Molecular Endocrinology and Diabetes

Together with the Institute for Endocrinology and Diabetes, at the Schneider children’s medical center, we are in the middle of a clinical project aiming at identifying children who are at risk for developing type 1 diabetes. Diagnosis of type1 diabetes (T1D) at the pre-clinical stage can prevent episodes of life threatening diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) occurring in above 30% of newly diagnosed patients in Israel and open the path for future population- based disease prevention. About 80% of the children diagnosed with T1D before the age of 5 have multiple islet antibodies with an estimated progression rate to symptomatic diabetes of 85% by 15 years. Thus, an efficient screening program based on these antibodies will identify children at risk for developing diabetes during childhood, thereby preventing DKA episodes upon clinical presentation, aiding in the search for early, efficient therapy for the disease, as well as enabling caregivers to prepare the children and their families for future insulin treatment. Antibodies will be measured using the Ultrasensitive Antibody Detection by Agglutination-PCR (ADAP) technology. By using this innovative technology in such a large cohort, we anticipate that we will be able to detect antibodies at an earlier age and stage of the disease.