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OBJECTIVE Women are broadly underrepresented in scientific leadership positions and their accomplishments are not provided equal recognition compared with those of men, but the imbalance in the field of diabetes is unknown. Hence, we analyzed multiple aspects of historical and present-day female representation in the diabetes field. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We quantified gender representation at annual American Diabetes Association (ADA) meetings; editorial board service positions for ADA and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) journals; principal investigators for ADA, JDRF, and National Institutes of Health National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases P30 grant funding; and ADA, JDRF, and EASD award recipients. RESULTS There are many women in the field of diabetes: registration for the ADA Scientific Sessions has been 43% female since 2016, and for over five decades, women comprised 83% of ADA Presidents of Health Care and Education. Yet, only 9% of ADA Presidents of Medicine and Science have been women. Women were well represented on editorial boards for journals focused on diabetes education (Diabetes Spectrum, 89% female) and primary care (Clinical Diabetes, 49% female) but not for the more academically targeted Diabetes Care (34% female), Diabetes (21% female), and Diabetologia (30% female). Only one-third of ADA Pathway to Stop Diabetes and JDRF grants have been awarded to women, and females only lead 2 of 18 (11%) of the P30-supported Diabetes Research Centers. Finally, only 2–12% of major ADA, JDRF, and EASD awards were given to women, without significant change over time. CONCLUSIONS Despite increasing recognition of gender imbalance in research and medicine, many disparities in the field of diabetes persist. We call for decreasing barriers for advancement of female investigators and creating environments that promote their retention and equitable recognition for their contributions to the field.

Research-based immunotherapy trials seeking to prevent or reverse a number of autoimmune diseases, including type 1 diabetes, have seen near universal suspension due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Diabetes and hyperglycemia are now appreciated as significant risk factors for COVID-19 morbidity and mortality; however, the vast majority of studies have reported on adults. Recent data in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes suggest no increased risk of COVID-19. Even with immense appreciation for COVID-19 morbidity and mortality, we believe compelling arguments exist to carefully and thoughtfully resume certain type 1 diabetes phase 2–3 immunotherapy trials. In this Perspective, we consider the experience of trials that never halted or have resumed in the oncology and rheumatology fields, and advocate for staged type 1 diabetes immunotherapy trial resumption. With this, we present recommendations to achieve equipoise and mitigate risks for SARS-CoV-2 infection in the weeks surrounding infusion. Given the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to persist for some time, it is in the best interest of our patients that we find ways to safely move our field forward.

Previously, we demonstrated low-dose anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) and granulocyte colony stimulating factor (GCSF) immunotherapy preserved C-peptide for two years in a pilot study of subjects with established type 1 diabetes (n=25). Herein, we evaluated the long-term outcomes of ATG/GCSF in study participants with five years of available follow-up data (n=15). The primary endpoint was area under the curve (AUC) C-peptide during a two-hour mixed-meal tolerance test (MMTT). After five years, there were no statistically significant differences in AUC C-peptide when comparing subjects who received ATG/GCSF versus placebo (p = 0.41). A modeling framework based on mean trajectories in C-peptide AUC over five years, accounting for differing trends between groups, was applied to re-categorize responders (n=9) and non-responders (n=7). ATG/GCSF reponders demonstrated nearly unchanged HbA1c over five years [mean (95% CI) adjusted change = 0.29% (-0.69%, 1.27%)], but the study was not powered for comparisons against non-responders 1.75% (-0.57%, 4.06%) and placebo 1.44% (0.21%, 2.66%). These data underscore the importance of long-term follow up in previous and ongoing phase 2 trials of low-dose ATG in recent-onset type 1 diabetes.

