Identification and study of risk factors for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of maternal and child morbidity and mortality
Project objectives
The Research Unit at Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma is carrying out a study to predict type 1 diabetes (T1D) in susceptible subjects at birth. T1D is an autoimmune organ-specific disease with aberrant immune responses to specific auto-antigens of pancreatic beta cells leading to their progressive destruction. Clinical manifestations of type 1 diabetes represent the final stage of a chronic autoimmune process. Clinical diagnosis is preceded by premonitory symptoms, characterized by a gradual immune-mediated depletion of beta cells. Rate and time of beta cell destruction seems to vary among patients and there is no evidence that the immune-mediated process can be pre-activated in the uterus.
Unit objectives are:
- Collecting 150 dry blood spots (DBS) from newborn babies with a diabetic mothers on day 5.
- Collecting 300 DBS from newborn babies with non-diabetic mothers.
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Assessment of the following parameters in the DBS in order to identify their positive predictive values:
- Immunological markers: anti-insulin autoantibodies (IAA), anti-glutamic decarboxylase antibodies (GAD-65) and anti-tyrosine phosphatase antibodies (IA-2) with RIA samples
- Genetic markers: HLA I and II class and molecular study of DQ region by PCR; Ins-VNTR, PTPN22, CTLA4
- Classification of immunomodulatory cytokines (IFN gamma, IL-4, IL-10)
Start/End Date
December 1, 2008 - December 1, 2012
Principal Investigator
Prof. Paolo Pozzilli - Scientific Project Coordinator
Host Institution
Istituto Giannina Gaslini - Genova, Italy
Other Institutions involved
- Regione Toscana
- Istituto Giannina Gaslini - Italy
- IRCSS Ospedale Maggiore - Italy
- Policlinico Mangiagalli - Italy
- Ospedale Regina Elena - Italy
Source of funding
Italian Ministry of Health