Scientists Identify Potential Biomarkers That May Help Detect Type 1 Diabetes Earlier

Type 1 diabetes develops when the immune system mistakenly attacks the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. By the time most people are diagnosed, significant damage has already occurred. Researchers have long hoped to find biological markers—signs in blood or tissue—that could signal T1D development before symptoms appear.

A new study published in PeerJ explores whether genetic analysis could reveal such markers. Scientists used publicly available datasets comparing gene activity in people with Type 1 diabetes to those without the disease, then narrowed their findings down to the most promising candidates.

The analysis identified 28 genes that showed different activity levels between people with T1D and controls—20 that were more active and 8 that were less active in T1D cases. Functional analysis suggested that immune system activation played a central role in these genetic differences.

Two proteins drew particular attention: CTSG and LTF. The researchers validated these findings by measuring protein levels in blood samples from 17 people with Type 1 diabetes and 19 people without the disease. Both proteins showed different levels between the groups.

When researchers tested whether these proteins could accurately distinguish T1D cases from controls, the results were modest. In an initial training set, the proteins correctly identified T1D about 75% of the time. However, when tested on a separate validation group, accuracy dropped to 67%.

These findings are considered exploratory. The study involved a small number of samples and represents an early stage of research. Scientists emphasize that much more work is needed before CTSG and LTF could ever be considered for clinical use in diagnosis.

This research contributes to a growing body of work aimed at understanding T1D at the molecular level. Identifying genes and proteins involved in disease development is an important step toward better diagnostics, but it's just one piece of the puzzle.

For now, the findings underscore that immune system dysfunction is central to Type 1 diabetes. Future research will need to test these and other biomarkers in larger populations, explore their behavior over time, and determine whether they could eventually help identify people at risk before symptoms begin.

Source: PeerJ. Evidence type: PubMed indexed literature. Type1Cure is an information and intelligence hub, not a medical advice service. This article summarizes published research and does not provide diagnosis, treatment, or personal medical guidance. Always talk to your own care team before changing anything about your Type 1 diabetes management.