Exocrine pancreas abnormalities are increasingly recognized as features of type 1 diabetes. We previously reported reduced serum trypsinogen levels and in a separate study, smaller pancreata at and prior to disease onset. We hypothesized that three pancreas enzymes (amylase, lipase and trypsinogen) might serve as serological biomarkers of pancreas volume and risk for type 1 diabetes. Amylase, lipase, and trypsinogen were measured from two independent cohorts, together comprising 800 serum samples from single-autoantibody positive (1AAb+) and multiple-AAb+ (≥2AAb+) subjects, individuals with recent-onset or established type 1 diabetes, their AAb negative (AAb-) first-degree relatives, and AAb- controls. Lipase and trypsinogen were significantly reduced in ≥2AAb+, recent-onset, and established type 1 diabetes subjects versus controls and 1AAb+, while amylase was reduced only in established type 1 diabetes. Logistic regression models demonstrated trypsinogen plus lipase (AUROC=81.4%) performed equivalently to all three enzymes (AUROC=81.4%) in categorizing ≥2AAb+ versus 1AAb+ subjects. For Cohort 2 (n=246), linear regression demonstrated lipase and trypsinogen levels could individually and collectively serve as indicators of BMI-normalized relative pancreas volume (RPVBMI, PBMI and may improve disease staging in pre-type 1 diabetes.

Women are broadly underrepresented in scientific leadership positions and their accomplishments are not provided equal recognition compared with those of men, but the imbalance in the field of diabetes is unknown. Hence, we analyzed multiple aspects of historical and present-day female representation in the diabetes field.We quantified gender representation at annual American Diabetes Association (ADA) meetings; editorial board service positions for ADA and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) journals; principal investigators for ADA, JDRF, and National Institutes of Health National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases P30 grant funding; and ADA, JDRF, and EASD award recipients. There are many women in the field of diabetes: registration for the ADA Scientific Sessions has been 43% female since 2016, and for over five decades, women comprised 83% of ADA Presidents of Health Care and Education. Yet, only 9% of ADA Presidents of Medicine and Science have been women. Women were well represented on editorial boards for journals focused on diabetes education (Diabetes Spectrum, 89% female) and primary care (Clinical Diabetes, 49% female) but not for the more academically targeted Diabetes Care (34% female), Diabetes (21% female), and Diabetologia (30% female). Only one-third of ADA Pathway to Stop Diabetes and JDRF grants have been awarded to women, and females only lead 2 of 18 (11%) of the P30-supported Diabetes Research Centers. Finally, only 2-12% of major ADA, JDRF, and EASD awards were given to women, without significant change over time. Despite increasing recognition of gender imbalance in research and medicine, many disparities in the field of diabetes persist. We call for decreasing barriers for advancement of female investigators and creating environments that promote their retention and equitable recognition for their contributions to the field.

Within the human pancreas, exocrine and endocrine cells control secretion of digestive enzymes and production of hormones to maintain metabolic homeostasis, respectively. While the vast majority of type 1 diabetes research efforts have focused on endocrine function and autoimmunity, recent studies identified a series of unique features (e.g., reduced weight and volume, increased density of leukocytes) within the exocrine pancreas in this disease, but the mechanisms underlying these aberrancies are unknown. Therefore, we histologically assessed amylase, insulin, glucagon, lipase, and/or trypsinogen in 78 organ donor pancreata from birth through adulthood in control subjects and those at various stages of type 1 diabetes. While amylase-positive (AMY(+)) acinar cells were detectable in pancreata from all study groups, tissues from individuals >2 years of age contained clusters of acinar cells devoid of amylase (AMY(−)). A majority of these AMY(−) cell clusters localized proximal to islets (i.e., peri-islet). Additionally, most AMY(−) clusters were positive for the exocrine enzymes lipase and trypsinogen. Interestingly, type 1 diabetes pancreata displayed significant reductions in the frequency of these AMY(−) cell clusters. These results support a contribution of the islet-acinar axis in pancreatic development and underscore a potential role for the exocrine pancreas in the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes.

