Consensus guidance for monitoring individuals with islet autoantibody-positive pre-stage 3 type 1 diabetes.

Given the proven benefits of screening to reduce diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) likelihood at the time of stage 3 type 1 diabetes diagnosis, and emerging availability of therapy to delay disease progression, type 1 diabetes screening programmes are being increasingly emphasised. Once broadly implemented, screening initiatives will identify significant numbers of islet autoantibody-positive (IAb+) children and adults who are at risk of (confirmed single IAb+) or living with (multiple IAb+) early-stage (stage 1 and stage 2) type 1 diabetes. These individuals will need monitoring for disease progression; much of this care will happen in non-specialised settings. To inform this monitoring, JDRF in conjunction with international experts and societies developed consensus guidance. Broad advice from this guidance includes the following: (1) partnerships should be fostered between endocrinologists and primary-care providers to care for people who are IAb+; (2) when people who are IAb+ are initially identified there is a need for confirmation using a second sample; (3) single IAb+ individuals are at lower risk of progression than multiple IAb+ individuals; (4) individuals with early-stage type 1 diabetes should have periodic medical monitoring, including regular assessments of glucose levels, regular education about symptoms of diabetes and DKA, and psychosocial support; (5) interested people with stage 2 type 1 diabetes should be offered trial participation or approved therapies; and (6) all health professionals involved in monitoring and care of individuals with type 1 diabetes have a responsibility to provide education. The guidance also emphasises significant unmet needs for further research on early-stage type 1 diabetes to increase the rigour of future recommendations and inform clinical care.

Consensus Guidance for Monitoring Individuals With Islet Autoantibody-Positive Pre-Stage 3 Type 1 Diabetes.

Given the proven benefits of screening to reduce diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) likelihood at the time of stage 3 type 1 diabetes diagnosis, and emerging availability of therapy to delay disease progression, type 1 diabetes screening programs are being increasingly emphasized. Once broadly implemented, screening initiatives will identify significant numbers of islet autoantibody-positive (IAb+) children and adults who are at risk for (confirmed single IAb+) or living with (multiple IAb+) early-stage (stage 1 and stage 2) type 1 diabetes. These individuals will need monitoring for disease progression; much of this care will happen in nonspecialized settings. To inform this monitoring, JDRF, in conjunction with international experts and societies, developed consensus guidance. Broad advice from this guidance includes the following: 1) partnerships should be fostered between endocrinologists and primary care providers to care for people who are IAb+; 2) when people who are IAb+ are initially identified, there is a need for confirmation using a second sample; 3) single IAb+ individuals are at lower risk of progression than multiple IAb+ individuals; 4) individuals with early-stage type 1 diabetes should have periodic medical monitoring, including regular assessments of glucose levels, regular education about symptoms of diabetes and DKA, and psychosocial support; 5) interested people with stage 2 type 1 diabetes should be offered trial participation or approved therapies; and 6) all health professionals involved in monitoring and care of individuals with type 1 diabetes have a responsibility to provide education. The guidance also emphasizes significant unmet needs for further research on early-stage type 1 diabetes to increase the rigor of future recommendations and inform clinical care.

Anxiety and Risk Perception in Parents of Children Identified by Population Screening as High Risk for Type 1 Diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: To assess anxiety and risk perception among parents whose children screened positive for islet autoantibodies, indicating elevated risk for type 1 diabetes (T1D). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The Autoimmunity Screening for Kids (ASK) study identified 319 children age 1 to 17 years at risk for T1D via screening for islet autoantibodies; 280 children with confirmed islet autoantibodies and their caregivers enrolled in a follow-up education and monitoring program to prevent diabetic ketoacidosis at diagnosis. Parents completed questionnaires at each monitoring visit, including a 6-item version of the State Anxiety Inventory (SAI), to assess anxiety about their child developing T1D, and a single question to assess risk perception. RESULTS: At the first ASK follow-up monitoring visit, mean parental anxiety was elevated above the clinical cutoff of 40 (SAI 46.1 ± 11.2). At the second follow-up monitoring visit (i.e., visit 2), mean anxiety remained elevated but started to trend down. Approximately half (48.9%) of parents reported their child was at increased risk for T1D at the initial follow-up monitoring visit (visit 1). Parents of children with more than one islet autoantibody and a first-degree relative with T1D were more likely to report their child was at increased risk. CONCLUSIONS: Most parents of autoantibody-positive children have high anxiety about their child developing T1D. Information about the risk of developing T1D is difficult to convey, as evidenced by the wide range of risk perception reported in this sample.

Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies Among Healthy Children From Colorado From 2020 to 2021: A Brief Report.

There are few estimates of the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among children in the United States. We measured vaccine and infection induced seroprevalence among nearly 5000 healthy 1 to 17-year-old children in Colorado from 2020 to 2021. By December 2021, 89% of older children, ages 12 to 18, had antibodies detected. The increase was largely driven from vaccination rather than infection.

Plasma protein biomarkers predict the development of persistent autoantibodies and type 1 diabetes 6 months prior to the onset of autoimmunity.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) results from autoimmune destruction of ß cells. Insufficient availability of biomarkers represents a significant gap in understanding the disease cause and progression. We conduct blinded, two-phase case-control plasma proteomics on the TEDDY study to identify biomarkers predictive of T1D development. Untargeted proteomics of 2,252 samples from 184 individuals identify 376 regulated proteins, showing alteration of complement, inflammatory signaling, and metabolic proteins even prior to autoimmunity onset. Extracellular matrix and antigen presentation proteins are differentially regulated in individuals who progress to T1D vs. those that remain in autoimmunity. Targeted proteomics measurements of 167 proteins in 6,426 samples from 990 individuals validate 83 biomarkers. A machine learning analysis predicts if individuals would remain in autoimmunity or develop T1D 6 months before autoantibody appearance, with areas under receiver operating characteristic curves of 0.871 and 0.918, respectively. Our study identifies and validates biomarkers, highlighting pathways affected during T1D development.

Increased Technology Use Associated With Lower A1C in a Large Pediatric Clinical Population.

OBJECTIVE: While continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), insulin pumps, and hybrid closed-loop (HCL) systems each improve glycemic control in type 1 diabetes, it is unclear how the use of these technologies impacts real-world pediatric care. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We found 1,455 patients aged <22 years, with type 1 diabetes duration >3 months, and who had data from a single center in between both 2016-2017 (n = 2,827) and 2020-2021 (n = 2,731). Patients were grouped by multiple daily injections or insulin pump, with or without an HCL system, and using a blood glucose monitor or CGM. Glycemic control was compared using linear mixed-effects models adjusting for age, diabetes duration, and race/ethnicity. RESULTS: CGM use increased from 32.9 to 75.3%, and HCL use increased from 0.3 to 27.9%. Overall A1C decreased from 8.9 to 8.6% (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Adoption of CGM and HCL was associated with decreased A1C, suggesting promotion of these technologies may yield glycemic benefits.

Genome-wide analysis of oxylipins and oxylipin profiles in a pediatric population.

Background: Oxylipins are inflammatory biomarkers derived from omega-3 and-6 fatty acids implicated in inflammatory diseases but have not been studied in a genome-wide association study (GWAS). The aim of this study was to identify genetic loci associated with oxylipins and oxylipin profiles to identify biologic pathways and therapeutic targets for oxylipins. Methods: We conducted a GWAS of plasma oxylipins in 316 participants in the Diabetes Autoimmunity Study in the Young (DAISY). DNA samples were genotyped using the TEDDY-T1D Exome array, and additional variants were imputed using the Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) multi-ancestry reference panel. Principal components analysis of 36 plasma oxylipins was used to capture oxylipin profiles. PC1 represented linoleic acid (LA)- and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)-related oxylipins, and PC2 represented arachidonic acid (ARA)-related oxylipins. Oxylipin PC1, PC2, and the top five loading oxylipins from each PC were used as outcomes in the GWAS (genome-wide significance: p < 5×10-8). Results: The SNP rs143070873 was associated with (p < 5×10-8) the LA-related oxylipin 9-HODE, and rs6444933 (downstream of CLDN11) was associated with the LA-related oxylipin 13 S-HODE. A locus between MIR1302-7 and LOC100131146, rs10118380 and an intronic variant in TRPM3 were associated with the ARA-related oxylipin 11-HETE. These loci are involved in inflammatory signaling cascades and interact with PLA2, an initial step to oxylipin biosynthesis. Conclusion: Genetic loci involved in inflammation and oxylipin metabolism are associated with oxylipin levels.

