In a recent study published in the current issue of Nature Immunology, a Breakthrough T1D-funded team led by Dr. Diane Mathis from the Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital developed a technique that uses MRI and nanoparticles for predicting type 1 diabetes (T1D).

In the study, which was conducted in mice, researchers injected two sets of mice – one with a genetic predisposition to T1D and one without – with magnetic nanoparticles designed to accumulate in inflamed tissues. The inflamed tissues are an indicator of the autoimmune attack that causes T1D. After scanning the mice using MRI, the researchers discovered increased inflammation in animals disposed to T1D starting from six to 10 weeks of age. According to the study’s author Dr. Wenxian Fu, this result shows that the progression of the disease, at least in this animal model, is determined very early in life. In the case of these mice, it seems T1D does not require an additional trigger such as a secondary infection or environmental stress.

In addition to discovering and predicting T1D onset in mice subjects, the researchers found other applications for the MRI imaging technique. They identified a number of previously unknown molecular and cellular elements that correlated with disease protection. One of these protective elements is CRIg, the complement receptor of the immunoglobulin superfamily. The presence of CRIg marked a subset of macrophages associated with diabetes resistance. The scientists injected CRIg engineered molecules into mice predisposed to diabetes and found that it resulted in a lower incidence of the disease.

Although these findings are promising, future studies will be necessary to determine the technique’s potential for discovering markers of T1D progression in humans and developing new drug therapies to prevent the disease. The findings open the possibility that imaging of inflammation in the pancreas will help identify individuals who will develop T1D and predict how rapidly the disease might progress. This result would be important for prevention trials as well as for studies aimed at preserving beta cell function. Furthermore, the ability of CRIg to prevent disease and reduce inflammation as determined by this imaging technique opens up the possibility for novel therapeutic approaches. The study is another step forward for Breakthrough T1D’s research focus on discovering pathways to prevent T1D from occurring or stopping the autoimmune attack that causes the disease.