We and others previously demonstrated that a type 1 diabetes genetic risk score (GRS) improves the ability to predict disease progression and onset in at-risk subjects with islet autoantibodies. Here, we hypothesized that GRS and islet autoantibodies, combined with age at onset and disease duration, could serve as markers of residual β-cell function following type 1 diabetes diagnosis. Generalized estimating equations were used to investigate whether GRS along with insulinoma-associated protein-2 autoantibody (IA–2A), zinc transporter 8 autoantibody (ZnT8A), and GAD autoantibody (GADA) titers were predictive of C-peptide detection in a largely cross-sectional cohort of 401 subjects with type 1 diabetes (median duration 4.5 years [range 0–60]). Indeed, a combined model with incorporation of disease duration, age at onset, GRS, and titers of IA–2A, ZnT8A, and GADA provided superior capacity to predict C-peptide detection (quasi-likelihood information criterion [QIC] = 334.6) compared with the capacity of disease duration, age at onset, and GRS as the sole parameters (QIC = 359.2). These findings support the need for longitudinal validation of our combinatorial model. The ability to project the rate and extent of decline in residual C-peptide production for individuals with type 1 diabetes could critically inform enrollment and benchmarking for clinical trials where investigators are seeking to preserve or restore endogenous β-cell function.

Gene editing of the human T cell receptor locus enables optimized in vitro testing of autoreactive T cell function in type 1 diabetes. The generation of antigen specific T cells and subsequent implementation as “living drugs” has garnered great interest in the immunotherapy space. One of the main caveats to this approach is the potential for heterologous chain pairing between the α- and β-chains of the endogenous and de-novo T cell receptors (TCRs). The consequences of chain mispairing can range from reduced antigen specific functionality to off-target autoimmune reactivity. The latter is an important consideration when designing therapies for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, specifically with regards to the introduction of regulatory T cells (Treg) adoptive cell therapy. To date, infusions of polyclonal Tregs have demonstrated safety but have failed to reverse established type 1 diabetes (T1D). This demonstrates the need for the generation of safe and effective antigen-specific Tregs capable of recognizing β-cells in T1D. We have previously shown the ability to generate GAD-specific Tregs which maintain lineage stability and suppressive phenotype. To extend this work, we deleted the endogenous TCR α-chain gene (TRAC) via CRISPR/cas9 in CD8+T cells. We achieved >90% editing efficiency through ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex mediated single guide RNA delivery. Moreover, we found TRAC-KO CD8+ T cells displayed increased peptide MHC-dextramer staining, CD69 and CD25 upregulation after stimulation with cognate antigen, and increased antigen-specific killing of β-cell lines when compared to mock guide treated T cells. We believe this workflow can be applied to generate antigen specific Tregs, which we expect to provide increased suppressive capacity. Hence, we present a TCR-gene editing protocol in primary human T cells that results in efficient deletion of the endogenous TCR α-chain and robust enhancement of antigen-specific T cell function. Disclosure L.D. Peters: None. A.L. Posgai: None. T.M. Brusko: Board Member; Self; OneVax, LLC. Consultant; Self; Caladrius Biosciences, Inc., Sanofi-Aventis. Speaker’s Bureau; Self; CSL Behring. Funding National Institutes of Health (P01AI42288, R01DK106191, T325T32DK108736-03HIRN, UC4 P0063595)

Recent efforts addressing the pathogenesis of T1D have benefited greatly from access to transplant-quality human pancreas samples obtained from organ donors. While alcohol use is linked to pancreatitis clinically, the effect of alcohol and other illicit substances on pancreatic histopathology in T1D is not known. Hence, we determined the influence of alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, cocaine, and other controlled substances in T1D pancreata. In total, 140 T1D organ donor pancreata [median age at T1D onset=11 (range 0-36) years, duration=12 (0-84) years, 47% female] were recovered through the Network for Pancreatic Organ donors with Diabetes (nPOD) program. Paraffin sections were stained and reviewed for insulin positivity, insulitis (≥6 CD3+ cells adjacent/within the islet in ≥3 islets/section), amyloid staining, acute (acinar cell loss, mononuclear cell infiltrate, fat necrosis, and hemorrhage) and chronic pancreatitis (acinar cell loss, mononuclear cell infiltrate, and fibrosis) as well as chronic exocrine changes (acinar atrophy, fibrosis, fatty infiltration, or periductal fibrosis). Terminal hospital records were reviewed for a history of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and any illicit substance use. Of 140 T1D donors, 51% had a history of alcohol use, 40% tobacco use, 29% marijuana, and 20% other illicit substances. Urine drug screening on admission was available for 74 donors with 36 positive (49%). Alcohol use was associated with histopathological features of acute pancreatitis (p Disclosure B.S. Bruggeman: None. M. Campbell-Thompson: None. A.L. Posgai: None. M.A. Atkinson: None. D. Schatz: None. L.M. Jacobsen: None. Funding JDRF

