Sparre Thomas, Bergholdt Regine, Nerup Jørn, Pociot Flemming
Steno Diabetes Center, Gentofte, Denmark.
Expert Rev Mol Diagn. 2003 Nov;3(6):743-57. doi: 10.1586/14737159.3.6.743.
Type 1 diabetes is a polygenic, multifactorial autoimmune disease characterized by selective and irreversible destruction of the insulin-producing beta-cells in the pancreatic islets of Langerhans. An exogenous supply of insulin is required to sustain life after the onset of Type 1 diabetes. Despite decades of intensive research into its pathogenesis, no single gene or protein has been found to be responsible for Type 1 diabetes. This review will describe the use of large-scale genomics and proteomics in studying the pathogenesis of Type 1 diabetes, and will discuss future directions of research in the field.