Refining the Definition of Stage 1 Type 1 Diabetes: An Ontology-Driven Analysis of the Heterogeneity of Multiple Islet Autoimmunity.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the risk of progression to stage 3 type 1 diabetes based on varying definitions of multiple islet autoantibody positivity (mIA). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Type 1 Diabetes Intelligence (T1DI) is a combined prospective data set of children from Finland, Germany, Sweden, and the U.S. who have an increased genetic risk for type 1 diabetes. Analysis included 16,709 infants-toddlers enrolled by age 2.5 years and comparison between groups using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. RESULTS: Of 865 (5%) children with mIA, 537 (62%) progressed to type 1 diabetes. The 15-year cumulative incidence of diabetes varied from the most stringent definition (mIA/Persistent/2: two or more islet autoantibodies positive at the same visit with two or more antibodies persistent at next visit; 88% [95% CI 85-92%]) to the least stringent (mIA/Any: positivity for two islet autoantibodies without co-occurring positivity or persistence; 18% [5-40%]). Progression in mIA/Persistent/2 was significantly higher than all other groups (P < 0.0001). Intermediate stringency definitions showed intermediate risk and were significantly different than mIA/Any (P < 0.05); however, differences waned over the 2-year follow-up among those who did not subsequently reach higher stringency. Among mIA/Persistent/2 individuals with three autoantibodies, loss of one autoantibody by the 2-year follow-up was associated with accelerated progression. Age was significantly associated with time from seroconversion to mIA/Persistent/2 status and mIA to stage 3 type 1 diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: The 15-year risk of progression to type 1 diabetes risk varies markedly from 18 to 88% based on the stringency of mIA definition. While initial categorization identifies highest-risk individuals, short-term follow-up over 2 years may help stratify evolving risk, especially for those with less stringent definitions of mIA.

An Oxylipin-Related Nutrient Pattern and Risk of Type 1 Diabetes in the Diabetes Autoimmunity Study in the Young (DAISY).

Oxylipins, pro-inflammatory and pro-resolving lipid mediators, are associated with the risk of type 1 diabetes (T1D) and may be influenced by diet. This study aimed to develop a nutrient pattern related to oxylipin profiles and test their associations with the risk of T1D among youth. The nutrient patterns were developed with a reduced rank regression in a nested case-control study (n = 335) within the Diabetes Autoimmunity Study in the Young (DAISY), a longitudinal cohort of children at risk of T1D. The oxylipin profiles (adjusted for genetic predictors) were the response variables. The nutrient patterns were tested in the case-control study (n = 69 T1D cases, 69 controls), then validated in the DAISY cohort using a joint Cox proportional hazards model (n = 1933, including 81 T1D cases). The first nutrient pattern (NP1) was characterized by low beta cryptoxanthin, flavanone, vitamin C, total sugars and iron, and high lycopene, anthocyanidins, linoleic acid and sodium. After adjusting for T1D family history, the HLA genotype, sex and race/ethnicity, NP1 was associated with a lower risk of T1D in the nested case-control study (OR: 0.44, p = 0.0126). NP1 was not associated with the risk of T1D (HR: 0.54, p-value = 0.1829) in the full DAISY cohort. Future studies are needed to confirm the nested case-control findings and investigate the modifiable factors for oxylipins.

Consortium-based approach to receiving an EMA qualification opinion on the use of islet autoantibodies as enrichment biomarkers in type 1 diabetes clinical studies.

The development of medical products that can delay or prevent progression to stage 3 type 1 diabetes faces many challenges. Of note, optimising patient selection for type 1 diabetes prevention clinical trials is hindered by significant patient heterogeneity and a lack of characterisation of the time-varying probability of progression to stage 3 type 1 diabetes in individuals positive for two or more islet autoantibodies. To meet these needs, the Critical Path Institute's Type 1 Diabetes Consortium was launched in 2017 as a pre-competitive public-private partnership between stakeholders from the pharmaceutical industry, patient advocacy groups, philanthropic organisations, clinical researchers, the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration. The Type 1 Diabetes Consortium acquired and aggregated data from three longitudinal observational studies, Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY), Diabetes Autoimmunity Study in the Young (DAISY) and TrialNet Pathway to Prevention (TN01), and used analysis subsets of these data to support the model-based qualification of islet autoantibodies as enrichment biomarkers for patient selection in type 1 diabetes prevention trials, including registration studies. The Type 1 Diabetes Consortium has now received a qualification opinion from the European Medicines Agency for the use of these biomarkers, a major success for the field of type 1 diabetes. This endorsement will improve product developers' ability to design clinical trials of agents intended to prevent or delay type 1 diabetes that are reduced in size and/or length, while being adequately powered.

