers including proteins, nucleic acids, and metabolites, et al., that can be detected by metabolomic techniques.

The Many Types of Potential Biomarkers (Yi, L.; et al. Translational Research. 2018)