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Updated: Aug 9, 2026

Methods to Assess Beta Cell Death Mediated by Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes
Published on: June 16, 2011
Complement-fixing islet-cell antibodies in type-I diabetes: possible monitors of active beta-cell damage
Abstract:
Evidence is presented for the existence of a separate species of islet-cell antibodies which fix complement. Investigations in type I diabetics, non-diabetic polyendocrine patients, and unaffected first-degree relatives of type I diabetic probands show that the complement-fixing islet-cell antibodies are more closely related to the onset of clinical disease than the conventional islet-cell antibody, and they tend to disappear more rapidly. The complement-fixing antibodies may reflect damage of pancreatic beta cells more selectively and may be preferable to the conventional antibody as a serological marker for studying the natural history of type I diabetes.
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