Quantifying the utility of islet autoantibody levels in the prediction of type 1 diabetes in children.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The aim of this study was to explore the utility of islet autoantibody (IAb) levels for the prediction of type 1 diabetes in autoantibody-positive children. METHODS: Prospective cohort studies in Finland, Germany, Sweden and the USA followed 24,662 children at increased genetic or familial risk of developing islet autoimmunity and diabetes. For the 1403 who developed IAbs (523 of whom developed diabetes), levels of autoantibodies against insulin (IAA), glutamic acid decarboxylase (GADA) and insulinoma-associated antigen-2 (IA-2A) were harmonised for analysis. Diabetes prediction models using multivariate logistic regression with inverse probability censored weighting (IPCW) were trained using 10-fold cross-validation. Discriminative power for disease was estimated using the IPCW concordance index (C index) with 95% CI estimated via bootstrap. RESULTS: A baseline model with covariates for data source, sex, diabetes family history, HLA risk group and age at seroconversion with a 10-year follow-up period yielded a C index of 0.61 (95% CI 0.58, 0.63). The performance improved after adding the IAb positivity status for IAA, GADA and IA-2A at seroconversion: C index 0.72 (95% CI 0.71, 0.74). Using the IAb levels instead of positivity indicators resulted in even better performance: C index 0.76 (95% CI 0.74, 0.77). The predictive power was maintained when using the IAb levels alone: C index 0.76 (95% CI 0.75, 0.76). The prediction was better for shorter follow-up periods, with a C index of 0.82 (95% CI 0.81, 0.83) at 2 years, and remained reasonable for longer follow-up periods, with a C index of 0.76 (95% CI 0.75, 0.76) at 11 years. Inclusion of the results of a third IAb test added to the predictive power, and a suitable interval between seroconversion and the third test was approximately 1.5 years, with a C index of 0.78 (95% CI 0.77, 0.78) at 10 years follow-up. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Consideration of quantitative patterns of IAb levels improved the predictive power for type 1 diabetes in IAb-positive children beyond qualitative IAb positivity status.

DNA Methylation Near DLGAP2 May Mediate the Relationship between Family History of Type 1 Diabetes and Type 1 Diabetes Risk.

Given the differential risk of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in offspring of affected fathers versus affected mothers and our observation that T1D cases have differential DNA methylation near the imprinted DLGAP2 gene compared to controls, we examined whether methylation near DLGAP2 mediates the association between T1D family history and T1D risk. In a nested case-control study of 87 T1D cases and 87 controls from the Diabetes Autoimmunity Study in the Young, we conducted causal mediation analyses at 12 DLGAP2 region CpGs to decompose the effect of family history on T1D risk into indirect and direct effects. These effects were estimated from two regression models adjusted for the human leukocyte antigen DR3/4 genotype: a linear regression of family history on methylation (mediator model) and a logistic regression of family history and methylation on T1D (outcome model). For 8 of the 12 CpGs, we identified a significant interaction between T1D family history and methylation on T1D risk. Accounting for this interaction, we found that the increased risk of T1D for children with affected mothers compared to those with no family history was mediated through differences in methylation at two CpGs (cg27351978, cg00565786) in the DLGAP2 region, as demonstrated by a significant pure natural indirect effect (odds ratio (OR) = 1.98, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06-3.71) and nonsignificant total natural direct effect (OR = 1.65, 95% CI: 0.16-16.62) (for cg00565786). In contrast, the increased risk of T1D for children with an affected father or sibling was not explained by DNA methylation changes at these CpGs. Results were similar for cg27351978 and robust in sensitivity analyses. Lastly, we found that DNA methylation in the DLGAP2 region was associated (P<0:05) with gene expression of nearby protein-coding genes DLGAP2, ARHGEF10, ZNF596, and ERICH1. Results indicate that the maternal protective effect conferred through exposure to T1D in utero may operate through changes to DNA methylation that have functional downstream consequences.

