Memory regulatory T cells as a biomarker of early type I diabetes

Type I diabetes (T1D) is the most common chronic autoimmune disease in children, driven by a breakdown in self-tolerance and T cell-mediated immune attack of pancreatic β-cells. There are no biomarkers to effectively diagnose autoimmunity before disease onset and clinical symptom development. Here, we applied deep multi-parametric immunophenotyping to compare immune landscapes in thirty-eight new-onset patients with T1D, 24 siblings, and 18 healthy controls (HC). T1D subjects underwent clinical and metabolic evaluations. Immune populations were analyzed on fresh whole blood using a panel of 26 antibodies, detecting 39 different cell populations. Memory regulatory T cells (memory Tregs) were significantly increased in T1D subjects (p