Profiling of Original Cellular and Humoral Biomarkers of Type 1 Diabetes

The "Lymphoscreen" study aims to characterize precisely (phenotypes/cytokines/functions) CD8+ T cell responses in type 1 Diabetes to identify biomarkers of the disease. Such markers are needed for refine type 1 Diabetes diagnosis/prognostic, and to design new therapeutic approaches targeting autoreactive CD8+ T cells. An original approach using DNA immunization of humanized mice allowed us to identify relevant CD8 epitopes derived from GAD65 and IA-2 beta cell autoantigens. The aims are: (i) identifying exhaustively epitopes recognized by autoreactive CD8+ T lymphocytes in type 1 Diabetes and following islet or pancreas graft in humans; (ii) identifying pathogenic CD8+ T cell patterns or profiles related to type 1 Diabetes pathogenesis and evolution; (iii) correlating CD8+ autoreactive T cell responses and autoantibody responses to new cellular (such as CD4+ T cells or peripheral cell miRNA) or humoral markers of the disease (such as serum miRNA).