Islet Autoantibody Levels Differentiate Progression Trajectories in Individuals With Presymptomatic Type 1 Diabetes.

In our previous data-driven analysis of evolving patterns of islet autoantibodies (IAb) against insulin (IAA), GAD (GADA), and islet antigen 2 (IA-2A), we discovered three trajectories, characterized according to multiple IAb (TR1), IAA (TR2), or GADA (TR3) as the first appearing autoantibodies. Here we examined the evolution of IAb levels within these trajectories in 2,145 IAb-positive participants followed from early life and compared those who progressed to type 1 diabetes (n = 643) with those remaining undiagnosed (n = 1,502). With use of thresholds determined by 5-year diabetes risk, four levels were defined for each IAb and overlaid onto each visit. In diagnosed participants, high IAA levels were seen in TR1 and TR2 at ages <3 years, whereas IAA remained at lower levels in the undiagnosed. Proportions of dwell times (total duration of follow-up at a given level) at the four IAb levels differed between the diagnosed and undiagnosed for GADA and IA-2A in all three trajectories (P < 0.001), but for IAA dwell times differed only within TR2 (P < 0.05). Overall, undiagnosed participants more frequently had low IAb levels and later appearance of IAb than diagnosed participants. In conclusion, while it has long been appreciated that the number of autoantibodies is an important predictor of type 1 diabetes, consideration of autoantibody levels within the three autoimmune trajectories improved differentiation of IAb-positive children who progressed to type 1 diabetes from those who did not.

Integration of Infant Metabolite, Genetic, and Islet Autoimmunity Signatures to Predict Type 1 Diabetes by Age 6 Years.

CONTEXT: Biomarkers that can accurately predict risk of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in genetically predisposed children can facilitate interventions to delay or prevent the disease. OBJECTIVE: This work aimed to determine if a combination of genetic, immunologic, and metabolic features, measured at infancy, can be used to predict the likelihood that a child will develop T1D by age 6 years. METHODS: Newborns with human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing were enrolled in the prospective birth cohort of The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY). TEDDY ascertained children in Finland, Germany, Sweden, and the United States. TEDDY children were either from the general population or from families with T1D with an HLA genotype associated with T1D specific to TEDDY eligibility criteria. From the TEDDY cohort there were 702 children will all data sources measured at ages 3, 6, and 9 months, 11.4% of whom progressed to T1D by age 6 years. The main outcome measure was a diagnosis of T1D as diagnosed by American Diabetes Association criteria. RESULTS: Machine learning-based feature selection yielded classifiers based on disparate demographic, immunologic, genetic, and metabolite features. The accuracy of the model using all available data evaluated by the area under a receiver operating characteristic curve is 0.84. Reducing to only 3- and 9-month measurements did not reduce the area under the curve significantly. Metabolomics had the largest value when evaluating the accuracy at a low false-positive rate. CONCLUSION: The metabolite features identified as important for progression to T1D by age 6 years point to altered sugar metabolism in infancy. Integrating this information with classic risk factors improves prediction of the progression to T1D in early childhood.

High-Throughput Multiplex Electrochemiluminescence Assay Applicable to General Population Screening for Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease.

