Summary

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) awarded $1.437 million to the University of Virginia under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.847) effective May 1, 2026, through April 30, 2029. This Project Grant funds an ancillary research project within the Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) Study designed to investigate the role of alternative splicing in the initiation and progression of islet autoimmunity in Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). The research leverages longitudinal cohort data and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) samples collected through TEDDY to examine how pre-mRNA alternative splicing—a gene regulation mechanism that generates protein diversity in a tissue-specific manner—contributes to T1D development in genetically predisposed individuals.

The research addresses a significant gap in understanding the mechanisms linking genetic risk factors to islet autoimmunity, the pathological hallmark of T1D identified through islet autoantibody presence. By examining how genetic variation and alternative splicing errors influence immune-relevant cell types such as CD4+ T cells, this research seeks to elucidate the transition from genetic susceptibility to clinical autoimmunity. The work supports NIDDK's programmatic objectives to improve understanding of diabetes etiology, pathogenesis, and prevention through fundamental and clinical biomedical research conducted at the University of Virginia's Charlottesville facility.