The patient (nPOD 6310) was a 28-year-old female, 32 days postoperative from a cesarean delivery. Her past medical history was significant for chronic hypertension, severe preeclampsia, acute renal failure, and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). She was brought to the emergency department after collapsing, with total downtime of 20–30 min. On arrival, she was admitted to the intensive care unit and found to be in hypertensive crisis. Her hospital course was complicated by renal failure requiring four rounds of hemodialysis, hypertension requiring multiple agents for control, and a degree of hyperglycemia requiring insulin. Computed tomography of the head demonstrated anoxic encephalopathy with multiple infarcts within the brain. The patient was declared brain-dead and, with authorization obtained from next of kin, became an organ donor. The pancreas, along with blood, was recovered for research through the Network for Pancreatic Organ …

Recent studies demonstrated reduced serum trypsinogen levels as well as pancreatic weight/volume in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and nondiabetic/autoantibody (AAb)-positive subjects. Histological defects including increased CD8+ T cell infiltration and elevated C4d deposition have been observed in the exocrine T1D pancreas. Like trypsinogen, amylase and lipase are produced by the exocrine pancreas and serve as more common markers of exocrine function. We hypothesized that amylase and lipase levels would be lower in patients with T1D as well as in subjects with multiple (i.e., ≥2) T1D-related AAb compared with controls. To test this, serum amylase and lipase levels were determined in 70 patients with recent-onset T1D (duration 3 mo), 56 single AAb positive (1AAb+) subjects, 42 multiple AAb positive (≥2AAb+) subjects, 96 AAb negative (AAb-) relatives of T1D patients, and 110 AAb- control subjects. Amylase levels, which are independent of age (r = -0.02, P = 0.7), were significantly lower in patients with T1D (mean ± SD 39.98 ± 17.8 ng/mL; P < 0.005) vs. AAb- subjects (47.40 ± 20.17 ng/mL). Lipase levels, which are positively correlated with age (r = 0.30, P < 0.0001), were significantly lower in T1D patients (25.95 ± 21.ng/mL; P < 0.001) as well as ≥2AAb+ subjects (22.59 ± 11.12 ng/mL; P < 0.001) compared with 1AAb+ individuals (37.60 ± 16.79 ng/mL). These results provide further evidence that exocrine pancreas abnormalities exist in patients with T1D and ≥2AAb+ subjects considered to have early-stage T1D with high risk of progressing to clinical diagnosis. These data also support the possibility that an inherent or acquired defect in exocrine pancreas development and/or function may contribute to disease pathogenesis, but cause and effect cannot yet be ascertained. Importantly, these exocrine pancreas enzymes may serve as biomarkers of T1D to better predict disease progression and/or stratify patients according to etiology. Disclosure J.J. Ross: None. C. Wasserfall: None. D.J. Perry: None. K.M. McGrail: None. A.L. Posgai: None. T.M. Brusko: Stock/Shareholder; Self; OneVax, LLC. Advisory Panel; Self; Caladrius Biosciences, Inc.. Consultant; Self; Merck & Co., Inc., Sanofi-Aventis. D. Schatz: None. M.J. Haller: None. M.A. Atkinson: Other Relationship; Self; Patent Issued.

There is an ongoing need to develop strategic combinations of therapeutic agents to prevent type 1 diabetes (T1D) or to preserve islet β-cell mass in new-onset disease. Although clinical trials using candidate therapeutics are commonly based on preclinical studies, concern is growing regarding the reproducibility as well as the potential clinical translation of reported results using animal models of human disorders. In response, the National Institutes of Health Immune Tolerance Network and JDRF established a multicenter consortium of academic institutions designed to assess the efficacy and intergroup reproducibility of clinically applicable immunotherapies for reversing new-onset disease in the NOD mouse model of T1D. Predicated on prior studies, this consortium conducted coordinated, prospective studies, using joint standard operating procedures, fixed criteria for study entry, and common reagents, to optimize combined anti-CD3 treatment plus interleukin-1 (IL-1) blockade to reverse new-onset disease in NOD mice. We did not find that IL-1 blockade with anti–IL-1β monoclonal antibody or IL-1trap provided additional benefit for reversing new-onset disease compared with anti-CD3 treatment alone. These results demonstrate the value of larger, multicenter preclinical studies for vetting and prioritizing therapeutics for future clinical use.