Objective: Large-scale screening of the general population for islet autoantibodies (IAbs) to detect type 1 diabetes (T1D) has started worldwide. The standard screening method of separate radio-binding assay (RBA) for each IAb is an inefficient bottleneck. Furthermore, most positive results by RBA in screening of general population individuals without a clinical diagnosis of T1D are low-affinity and not predictive of future diabetes. Research Design and Methods: We have developed and validated a novel 6-Plex assay based on electrochemiluminescence (ECL) technology that combines in a single well high-affinity IAbs (to insulin, GAD, IA-2, and ZnT8), transglutaminase autoantibodies for celiac disease, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 antibodies. The Autoimmunity Screening for Kids (ASK) provided 880 serum samples, from 828 children aged 1-17 years without diabetes who were previously tested for IAbs using single ECL assays and RBA assays. Results: Levels of all six antibodies in the 6-Plex ECL assay correlated well with respective single ECL assay levels. Similar to single ECL assays, the 6-Plex ECL assay positivity was congruent with the RBA in 95% (35/37) of children who later developed T1D and in 88% (105/119) high-risk children with multiple IAbs. In contrast, only 56% (86/154, P < 0.0001) of children with persistent single IAb by RBA were found to be positive by 6-Plex ECL assay. Of 555 samples negative for all IAbs by RBA, few (0.2%-0.5%) were positive at low levels in the 6-Plex ECL assay. Conclusions: The study demonstrated that the 6-Plex ECL assay compares favorably to the standard RBAs in terms of disease specificity for general population screening in children. The 6-Plex ECL assay was therefore adopted as the primary screening tool in the general population screening ASK program with advantages of high efficiency, low cost, and low serum volume.

Progression of type 1 diabetes from latency to symptomatic disease is predicted by distinct autoimmune trajectories.

Development of islet autoimmunity precedes the onset of type 1 diabetes in children, however, the presence of autoantibodies does not necessarily lead to manifest disease and the onset of clinical symptoms is hard to predict. Here we show, by longitudinal sampling of islet autoantibodies (IAb) to insulin, glutamic acid decarboxylase and islet antigen-2 that disease progression follows distinct trajectories. Of the combined Type 1 Data Intelligence cohort of 24662 participants, 2172 individuals fulfill the criteria of two or more follow-up visits and IAb positivity at least once, with 652 progressing to type 1 diabetes during the 15 years course of the study. Our Continuous-Time Hidden Markov Models, that are developed to discover and visualize latent states based on the collected data and clinical characteristics of the patients, show that the health state of participants progresses from 11 distinct latent states as per three trajectories (TR1, TR2 and TR3), with associated 5-year cumulative diabetes-free survival of 40% (95% confidence interval [CI], 35% to 47%), 62% (95% CI, 57% to 67%), and 88% (95% CI, 85% to 91%), respectively (p < 0.0001). Age, sex, and HLA-DR status further refine the progression rates within trajectories, enabling clinically useful prediction of disease onset.

Islet Autoantibody Type-Specific Titer Thresholds Improve Stratification of Risk of Progression to Type 1 Diabetes in Children.

OBJECTIVE: To use islet autoantibody titers to improve the estimation of future type 1 diabetes risk in children. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Prospective cohort studies in Finland, Germany, Sweden, and the U.S. followed 24,662 children at increased genetic or familial risk to develop islet autoimmunity and diabetes. For 1,604 children with confirmed positivity, titers of autoantibodies against insulin (IAA), GAD antibodies (GADA), and insulinoma-associated antigen 2 (IA-2A) were harmonized for diabetes risk analyses. RESULTS: Survival analysis from time of confirmed positivity revealed markedly different 5-year diabetes risks associated with IAA (n = 909), GADA (n = 1,076), and IA-2A (n = 714), when stratified by quartiles of titer, ranging from 19% (GADA 1st quartile) to 60% (IA-2A 4th quartile). The minimum titer associated with a maximum difference in 5-year risk differed for each autoantibody, corresponding to the 58.6th, 52.4th, and 10.2nd percentile of children specifically positive for each of IAA, GADA, and IA-2A, respectively. Using these autoantibody type-specific titer thresholds in the 1,481 children with all autoantibodies tested, the 5-year risk conferred by single (n = 954) and multiple (n = 527) autoantibodies could be stratified from 6 to 75% (P < 0.0001). The thresholds effectively identified children with a ≥50% 5-year risk when considering age-specific autoantibody screening (57-65% positive predictive value and 56-74% sensitivity for ages 1-5 years). Multivariable analysis confirmed the significance of associations between the three autoantibody titers and diabetes risk, informing a childhood risk surveillance strategy. CONCLUSIONS: This study defined islet autoantibody type-specific titer thresholds that significantly improved type 1 diabetes risk stratification in children.

CGM Metrics Predict Imminent Progression to Type 1 Diabetes: Autoimmunity Screening for Kids (ASK) Study.

