Immunopathology of immune-mediated (type 1) diabetes

Immune-mediated diabetes is established as an autoimmune disease, which most often is induced during late infancy or early childhood. Multiple genetic lesions in immune tolerance are required before autoimmunity can be sustained once induced by environmental agents, such as viruses. The diagnostic hallmarks of the disease are the islet autoantibodies, which should be made routinely available to physicians to distinguish this disease from other forms of diabetes. The ability to identify individuals with impending IMD and those at high risk of IMD lends itself to the development of clinical trials to prevent diabetes by immunologic means. We believe that this will soon be possible with the development and use of vaccines.