Most natural history models for type 1 diabetes (T1D) propose that overt hyperglycemia results after a progressive loss of insulin-secreting β-cell mass and/or function. To experimentally address this concept, we prospectively determined morning blood glucose measurements every other day in multiple cohorts (total n = 660) of female NOD/ShiLtJ mice starting at 8 weeks of age until diabetes onset or 26 weeks of age. Consistent with this notion, a majority of mice that developed diabetes (354 of 489 [72%]) displayed a progressive increase in blood glucose with transient excursions >200 mg/dL, followed by acute and persistent hyperglycemia at diabetes onset. However, 135 of the 489 (28%) diabetic animals demonstrated normal glucose values followed by acute (i.e., sudden) hyperglycemia. Interestingly, diabetes onset occurred earlier in mice with acute versus progressive disease onset (15.37 ± 0.3207 vs. 17.44 ± 0.2073 weeks of age, P < 0.0001). Moreover, the pattern of onset (i.e., progressive vs. acute) dramatically influenced the ability to achieve reversal of T1D by immunotherapeutic intervention, with increased effectiveness observed in situations of a progressive deterioration in euglycemia. These studies highlight a novel natural history aspect in this animal model, one that may provide important guidance for the selection of subjects participating in human trials seeking disease reversal.

An increasing number of therapies have proven effective at reversing hyperglycemia in the nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse model of type 1 diabetes (T1D), yet situations of successful translation to human T1D are limited. This may be partly due to evaluating the effect of treating immediately at diagnosis in mice, which may not be reflective of the advanced disease state in humans at disease onset. In this study, we treated NOD mice with new-onset as well as established disease using various combinations of four drugs: antithymocyte globulin (ATG), granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), a dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibitor (DPP-4i), and a proton pump inhibitor (PPI). Therapy with all four drugs induced remission in 83% of new-onset mice and, remarkably, in 50% of NOD mice with established disease. Also noteworthy, disease remission occurred irrespective of initial blood glucose values and mechanistically was characterized by enhanced immunoregulation involving alterations in CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and natural killer cells. This combination therapy also allowed for effective treatment at reduced drug doses (compared with effective monotherapy), thereby minimizing potential adverse effects while retaining efficacy. This combination of approved drugs demonstrates a novel ability to reverse T1D, thereby warranting translational consideration.

The review of organ donors’ medical history is often limited to the terminal hospitalization records. This 32-year-old Hispanic patient had a history of type 1 diabetes since age 13 years and was treated with insulin since diagnosis. However, we have reasons to challenge the clinical diagnosis. The HLA region provides the highest contribution to genetic risk for type 1 diabetes (2). Although the HLA profile observed for this patient is not known to be associated with either risk or protection (2,3), there has been a recent rise in type 1 diabetes incidence among patients with HLA considered to confer lower risk for developing the disease (4). The absence of type 1 diabetes–associated autoantibodies (i.e., glutamic acid decarboxylase, insulinoma-associated protein 2, zinc transporter 8) at the time of study may be attributable to autoantibody loss over time; the absence altogether has been reported in …

We greatly appreciate the interest of Marchand et al. (1) in our article (2), which we indeed hoped would stimulate interest regarding gaps in knowledge of diabetes during pregnancy. In some cases, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) could certainly represent previously undiagnosed/presymptomatic type 1 or type 2 diabetes secondary to β-cell stress during pregnancy. Indeed, both the case presented in our original article and the example case described by the Thivolet group (1) highlight the need for further studies of GDM to determine the role of type 1 diabetes–associated autoantibodies during pregnancy and postpartum. Our intention was to highlight an interesting presentation of insulitis and autoantibody positivity …