OBJECTIVE: Children identified with stage 1 type 1 diabetes are at high risk for progressing to stage 3 (clinical) diabetes and require accurate monitoring. Our aim was to establish continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) metrics that could predict imminent progression to diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: In the Autoimmunity Screening for Kids study, 91 children who were persistently islet autoantibody positive (median age 11.5 years; 48% non-Hispanic White; 57% female) with a baseline CGM were followed for development of diabetes for a median of 6 (range 0.2-34) months. Of these, 16 (18%) progressed to clinical diabetes in a median of 4.5 (range 0.4-29) months. RESULTS: Compared with children who did not progress to clinical diabetes (nonprogressors), those who did (progressors) had significantly higher average sensor glucose levels (119 vs. 105 mg/dL, P < 0.001) and increased glycemic variability (SD 27 vs. 16, coefficient of variation, 21 vs. 15, mean of daily differences 24 vs. 16, and mean amplitude of glycemic excursions 43 vs. 26, all P < 0.001). For progressors, 21% of the time was spent with glucose levels >140 mg/dL (TA140) and 8% of time >160 mg/dL, compared with 3% and 1%, respectively, for nonprogressors. In survival analyses, the risk of progression to diabetes in 1 year was 80% in those with TA140 >10%; in contrast, it was only 5% in the other participants. Performance of prediction by receiver operating curve analyses showed area under the curve of ≥0.89 for both individual and combined CGM metric models. CONCLUSIONS: TA140 >10% is associated with a high risk of progression to clinical diabetes within the next year in autoantibody-positive children. CGM should be included in the ongoing monitoring of high-risk children and could be used as potential entry criterion for prevention trials.

Tutorial: best practices and considerations for mass-spectrometry-based protein biomarker discovery and validation.

Mass-spectrometry-based proteomic analysis is a powerful approach for discovering new disease biomarkers. However, certain critical steps of study design such as cohort selection, evaluation of statistical power, sample blinding and randomization, and sample/data quality control are often neglected or underappreciated during experimental design and execution. This tutorial discusses important steps for designing and implementing a liquid-chromatography-mass-spectrometry-based biomarker discovery study. We describe the rationale, considerations and possible failures in each step of such studies, including experimental design, sample collection and processing, and data collection. We also provide guidance for major steps of data processing and final statistical analysis for meaningful biological interpretations along with highlights of several successful biomarker studies. The provided guidelines from study design to implementation to data interpretation serve as a reference for improving rigor and reproducibility of biomarker development studies.

Islet Autoimmunity and HLA Markers of Presymptomatic and Clinical Type 1 Diabetes: Joint Analyses of Prospective Cohort Studies in Finland, Germany, Sweden, and the U.S.

OBJECTIVE: To combine prospective cohort studies, by including HLA harmonization, and estimate risk of islet autoimmunity and progression to clinical diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: For prospective cohorts in Finland, Germany, Sweden, and the U.S., 24,662 children at increased genetic risk for development of islet autoantibodies and type 1 diabetes have been followed. Following harmonization, the outcomes were analyzed in 16,709 infants-toddlers enrolled by age 2.5 years. RESULTS: In the infant-toddler cohort, 1,413 (8.5%) developed at least one autoantibody confirmed at two or more consecutive visits (seroconversion), 865 (5%) developed multiple autoantibodies, and 655 (4%) progressed to diabetes. The 15-year cumulative incidence of diabetes varied in children with one, two, or three autoantibodies at seroconversion: 45% (95% CI 40-52), 85% (78-90), and 92% (85-97), respectively. Among those with a single autoantibody, status 2 years after seroconversion predicted diabetes risk: 12% (10-25) if reverting to autoantibody negative, 30% (20-40) if retaining a single autoantibody, and 82% (80-95) if developing multiple autoantibodies. HLA-DR-DQ affected the risk of confirmed seroconversion and progression to diabetes in children with stable single-autoantibody status. Their 15-year diabetes incidence for higher- versus lower-risk genotypes was 40% (28-50) vs. 12% (5-38). The rate of progression to diabetes was inversely related to age at development of multiple autoantibodies, ranging from 20% per year to 6% per year in children developing multipositivity in ≤2 years or >7.4 years, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The number of islet autoantibodies at seroconversion reliably predicts 15-year type 1 diabetes risk. In children retaining a single autoantibody, HLA-DR-DQ genotypes can further refine risk of progression.